John Fausz worked as a beverage manager and sommelier in his hometown of Saint Louis, MO for years before the production bug hit him. He made his way to the Sonoma Coast for his first harvest in 2015, then hitchhiked to Seattle where he dove headfirst into the cellar lifestyle, working at a grain-to-glass distillery. California called him back, however, and he joined Rhys Vineyards for the 2018 harvest. Since then, he has steadily risen through the ranks at Rhys and is currently Assistant Winemaker for the Santa Cruz Mountains.