About Us

North County Wine Company is owned and operated by Jim and Bill Tobin, as intrepid and mysterious a duo as any who have worked in the glorious world of wine. Tales of their exploits are too numerous to recount here, but these are just a few of the reasons why their legend grows daily.

First of all, their relationship. Many see them as brothers, some think father and son. But many theories abound. One of the more outlandish – but possible – rumors has it that Jim was cloned from a section of Bill’s palate after a particularly wild night of carousing through the barrel caves of Napa Valley. But investigators have determined that the following scenarios are the most likely to be true.

Bill was conceived on a wind-swept Bordeaux hilltop at the time of Veraison, and born under a canopy of Napa Cabernet vines at bud break. Some insist he was born with a glass of Cab in his hand. This is ridiculous; the Cab was in a baby bottle. Jim, meanwhile, was conceived of a wine virgin after her first experience with Burgundy. His birth in the Cote d’Or was the highlight of that year, and is still celebrated by the villagers. Thus the story begins.

To say that Bill understands and embraces earthly pleasures would be an understatement at best. He and Dionysus go way back. He has been present at every major party worth mentioning, and several that no one dares mention. His palate and his wines are in high demand throughout the civilized world. It was only after dinner with Bill that Robert Mondavi gave up life as a professional harpsichord player and devoted himself to wine. And no one graduates from the UC Davis enology program without spending a week under Bill’s tutelage.

Jim, no stranger to pleasure himself, has devoted himself to spreading the gospel of wine, food, and friends. He nearly single-handedly started the exploding wine industries in Chile, Argentina, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, and two of Jupiter’s moons. And his dogged defense of all things wine is equally legendary. He has frequently battled vine pests and diseases around the world, often by going undercover as a glassy-winged sharpshooter. Much of this work is still classified; let’s just hail him as an international hero and let it go at that.

For now, that’s about all that can be substantiated. But Jim and Bill would love you to join their never-ending adventure. Stop by North County Wine Company and say hi!