Born and raised in the Napa Valley, California, Patrick made his first wine at age 19 and has been getting better at it ever since. He graduated from California Polytechnic State University (San Luis Obispo) in 1984 with a degree in Biochemistry and Microbiology. During his 15+ year career as a scientist in the biotechnology field in the San Francisco Bay area, Patrick made wine annually, first with a group of six award-winning home winemakers and then with professional winemakers in the Napa Valley. Moving to New Zealand and founding Rimu Grove in 1995, Patrick was able to apply his knowledge of microbiology and biochemistry to winemaking at his own winery. Still learning and experimenting, improving and perfecting his technique almost 20 years later, Patrick is the steady hand at the helm of Rimu Grove.