2008: International airline pilot Lorenzo Lizarralde founded Chateau Aeronautique Winery and vinified his first wines in his Hangar attached to his home in an 'Airpark' community. Lorenzo owns and flies a 1956 Cessna 172.

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2009: A tiny 'Gazebo' Tasting Room at the Airpark overlooking the grass runway opens for wine tastings.

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2010: Lorenzo starts flying the Boeing 757 to Europe and Hawaii. 

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2012: Lorenzo starts flying the Boeing 747 to Asia and Hawaii.

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2014: Following a two year search for a south-facing slope, Lorenzo purchases 22 acres in the Irish Hills of Michigan for a Vineyard.

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2015: Lorenzo starts flying the Airbus 330 to Europe, Asia and Hawaii.

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2016: A beautiful addition to the Gazebo enlarges the Airpark Tasting Room to 1,700 square feet with a full wine cellar below. The addition features a hand-painted mural, 8' by 31', of wine country. Lorenzo's Shih Tzu dogs Bacchus & Ariana are painted into the scene.

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2017: Lorenzo adds 5 acres to the Irish Hills vineyard property and builds an 8,000 square foot building, relocates the winemaking operation from the Hangar to the new facility and hosts a Grand Opening of the new Irish Hills Tasting Room.

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2018: The Irish Hills Kitchen is outfitted and the restaurant opens. Blue Skies Brewery is founded in the Irish Hills and beers start flowing. Freeing up the Airpark Hangar paves the way for a 1040 Stearman biplane!

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2019: Lorenzo & Amanda marry in Hawaii. Beer flows at the Airpark! Build-out begins for a Blue Skies Brewery tap room in Auburn Hills, Michigan. The Irish Hills starts hosting 'tribute bands' in the Production Area and occasionally outdoors on the patio.

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2020: The tap room in Auburn Hills opens mid-pandemic. The Irish Hills Kitchen gets a pizza oven capable of baking 8 pizzas every 15 minutes. The Irish Hills 'Biergarten' 5,500 square foot timber frame structure is completed and tribute band concerts resume!

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2021: Twenty acres of the Irish Hills property is cleared of trees and graded for a vineyard which finally gets a name: Laurent Vineyard, in recognition of the Laurentide Ice Sheet that formed the Irish Hills. 

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2022: The first 1,000 grape vines are planted in Laurent Vineyard! A timber frame 'Pavilion' is added to the Biergarten outdoor space for hosting weddings and concerts.

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2023: The next 3,500 grape vines, Chardonnay and Pinot Gris, are on order for planting in Laurent Vineyard!

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2024: Cabernet Franc and Riesling grape vines are planned to complete the Vineyard.