Independent. Focused. Confident. Determined.
These are all characteristics of the fictional character Clementine Carter, who was Doc Holiday’s one-time love interest in the iconic Western “My Darling Clementine.”
Those same attributes best describe Sonja Magdevski, who drew inspiration from that film for her winery bearing the same name in Los Alamos.
To say Magdevski has crammed many lifetimes into just one might be an understatement. Her family emigrated from the former Yugoslavia – now known as North Macedonia – and landed in Michigan where Magdevski learned the meaning of hard work and what it meant to run a business with her family owning two ice cream parlors and two dry cleaners.
She earned a political science degree from the University of Michigan, went to grad school at Michigan State University studying journalism and received a Fulbright scholarship.
While her lofty goal was to bring world peace, she took a pause and came to California and her life took an unexpected and fortunate direction.
She worked in a flower shop during what was initially a temporary stay in California as she was finishing her thesis and helped plant a small vineyard in Malibu, which helped lay the foundation of what was to come.
“We approached it from the ground up with no real expectations,” she said. “There was this garagiste group that shared ideas and how to best approach winemaking. It was really fun.”
Before too long, Magdevski found herself in the Santa Barbara region, more specifically in the charming Los Alamos hamlet where one of her friends lived. She also enrolled at nearby Allan Hancock College where she received a scholarship from the Orange County Wine Society that helped her budding interest in wine.
As Magdevski puts it, “I just kept saying yes. I was piecing together my existence, working in restaurants, writing and making wine. There was a spot available in town and I committed to open a tasting room. It was serendipitous.”
Magdevski ended up opening Casa Dumetz in 2011 that primarily focused on Pinot Noir from Santa Rita Hills. A couple years later, she moved down the street to a larger location and not only ran a tasting room but she opened a brewery next door affectionately named after her grandmother.
For some entrepreneurs, running a business can be downright frightening but for Magdevski she was emboldened by the challenge.
“Committing is total freedom,” she said. “You are more of the mindset of ‘how do I survive today?’ Everything can be hard but it’s about finding solutions and keeping true to yourself that helps keep a business like this open.”
So does it come as any surprise that a self-proclaimed fan of Westerns eventually became a Rhone Ranger?
The winery today as Clementine Carter explores the range of Rhone varietals from Santa Rita Hills and elsewhere in the region. She is encouraged and excited by the unique expression and distinction of varietals such as Grenache and Mourvedre. Her 2023 Grenache recently scored a 92 by Wine Spectator.
She also makes a GSM blend she dubbed “The Feminist Party,” which pays tribute to collaboration and radical inclusion.
“Wine is about discovery. If you don’t plant that plot you don’t know if it’s suitable for winemaking,” she said.
The winery produces about 2,000 cases a year and can be found in Texas, Florida, Washington, D.C., and even Hawaii.
Stepping into Magdevski’s tasting room, feels more like walking into someone’s home rather than a storefront. Family photos adorn a wall and mosaic tiles wrap around the room. As she notes in her vision statement: we “share our work in the most welcoming environment for all.”
She also takes it one step further by hosting a speaker series that brings people from all different walks of life to share their experiences. Magdevski also gives back through scholarships to college-bound seniors from Los Alamos where she provides financial support with the help of matching funds from a silent wine club donor for a total of $4,000. She also donates extensively to many Los Alamos and Santa Barbara-based organizations, such as the SBWomen Winemakers & Culinarians, an organization that fosters education, mentorship and collaboration in the culinary and wine industries.
Today, Magdevski is married to Greg Brewer of Brewer-Clifton fame for almost 10 years where they share a collaborative spirit in the business.
Magdevski is excited about what the future holds for Clementine Carter and she hopes more people encounter wines from Santa Rita Hills so they too can join in the excitement.
“Trying new things is not scary for me,” she said. “My risk tolerance is pretty high. I’m just getting started.”