The Cypher Story
The story of Cypher Winery is a two-decade exploration of adventure-seeker/proprietor/winemaker Susan A. Mahler = SAM.
Her early quest for adventure led SAM to the Colorado Rockies where she became a ski junkie and graduated from flight school to become a commercial pilot and later a flight instructor in Southern CA. After a few years of flight instructing, towing gliders, flying cargo, and co-piloting on various corporate jets, SAM went to Cal Berkeley to complete a degree in Earth Science, then a graduate program in Remote Sensing, which utilizes satellite and aerial imagery in earth science research. After finishing M.S. in the program, She continued in the PhD program while simultaneously taking on a role in the Four Vines Winery as a founding partner, while continuing to fly corporate jets.
In 2002, the fast-growing Four Vines Winery lured SAM to move to Paso Robles to marshal a national brand to 160,000 cases/year in less than 10 years. In 2010 SAM and her partners sold the Four Vines brand and launched Cypher to become a more exclusive, premium quality Paso Robles winery on Highway 46West.
After 18 years in the wine business with enormous growth, SAM evolved the Cypher brand by relocated the tasting lounge to the Historic Train Depot in downtown Paso Robles. The tasting lounge at the historic Depot is a charming place full of history, architectural details, and warmth with lots of natural light and comfortable seating for people to sink in and really enjoy our Cypher wines and story. It’s also the perfect setting to share her other passions: EarthFire body products and Crickets & Tumbleweed culinary line.
In 2019, SAM will be opening her Westside estate “EarthFire” for Enigma wine club members to enjoy for special events. EarthFire is the new home of the Pi at Cypher Pizza Oven, our EarthFire Olive Grove, an extensive garden with a vast variety of flowers, desert plants, fruits, nut trees, vegetables, lavender, culinary and healing herbs. You will be invited to play bocce, enjoy our bonfire pit, and true farm to table culinary experiences.
Summer of 2020 is the expected groundbreaking of a small winery production facility for Cypher at EarthFire, where we will invite you to enjoy the winemaking experience and barrel tastings as well as personalized tasting experiences as an expanded offering in addition to our downtown tasting lounge at the Train Depot.
I am grateful to the many friends, employees, customers, members, growers, vendors and the many people it takes to be able to deliver exceptional wine experiences. I welcome you to enjoy and learn about my wines and other products. They are all the culmination of a lifelong love of the Earth and what nature has to offer us...SAM
our history
Four Vines Launches
Susan Mahler teams up with winemaker Christian Tietje to introduce a national brand focused on showing the regional differences of Zinfandel and a cutting edge no-oak Chardonnay named Naked Chardonnay. The focus on alternative varietals and winemaking styles helps the brand quickly take off. Going from zero to 160,000 cases by 2009.
Loco and Phoenix Released
Four Vines launches first release of Loco and Phoenix wines to the portfolio, expanding the varietals we continue to produce and offer.
Four Vines Opens First Tasting Room
Four Vines opens tasting room on Highway 46 near Vineyard Dr. allowing customers easy access to our limited-production wines
Sam purchases 14 acres Westside Paso Robles
Earthfire begins with the planting of 1 acre of Arbequina olive trees, along with the beginning of a vast herb garden. Nesled in the hills between L'Aventure, Windward, TH Estate other fine wineries, this beautiful property will become the home of Cypher Winery.
Four Vines makes #2 on Wine Business Monthly list of 10 Small Hot Brands
With a custom pizza oven, extensive garden beds and passion to deliver farm-to-table culinary pairings in the first restaurant on Hwy 46 West. The notoriety of size of Four Vines continues to grow as we expand production to keep up with demand.
Four Vines Sold Launching Cypher
Having just sold the brand Four Vines, Cypher continues moving forward at the existing tasting room, focusing on our favorite, limited-production wines with our highest quality vineyard partners. With a focus on small scale production, Cypher delivers the highest quality, most distinctive wines possible.
2016 SAM produces her first vintage
With 15 years in the industry doing everything from running finance and operations, working crush pad and sampling and sourcing fruit from vineyards in Paso Robles, Dry Creek Valley, Russian River Valley, Amador and Santa Barbarbara, SAM dives into winemaking focusing on Rhone varietals and her own ZinPunk zinfandel.
Cypher Opens Tasting Lounge at Historic Paso Robles Train Depot
With partners Christian and SAM interested in pursuing individual ventures, Christian opens Anarchy Wines in Tin City. SAM takes Cypher into exciting new direction at the historic Paso Robles Train Depot, producing her 2016 vintage, expanding Crickets & Tumbleweed culinary line and EarthFire body products and Extra Virgin Olive Oil. SAM continues to offer the highly respected Cypher wines, including: Loco, Slayer, Cypher Eclectic, Grenache, Phoenix Syrah, TNT, Mourvedre, and Zinfandel.
Team Cypher
SUSAN MAHLER
Proprietor, WinemakerBorn in Iowa as Susan A. Mahler = SAM, I moved to the Chicago suburbs at age 3. Our…
MICHELLE KRAKER
Director of FestivitiesMichelle is an accomplished event professional who makes unique, memorable gatherings a breeze. Planning a wine country wedding reception,…
MARK ELTERMAN
Marketing DirectorMark has more than 20 years of experience in strategic brand marketing, campaign development, implementation and account service. Prior…
