Our Team
Father and son winemakers — Robert and Jerry Mueller
Jerry Mueller, winemaker
“Traveling and meeting great winemakers, working with colleagues and friends in the industry, I’ve gained a collective understanding of what is wine, why it is and ultimately how did it become what it is. Perfecting the craft — and learning from and working with my father — has been a tremendously rewarding and humbling journey.
Experiencing wines of the world and conversing with winemakers from many regions, my understanding of land character, vintage expression and regional style has crystalized my thoughts as to what we have and can accomplish at Röbller Vineyard.
Understanding the science in each and every step of the process from the vineyard to the cellar has created a baseline for learning the artistry — where the real creative and passionate aspects occur. There’s satisfaction in the creative precision required to make good wine.
From our vineyard practices to our cellar methods and techniques, creating compelling wines from the grapes that we grow is the real goal and driver. It is all about the land and the preservation of the tremendous resource we have in Röbller Vineyard. Telling the vineyard’s story in the bottle is both a passion and a mission.”
“Growing up, wine was a cultural experience in our family, a part of the meal, celebrations and sharing. As a family endeavor, Röbller winery has become an extension of those familiar experiences. ”
Robert and Lois Mueller, founders/owners
On a magical New Year’s Eve in 1954 Robert Mueller and Lois Braun twirled on the dance floor and sipped bubbly from crystal glasses. The spell was cast and their journey of love and family began.
Bob attended Hadley Technical School and began working in a tool & dye shop. Lois attended Southwest High School and then Washington University. They married in 1957, and raised their four children, Sue, Jerry, Mary, and Beth in Glendale, Missouri.
Wine making began as a hobby for the pair. Each year, Bob and Lois hosted grape crushing parties at their home and served wine from the previous year’s party. Over time, this hobby grew into a passion, and the couple considered an idyllic life of wine.
On New Year’s Eve in 1988, Bob and Lois were once again dancing and sipping champagne – this time, to celebrate their purchase of the beautiful 85-acre farm on the edge of New Haven in Franklin County, Missouri. Surrounded by pioneering friends and family, they began digging a cellar, building a tasting room, planting the vineyard, and procuring wine making equipment.
“1990 marked their first vintage and Röbller Vineyard celebrated their grand opening in April, 1991, coinciding with the couple’s 34th anniversary. ”
Bob’s love of red wine and willingness to follow his own path led to the development of Norton wines, the Missouri State Grape, rich in both fruit and tannin. Röbller Vineyard Norton was awarded a Best in Show in the Missouri State Fair Wine Competition in 1994, and was awarded the first Governor’s Cup in the competition.
Jerry, the couple’s son, has joined Bob and Lois in running the daily operations of the vineyard and winery. He inherited the passion of bringing ideas to fruition and is committed to celebrating the art of wine making through the lens of European techniques using the richness and the terroir of the Missouri River Valley.
A master quilter, Lois enjoys quilting with her friends at Sts. Peter and Paul UCC Church in New Haven, Missouri, while Bob continually tinkers with systems, processes, and structures around the vineyard and winery. The couple has six grandchildren and welcomed their newest great grandchild, Joey, earlier this year.