Chris Brundrett’s interest in the art of winemaking was sparked at a young age during a trip through the beloved Texas Hill Country. He knew he wanted to continue this discovery through his studies at Texas A&M, where he earned a degree in horticulture while working on the campus vineyard and spending countless hours learning at the wineries and vineyards in the Texas Hill Country. After graduation, Brundrett quickly took on head winemaking responsibilities, managing vineyard properties in both the Hill Country and the High Plains. Later, he came across a wine by William ‘Bill’ Blackmon, his current business partner and mentor, that piqued a deeper passion for the art of winemaking. The two bonded over the shared belief that wines are not made but grown. In 2008, Brundrett and Blackmon joined forces and bottled their first wine as William Chris Vineyards, using old techniques to bring out the true flavors of the region. In 2010, Brundrett and Blackmon opened their tasting room for William Chris Vineyards in Hye, Texas. As co-owner and winegrower at William Chris Vineyards, Brundrett serves as a CEO, winegrower, grower liaison, innovator, and coach. In October 2020, Brundrett teamed up with fellow winegrower and Lost Draw Cellars owner Andrew Sides to merge their companies and create William Chris Wine Company (WCWC), which is the parent company of the William Chris Vineyards (est. 2008), Lost Draw Cellars (est. 2012), Skeleton Key (est. 2015), and Grower Project (est. 2015) brands, and is the leading producer of 100 percent Texas-grown wines in the Lone Star State.