Rob Campbell of Meyye Wines.
Rob Campbell is the founder and winemaker of Meyye Wines—a brand that stands out from the crowd for its honoring of Campbell’s Native American heritage and language. “Meyye” (pronounced may-yay) is Coast Miwok for bird.
Based in Amador County, but sourcing most of its grapes from Sonoma County, Meyye is one of the few brands in the state with Native American roots.
Campbell started making wine in 1992 at Story Winery in the small Amador town of Plymouth, where he worked alongside his future father-in-law Bruce Tichenor, then-owner of the winery.
By 2019, when the family decided to sell the winery, Campbell had assumed the winemaking duties and was ready to branch out on his own with Meyye.
Each of the four wines that have been released since Meyye’s launch in 2020 have been named after birds native to Sonoma County. Campbell is a descendent of both Coast Miwok and Southern Pomo Indians; he says he’s also a member of the Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria tribe based in Rohnert Park.
When deciding which birds to include in his launch, Campbell took inspiration from the most important ladies in his life. One of those women is his mom, who he says led the Miwok tribe’s language-restoration efforts while she served on its tribal council. Assisting her with those projects eventually inspired Campbell to incorporate the Coast Miwok language into his wine brand.
“In other words, whenever I talk about my wines, everyone is forced to speak Coast Miwok,” says Campbell.
One of those is the 2020 Kuluppis Chardonnay ($55) with notes of pear, apple and brie. Kuluppis (pronounced “koo-loop-pee”) is the Coast Miwok word for the Anna’s hummingbird, a species which shares its name with Campbell’s late grandmother. (The many birdfeeders on Anna’s porch in Lake County are a particularly fond memory for Campbell.)
The 2019 Omay Pinot Noir ($75), meanwhile, is sourced from pinot vineyards in Sonoma County and offers flavors of red licorice, cherries and hints of nutmeg with a gentle yet long finish, according to meyyewines.com. The word Omay (pronounced “oh-my”) translates to brown pelican, a favorite bird of Campbell’s wife. The Coast Miwok people believe the brown pelican is a harbinger of good things to come.
Sokootok is the Coast Miwok word for the California quail, frequently spotted at the four vineyard sites where Meyye Wines sources fruit for its 2018 Sokootok Red Blend ($60). Pronounced “shoh-ko-tohk,” the wine has aromas of dark cherries, leather and cloves. The California quail was Campbell’s mother’s favorite bird.
The 2015 Palachchak ($70), an ultra-premium zinfandel Campbell originated at Story Wines and retained the rights to following its sale, is named for the California acorn woodpecker, which use their beaks to drill holes into wood to store acorns and each winter and spring would convert the tasting room at Story Winery into their own personal granary. Palachchak features notes of raspberries, cocoa and cola.
Campbell plans to introduce additional wines, so his clients can look forward to hearing more of the Coast Miwok language. And, staying true to the brand’s name, each new label will be named after a special bird.
Learn more about Campbell’s wines at meyyewines.com.
