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My interest in wine started when I was living in Germany
as a young teenager. Wine was always part of our daily
life and my father often took the whole family on
wine tasting trips through Europe. At the time we’d
curse him as we spent our day throwing rocks into
a pond while he tasted. Now, of course, I’m grateful
to him for sharing his passion and infecting me with
his enthusiasm.
My
father and I dreamt of building a winery together
and our vision became reality when my wife, Suzie,
and I traded my dental practice for the life of wine
growers in 1994. I’d like to say that we moved
in and started making wine on day one. But the truth
is the property was a 100-year old chicken ranch that
needed lots of love but was full of potential. It
took us over a year to clean up and begin renovations.
I acted as general contractor, and built everything
from the fences to the tasting room. Apart from having
to live in a friend’s garage for six months,
we can now say it was a labor of love.
The
winery is Tuscan style, one of my father’s favorite
winegrowing regions, and is surrounded by 10 acres
Cabernet Sauvignon, planted in 1996. We produced our
first vintage in 1999 and haven’t looked back.
We now create seven wines, including a Chardonnay,
two Pinot Noirs (from the Russian River Valley and
Los Carneros), a Merlot, the Estate Cabernet, a Reserve
Stag’s Leap Cabernet Sauvignon and a red wine
blend appropriately called “Persistence”.
Please
stop by and see us when you are next in Napa to share
our wines and meet the family.
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