Who We Are
The founders of Robléon Wines are Robin G. and Charles Leon Wilkins, husband and wife. The company name emerges from the two founders,ROBin and Charles LEON. This Francophile combination of their two names personifies with everything they have enjoyed of France, from ancestry to culture, from food to agriculture, and from lifestyle to the French-style Robléon Wines of Santa Ynez Valley California. Click to learn more about our wine region.
Charles grew up in Southern California. “I am the son of farmers and ranchers, and the grandson of farmers and ranchers on my mother’s side of the family. As far back as I can remember we lived in an agricultural area and grew and raised all sorts of things, from crops to chickens, rabbits, pigs and cattle. As a young man I worked in the fields and around the yard planting, harvesting and delivering some of the crops grown. I attended the animals, watering, feeding and caring for them.”
Robin has French ancestry. “My grandparents were from the Provence area in the village of Valensol. My great grandfather was a French chef and I have fond memories of visiting his home for holiday dinners with great French food and wine. Enjoyment of cooking, food and wine were the focus of our family gatherings and even as a child I appreciated the value of conversation at the family table while enjoying food and wine. I also grew up in farming areas, tending my own vegetable garden from a young age. Each year I would set up a roadside stand to share my harvest with others. For me, grape growing and winemaking seems a natural part of my history by sharing the culture of good wine and food along with the bounty of the harvest.”
"All of this led us to the desire for acreage and agricultural land on which to involve ourselves in the fruits of nature. Agriculture is in our blood. It was only fitting that we would search for a place that could offer the ability to get back to our roots."