Perhaps it’s not surprising that Christian Roguenant has such a sure hand with Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. He was, after all, born and raised in Burgundy and studied at the University of Dijon. But he’s equally adept with Syrah and Albarino. And his background is actually in sparkling wine: He arrived at his current role after spending 15 years at Champagne Deutz.

It was Champagne Deutz that brought Roguenant to San Luis Obispo in 1986. He was tapped to be the winemaker for Maison Deutz in the Arroyo Grande Valley. Although the wines got good reviews, the venture ultimately failed. Maison Deutz was sold and renamed Laetitia Vineyard & Winery, and the focus began to shift to still wines. Roguenant stayed on for a few years before leaving to join Baileyana Winery in the Edna Valley.

Baileyana is owned by the Niven family, longtime growers in Edna Valley. When Roguenant came on board, his first task was to design a state-of-the-art production facility. "It was really designed to do Pinot Noir and Syrah in the best conditions," he told me during a visit a few years ago. The hilltop facility - which is surrounded by vineyards and has a distinctive double-arched green roof that is visible from a distance - was designed with an eye to eventually expanding to a 250,000-case capacity. For now, there’s so much extra room that Baileyana operates a custom-crush business, working with brands such as Rosenthal, Alma Rosa, Niner and Ortman Family.

I spoke to Roguenant recently, just before a scheduled trip to Portugal and Galicia, Spain, about the strides that Edna Valley winemakers have made with Pinot Noir and his company’s recent commitment to Albarino, which it’s producing under the Tangent Winery label, a brand devoted to alternative white grape varieties.