The mission is simple:
to work locally in Arizona with vines farmed sustainably and organically in order to make wines made with no additives, purposeful use of sulfur dioxide and with minimal intervention in the cellar.
MEET THE CRU
TIMO GEIS
French-born and Sedona-raised, Timo Geis founded Arizona’s first natural wine production label, Cactus Cru, which focuses on making low-intervention wines with locally grown grapes. Timo was raised in close proximity to wine. His mother is from India and his father from Alsace, France, one of the great wine regions in the country. With a career in wine importing and distribution, he was able to learn from many of the winemakers he works with during harvests all over Europe. Once he decided he wanted to have a real go at making wine, Timo decided to study winemaking at Southwest Wine Center at Yavapai College in order to fulfill his vision of producing some of the first all local, low-intervention Arizona wines.
ALEX KING
Born in Northern California’s Santa Cruz Mountains, Alex King began sniffing around the Arizona viticulture scene in 2013 as a harvest hand and cellar rat. Drawn to the tangibility and physicality of winegrowing after over a decade in technology. He purchased Red Tree Ranch Vineyard in the Chiricahua Foothills of Southern Arizona in 2021 and began farming it organically. His commitment to organic viticulture led to a natural connection with Timo about a year later. Their shared vision of low intervention Arizona wine inspired an instant friendship and ultimately, a partnership bringing Cactus Cru to the people.