Proprietor Billoo Rataul stands tall and proud as he surveys the vineyard land that gently slopes to the banks of Machado Creek outside Morgan Hill. Born and raised in northeast India, he grew up near jungles where beasts still roamed, and his childhood imagination was captured not just by the tales he read—but by the actual wild creatures in the forests of the night.
“Twice Tyger comes from William Blake’s famous poem,” he explains, referring to the name he bestowed on the vineyard and wine brand he is fashioning, along with the help of winemaker Bobby Graviano.
“Tyger, tyger burning bright, in the forests of the night,” Blake wrote in “The Tyger,” published as part of a collection by the English poet in 1794.
“It’s an homage to my roots and also to my connection with the land,” says Rataul, who still runs a global company as his day job.
“Tigers are the apex predator,” Rataul notes. “They exist only in a complete and holistic ecosystem.”
Sales of a prior venture enabled him to purchase this charming spot on the outskirts of Morgan Hill, in view of the old Machado Creek schoolhouse, flanked by steep hills on either side.
“I was running down the roads here in 2001 and 2002, and this piece of land caught my eye,” he explains. The property was part of a large farm that had been owned by the Ward family for generations.
Nearby, several large walnut orchards have resisted the relentless tug of development.
“I wanted to keep this land in agriculture forever,” says Rataul. “So in 2006, I made the family an offer.” He restored the crumbling farmhouse, and it became the home of the vineyard manager.
The vineyard, home to a mix of varieties—including roussanne, cabernet sauvignon and cabernet franc, which are thriving—was planted in 2017. Rataul initially put in some Montepulciano, but says he could not find fans, so is grafting over to zinfandel.
He personally loves pinot noir, and planted some on the northernmost part of the property, choosing Mount Eden, Pommard and Dijon 115 clones. He purposely oriented his vinerows to run north to south.
With birds flitting about, and insects galore, the vines coexist in harmony with native grasses and wildflowers, birds, honey bees, olive trees, sheep and plenty of other wildlife.
One enormous walnut tree remains, under which Rataul envisions placing Adirondack chairs and tables, so people can enjoy its shade as they taste.
At Rataul’s home, a short distance away, a petit verdot vineyard makes up his entire front yard. Planted in 2010, he delights in caring for it.
Rataul has been busy replenishing the soil of the newer vineyard with compost and cover cropping. He’s attempting to farm the vineyard organically, despite the fact that other neighboring enterprises might not hold themselves to the same standards.
He also has 250 olive trees, mostly Italian cultivars, from which he makes a field blend. He tells me that one ton of olives yields about 140 liters of oil. He’s contemplating planting more olive trees.
As we watch sheep grazing on the spring cover crop in the vinerows, he tells me about his plans for a 5,500-square-foot tasting pavilion, set at the edge of the creek. He says the cantilevered structure will provide maximum shade and cooler temperatures during the hot summer, but will give visitors the sense of floating over the vines.
It sounds amazing, and futuristic, but not totally surprising coming from a man who drives a Cybertruck. He says the winery will run on solar and be net zero. He’s doing everything he can to minimize the impact on the environment.
“I love wine and being outdoors and farming in a natural way,” says Rataul. “I know the integrity of the wine is directly impacted by farming. We want to produce the best possible fruit to express the terroir.”
He notes that while other wineries are primarily event venues, that is not his aim at Twice Tyger.
“I want people to come and enjoy the place. Profit is not my main motive. Honoring the land and preserving it is,” Rataul says.
He also plans to have a vegetable farm stand on the property, and is exploring uses of wool from shearing the sheep.
“My grandmother used to spin,” he muses. “I would like to learn.”
Twice Tyger launched their inaugural estate wines at Morgan Hill Downtown Association’s 2025 Wine Stroll in April, where they poured their inaugural bottlings, which include the 2023 Estate Roussanne and 2022 Estate Red Blend. For additional information on Twice Tyger, visit twicetyger.com.
