Paul Draper, Ridge Vineyards

Paul Draper has stayed true to one place and one vision: He has been the winemaker at Ridge for an astonishing 31 years, and from his lofty perch in California's Santa Cruz Mountains, he has produced some of the greatest wines in America. Draper, who believes deeply in wines that express terroir, is now working with 100-year-old Syrah and Grenache vines that, he says, have given him something to talk about with friends from the Rhône. But this contemplative winemaker has more than his next bottling in view. "As our reality becomes more virtual," he muses, "our connection to the earth becomes that much more important. Wine touches the earth, after all. That's where the meaning of wine comes from."