Andrew Lee Schultz is a vineyard-first winegrower and founder of Moctoe Wines in the Columbia Valley, WA. Andrew has more than two decades managing and developing premier vineyard sites across Washington and Oregon. After serving in the U.S. Army, he returned to the Pacific Northwest. He built a reputation for precision farming and stewardship, contributing to wines that include eight Top 100 selections, one 100-point wine, and numerous 94+ point releases.
He later purchased a premium site on Elephant Mountain, Washington, and founded MocToe, named for the boots he wears daily in the vineyard. The brand centers on a single-block, own-rooted Cabernet Sauvignon grown at 1,500 feet—an unblended, site-driven expression of place.
Through MocToe’s First Boots Founders initiative, Andrew is inviting a small circle of supporters to stand with him at the beginning — not just as customers, but as early believers in a vineyard-driven vision rooted in stewardship, scarcity, authenticity, and people.
Media inquiries: Inge Carr boots@moctoewines.com | https://www.moctoewines.com/
What’s the ONE THING most unique, authentic, & memorable about your brand?
MocToe isn’t just a name on a bottle, its a brand built from the boots up – literally and philosophically. It’s about honoring the work, the people who do it, and the integrity of the craft. It’s a reflection of decades spent walking the vineyard, one block at a time, learning what each vine needs, and respecting Mother Nature. The moc-toe boots I wear are a symbol of that labor, and now carrying a brand that honors the people and work behind every bottle.
When I bought Elephant Mountain Vineyard, I wasn’t just acquiring land; I was establishing a platform to tell a different kind of story, the story of the crew working on crafting a wine without compromise: One-block, own-rooted Cabernet Sauvignon, high-elevation, desert-grown — ten barrels a year. Each bottle is a testament to patience, observation, and the instinctive knowledge that comes from long-term, hands-on work in the vineyard. The story isn’t just about place or terroir; it’s about the people who walk those rows year after year, learning the vines intimately, and shaping the wine quality from boot to glass.
MocToe stands apart because it values labor as much as the final bottle. It’s a brand that builds bridges — from the boots in the vineyard to the hands that hold the glass. This isn’t just wine. It’s a philosophy: a commitment to honest work, enduring craft, and shared ownership of a story that can only be told where boots meet soil. That is why with every purchase, I give 10% back to the crew through The Boot program.
Describe how and what you’d do with your winemaking career or winery business if you were not constrained.
If nothing stands in my way, I will help establish Washington’s first true reference-point estate.
What is the One Wine most emblematic of your brand and/or winemaking style? Tell us its story.
Without hesitation, it’s the MocToe Elephant Mountain Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon — the only wine we produce, by design.
It comes from a single, own-rooted block at 1,500 feet on Elephant Mountain — a rare site in Washington. The exposed, high-desert conditions demand precision farming, yielding tiny berries and a Cabernet defined by concentration, tension, and elegance.
Production is limited to ten barrels, about 250 cases, each vintage. With full control of irrigation, we farm for consistency without blending across vineyards. The goal isn’t manipulation — it’s to let the site speak. MocToe represents ownership in its purest form: one block, one place, one disciplined vision of what Washington Cabernet can be. Finite by nature, it’s built on stewardship, longevity, and intent. Check out my review of the Moctoe Cab here.
Bonus Question: What are your wholehearted convictions related to the wine business? Not about your wines!
My strongest conviction about the wine business is this: if we don’t protect the people closest to the land, we don’t deserve the luxury of the bottle.
Wine is agriculture first. Before scores, allocations, or branding, it begins with disciplined vineyard labor — the people who know each vine season after season. Their accumulated knowledge determines quality more than anything that happens in a cellar. Yet too often, the industry celebrates the product while overlooking the hands behind it.
The future of wine depends on restoring dignity and visibility to vineyard work — and creating pathways to ownership for those who steward the land. Sustainability must be generational: healthier soils, resilient businesses, and growers who can build equity rather than lease indefinitely.
Great regions are built on discipline, transparency, and long horizons. If Washington — or any region — wants to endure, it must reward stewardship and respect the labor that makes everything possible. Wine should elevate land. It should elevate people. And the business behind it should be built to last longer than any single vintage.