Aimee Henkle, Owner & Wine Director

Aimee grew up in south Texas and holds a BSEE from the UT Austin & an MSEE and MBA from MIT. Her first career in managing global operations around the world spanned 20 years with companies like Intel, Danaher, and Customink before purchasing the Vineyards and Winery at Lost Creek in 2012.

In 2014, she left the corporate world to pursue her wine passion full time. In 2018, Aimee began pursuing her Wine Spirits and Education Trust certifications from the Capital Wine School and holds a Level 3 certification with distinction and is currently pursuing her WSET Diploma.

In 2020, Aimee opened Echelon Wine Bar in Leesburg, Virginia and as the owner/wine director has grown a wine list of over 350 wines around the world that has been awarded Wine Spectator’s Award of Excellence for 3 consecutive years. In 2023, she opened a second Echelon Wine Bar in Richmond, Virginia. In addition, Aimee has served on the Board of Directors of the Loudoun Wineries and Winegrowers Association for the last 6 years and has been the Director of the Loudoun Wine Award Competition & Gala since 2016.

Aimee strives to educate and share her knowledge so that all will come to appreciate the terroir and the love that small producers like Lost Creek impart in their wines. Her goal is to show how great Virginia & Loudoun County wines can be on the world stage.

Todd Henkle, Owner & Lost Creek Winemaker

Todd grew up in Boulder, Colorado and holds a BSME from Colorado University, a MS in Manufacturing Systems from UT Austin and an MBA from Babson College. His first career in operations and finance spanned 23 years with companies like Intel and small entrepreneurial start-ups before purchasing the Vineyards and Winery at Lost Creek in 2012. Todd worked alongside winemaking and vineyard consultants for the first few years at Lost Creek until becoming the Winemaker & Vineyard Manager in 2015.

Todd’s first vintage at Lost Creek won multiple accolades including a San Francisco Chronicle Best-in-Class for his 2015 Reserve Chardonnay and a San Francisco International Double-Gold for his 2016 Echelon red blend.

Since that time the wines from Lost Creek have received numerous gold medals and 90+ ratings from James Suckling., including being highlighted in a Suckling article as one of the top Petit Verdot’s in Virginia. Also in 2021, Lost Creek was named one of the “10 Names to Know in Virginia Wine” by Decanter Magazine.

Todd also recently began his pursuit of the Wine Spirits and Education Trust certifications and in 2023 was awarded a Level 2 certification with distinction. In addition, Todd has served on multiple boards including the Virginia Vineyard Association and the Loudoun Wineries and Winegrowers Association.

THOMAS OWENS, EXECUTIVE CHEF

Growing up in the hills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, chef Thomas Owens formed a deep connection with food at an early age. He attributes much of his passion to experiences with his father's fruit trees, hundreds of chickens, and summer afternoons spent around the dinner table shelling peas and shucking corn, ingraining a relationship with how and what we eat. 

Thomas got his first job in a nearby fine dining establishment spending every available moment watching and learning how sausage and cheese were made. Before graduating high school, he knew the kitchen was where he was meant to be. After moving to Richmond, Thomas spent time with his mentor learning pastry with Alaine LeComte at Chez Max. He relocated to New Orleans working as a saucier in one of the city's most exciting restaurants at the time, Le Foret under CMC James Corwell. After New Orleans, he spent time in Washington State on an organic farm strengthening his relationship with foodways and animal husbandry. In 2012, Thomas returned to Richmond, spending time at The Black Sheep and Saison, where he was lauded as Rising Chef of the Year in 2019. 

As Executive Chef at Echelon, Thomas works to maintain seasonality, sustainability, and hopes to challenge diners perceptions while bringing people together in a shared experience.