The story of M.J. Lords Wine Cellars is a quintessentially Californian one, a story of the Old World meeting the New in a culmination of traditional inspiration and forward-thinking ingenuity. It is a story of passion, and of the perseverance of a familial connection to the earth that stretches back generations and spans continents. With family ties to two of the oldest wine-producing cultures, Matt Trulli and Jared Souza have drawn inspiration from what has always been a family tradition to create a boutique winery focused on small-lot, hand crafted expressions of terroirs.
To talk about the history of M.J. Lords Wine Cellars is to talk about the coming together of two families, the Trulli family of Puglia, Italy, and the Souza family from Portugal's Azores, home of the famous Verdelho fields. Both families have a long history of winemaking, though most of the time it was done on the side, merely part of the family culture that revered fresh produce from the garden, long family meals, and of course, good wine to go with them. Stories of Great Grandpa Mattos bringing full wine barrels up from the cellar and of Great Grandpa Trulli making his own unique blends are legendary within the family and still talked about today. The techniques they used and the styles they created are a part of Matt and Jared's story. Their grandfathers' respect for letting nature take the leading role with the winemaker merely guiding the end result has been passed down through the family, and their focus on tying it all together with food is still very much a part of their family tradition.
The story really began in the early 1900s, when the Trulli family immigrated to America from the small Puglia town of Alberobello, Italy. After traveling through New York, they moved on to Chicago, which became their new home. In 1952, Harry Trulli, the youngest of five siblings, set out west to make a new home in California, bringing with him his parents, his children, and his wife, Charlotte. Harry and Charlotte settled in Chino, California, and their six children grew up immersed in the Trulli family's tradition of working with produce, which had been a part of their family history in Italy for as long as anyone could remember.
While the Trulli family was just settling in California, the Souza family was cementing family roots there as well. After coming over from the Portuguese island of Terceira in the late 1800s, John Souza's family continued west and eventually settled in Atwater, California, where they re-established their tradition of cattle farming. In 1929, John Souza II met the love of his life, Anglina Mattos, whose family had recently emigrated from the Azores island of Sao Jorge. They soon married, and over the years they cultivated the Souza family passion for agriculture with their eight children.
The Souza and Trulli family histories converged in 1974, and with that convergence, they brought together a shared reverence for growing and creating things from the earth that would eventually give Matt and Jared their inspiration for beginning a new chapter in the family history, that of M.J. Lords Wine Cellars. In 1974, Matt's father, Craig Trulli married Jared's eldest sister, Rhonda Souza. Shortly thereafter, Matt was born, and two years later, Rhonda's parents John & Laura had their own new member of the family, Rhonda's new little brother Jared. As close as they are in age, Matt and Jared have been even closer personally. As kids the two were known for hatching ideas and constructing things together, with Matt always behind the scenes creating the plans and Jared, always the builder, bringing them to life.
In October, 2004, Jared followed in his great grandfathers' footsteps with a home winemaking project to create his own Zinfandel. Unable to pick 1000 pounds of grapes himself, he called Matt for help, and that experience of picking grapes together to make their own wine set the winery wheels in motion. Their one barrel of Zinfandel led to the creation of their special Zendagio blends, and it was soon joined by barrels of Cabernet Sauvignon, Petite Sirah, Pinot Noir, and Sauvignon Blanc. Since then, they have been leasing vineyards in the Russian River Valley that provide the fruit for their signature MJ Lords label, and they're also exploring an El Dorado County vineyard venture with Matt's uncle Dennis Trulli. Where these two partners go from here, only time will tell, but they know they're on to something big. In the end, it seems fitting that Matt and Jared would start a winery together; winemaking and agriculture are simply a part of their family's soul, and for them, this is only the beginning of their own chapter in what is already a very long story.
E-mail: info@mjlordswinery.com