Rob Fischer, Director of Winemaking

A native of Napa, Rob had no plans to pursue the valley’s natural professional path in winemaking, but that quickly changed when he landed a job in the tasting room at Domaine Carneros. What was intended to be a summer job soon turned into a series of fortuitous opportunities that quickly jumpstarted Rob’s winemaking career. During his six years with Domaine Carneros, Rob advanced quickly holding a variety of roles in the cellar and lab, finding that winemaking was a natural fit for his keen attention to detail and analytical approach, but mostly intrigued by the creative aspect. Before heading back to school to complete a degree in Enology at Fresno State, Rob worked at Donum Estate where he was immersed in the production of Carneros and Sonoma Pinot Noirs. Upon graduation, Rob joined the Ancien Wines team as assistant winemaker and worked alongside Ken Bernards. In 2008, Rob joined Etude Wines as associate winemaker, and for the next 9 years advanced to winemaker positions at Etude, Lyric and Beaulieu Vineyards (Treasury Estates).

Rob and his pursuit for Pinot Noir joined us in 2017 bringing his passion, drive, leadership to the family.

Rob Fischer can be contacted at rob@averaenwines.com.

Mordechai Kotler, Winemaker - Averaen (Oregon)

Mordechai is a Southern California native spending his formative years bouncing between LA and Orange County. A beach bum and perpetual surfer who desperately wanted out of the concrete jungle, he moved to Oregon to pursue both sports and academics at Linfield College in the heart of Oregon Wine Country, in McMinnville, Oregon. Mordechai, excelled in both areas while fostering a love of farm to fork cuisine, craft beer and world class wine, all of which the region had to offer in spades.

Following a brief stint in Education after completing his MA in teaching, Mordechai quickly found his way in to the world of wine. He earned the role of cellar master at a custom crush facility overseeing a wide array of clients, grape varietals and winemaking styles. It was during this time, he was afforded off-season sabbaticals in both New Zealand and Australia to further hone his skills and experiences in different regions and winemaking approaches. Mordechai was eventually tapped on the shoulder for the Associate Winemaker position at Soter Vineyards where he has spent the last four years.

Mordechai and his wife Jamie have a soon to be 3 year old daughter named Odette. In their free-time, you can find all of them working in their garden, skiing on Mt. Hood, enjoying the Oregon Coast, or just eating and drinking their way through the Willamette Valley and the great city of Portland.

Mordechai Kotler can be contacted at mordechai@averaenwines.com.