Miura started out one evening in late 1994. A group friends, most of them from The Ritz-Carlton San Francisco, chefs Gary Danko, Laurence Jossel (Nopa) and Gerald Hirigoyen (Piperade), as well Nick Peyton (Cyrus) amongst others, had gathered for drinks after work at Master Sommelier Emmanuel Kemiji?s apartment when one the chefs suggested that it would be a great opportunity to experience a harvest first hand. Kemiji was put in charge of the project and it became a new challenge for him. He eventually left The Ritz-Carlton in the summer of 1999 to dedicate himself solely to Miura Vineyards.