Chris Dearden attended UC Davis for his bachelors in science, writing his own major as Viticulture, Enology and Winery Operations. He would continue on to UC Berkeley Haas School of Business to earn his Masters in Business Administration. 

He has held several winemaking positions over the years including for Hublein, Benessere and consulted for several small, premium, Napa Valley-based brands. He worked for Seguin Moreau Cooperage in the early 1990s which was an integral part of his winemaking education. 

He began a fourteen-year journey developing a Napa Valley winery from the ground up. He established the vineyard, brand, wine style and identity. During this period, he also developed the North American branch of the highly respected Gamba Cooperage, Costa Del Sol Consulting Company, luxury wine brands Chanticleer and Sleeping Giant, and a premium pinot noir vineyard estate in the Carneros district of Napa Valley. In 2010 he established the Dearden Wines Portfolio achieving his lifelong goal of owning his own vineyard and winery. The cornerstone of the brand is Dearden’s Carneros vineyard property which houses Sleeping Giant Winery.