Success: The Win/Win Approach

I have been asked numerous times lately, “Is there anything you can put your finger on that has played an important part in your family’s success?” First of all, success is not just about financial gain. As you take your last breath and look back on your life, if you have been happy and feel good about the relationships you’ve developed with the people you touched, you would probably say that your life has been successful in most people’s eyes, right?

With that said, let me explain what I mean when I say success has come to our family by the “win/win” approach. I have learned that in order for success to really be success, it needs to involve more people than just you. Let me use our Redwood Valley ranch as an example.

One day a dear friend of mine asked me to take a look at a piece of property in Redwood Valley and give my opinion of its value, as he was trying to sell it. We drove up to the top of this ridge, which looks back over Redwood Valley to one side (and oh, what a beautiful valley) and in the other direction incredible views of Lake Mendocino. It just doesn’t get more picturesque than this! On the property, there was an old vineyard (sixty years plus), a run-down old house and a barn. What could possibly be done with this?  And where was the value?  The vineyard had not been maintained with longevity in mind and needed years of rejuvenating.

My friend proceeded to tell me a story about the old Italian man who had made this ridge top along a country road his family’s home some seventy years ago. As he explained the history of the property, I started visualizing the dreams this old man must have had. I could see him out there as a young man, daylight to dawn, planting his vineyards, cultivating the land, raising his family, and I could see how beautiful this land once was as a result of just one man’s dreams.

Like many Italian families, he had a lot of kids and they learned to farm from their father on the family ranch. I became very interested in this run-down old ranch and started to ask questions of a lot of neighbors. I learned that the ranch was at one time the premier ranch of Redwood Valley.  It was always impeccably kept, produced the finest grapes in the county, and people loved driving by this serene 60-acre ranch, watching the family working and manicuring their dream.

Well, as our lives unfold things change, and not always as we had planned. As his kids grew up they went off to school, started their own families and chased their own dreams, leaving the old man and his dreams behind. Things slowly started to unravel. Sixty acres is a lot of land to farm by yourself, and as he aged he had to hire more and more people and costs went up. Most importantly, the hired workers did not have the same dreams and passion for the land as his family once had, so the quality of the grapes declined and therefore so did the income.

Things were definitely changing, not only for the old man, but for the neighbors who loved to drive by and chat, admiring the beautiful ranch and all of the family’s hard work. And all the wineries that had been getting his impeccable quality fruit had to look elsewhere.

Now up in his seventies, the old man knew he could not hold on forever. His dreams and hard work were unraveling. As each month passed he grew sadder and sadder. He had no choice – he had to start selling off pieces of his land, one by one, just so he and his wife could survive. Over the next several years he sold it all, but was saddened every time he drove by what was at one time his pride and joy. As the years passed, he watched things on the old ranch deteriorate more and more. The vines looked sick, the buildings were patched together, new houses were built with no thought of the land or its historic character, and they, too, deteriorated fast. Time took its course. His dreams and years of hard work were gone, he only had memories. As time took its course with the land, so it did with the old man, and at ninety-eight-years old his time had come to move onto greener pastures.

While standing in the middle of the property one beautiful sunny morning I realized I was the one to save the dreams. I had to take the challenge. So in 2008 I purchased 14 acres of the old man’s dreams. After hearing more stories from his family about how hard they had worked, what great times they had growing up on the ranch pursuing their fathers dreams, and the drive and passion that came with his ever encouraging words, it almost brought tears to my eyes. Over the last couple of years I have purchased more of the dream, and now own the majority of the original ranch.

You’re probably saying “Where is the win/win?” Right? Well, as I walk the ranch watching our young workers cultivating the land, at times I feel like he is watching. I can envision him smiling as he sees his dreams coming back to life. The neighbors are stopping and visiting again, telling old stories, saying how happy it makes them when they drive by and see this beautiful ranch becoming what it once was. And they’re amazed as they see the old buildings take back their historic character.  

Charles, our vineyard manger, watches as the old home is put back together with his wife and little three-year-old boy at his side. The little boy says, “Daddy is that going to be our home, just our home Daddy?”  “Yes son, just our home.” As I explain to my vineyard guys how I want the vines pruned and why, I tell the story of the old man and you can see their eyes light up as they realize they play a big part in replenishing his dream.

Yes, the wine is getting better and better each year, or should I say, as we coddle each vine it becomes happier and happier. You should have seen the smiles on our faces as Brian, Jose and I blended the lots of our 2010 Redwood Valley Zinfandel this year. The whole winemaking team is excited over how amazing this wine is becoming as a direct result of our vineyard guys’ love, passion and cultivation of these old vines, now more than 60 years old.

I only wish the old man could taste the wine, too. But how do I know? Maybe he can, he could be right there tasting and blending with us (now isn’t that an exciting thought?).

And let’s not forget about the rest of our dedicated team, the ones you really count on, the ones with the most judgmental palates – the Friday Morning Tasting Panel that brings you those amazing wines you count on from month to month. 

Last Friday we tasted the blend of this Redwood Valley Zinfandel. Wow! Aromas of dark cherry, with hints of cocoa. As we sipped, blackberry and chocolate with a bit of spice lay nicely on our palates. The chocolate just lingered and lingered, teasing us to take another sip, and we sipped and sipped. What an incredible wine.

I know there is still a lot of hard work ahead for all of us. However, to see the passion and excitement in so many people from the re-creation of a man’s dreams seems to me a “win/win” for all and I am proud just to be a part of it.

Hope you enjoyed the story; I just had to share this one with all of my friends.

And remember, the more people you take along the journey with you, the happier we’ll all be at the end.

Howell Mountain Cab is Over the Top

I get extremely excited every Friday morning as I top the stairs to the third floor of the castle and watch to see the look on their faces, as if to say, “What are we tasting today?”. I just love that enthusiasm. There is nothing better than to be greeted with a big smile, especially from our most highly regarded palates (our 12 person tasting panel). Well, this Friday the smiles stayed on their faces throughout the tasting as the panel tasted our 2010 Howell Mountain Cabernet. 

Swirling and swirling as aromas of black cherry seemed to jump out of the glass. Rich in color, deep purple, almost black. With our first sip, flavors of rich chocolate that seem to stay long into the finish turning to a light cocoa with a hint of anise. Extremely well structured with a perfect balance of tannin to fruit, we were amazed at how the firm yet soft tannins turn to a nice silky long finish. This incredible Cabernet was already starting to develop that velvety finish that will come on more and more as this beauty ages in the bottle. Everyone was grinning from ear to ear, knowing well that we finally found our Howell Mountain Cabernet vineyard, and yes, it is a good one. Once bottled, I expect this one will get better and better as the years pass.

Chapter Three: It’s all about perception

As you know, I’ve been working with a young man I met when some buddies of his were vandalizing my property at one of my construction sites. He asked me for a job, and after giving it a lot of thought,  I decided to give him an opportunity and see where it goes.

Lyle is working in my vineyards after school and on the weekends, picking up brush and stuff. I’m also having him do some work at Ledson Hotel, so he can get a broader scope of experience. He does what you ask him to do, he’s a very nice kid, but I’m seeing that he’s not as focused as he should be at this point in his life. Therefore, it takes him longer to get things done. I really believe it comes down to his outlook on things – it’s all about his perception on life. 

You know, I’ve learned that perception really is the key to your life. How you envision everything that happens in front of you, or how you perceive what you think someone is saying, determines how you react and those reactions determine your life. And that’s what I’m working on with Lyle, trying to get him to visualize things differently than what he sees on the surface.

This isn’t something you learn overnight, but by practicing the philosophy over and over again. So when I spend time with him, I try to point out little things that he can look at differently. Like, this isn’t a job, it’s an opportunity. And with every opportunity comes the possibility that you can take the task at hand above and beyond what is being asked of you. I really believe that perception is often the difference between success and failure.

Just released: A Russian River Valley Pinot!

My Tasting Panel and I just opened the 2010 Russian River Valley Pinot Noir Reserve and it has aged beautifully in the bottle. Time to release it!

The fruit for this enticing Pinot comes from the Cleary Vineyard in a cool little town called Freestone. The town’s name dates back to 1853 and refers to a public sandstone quarry. Only about 50 people live there and the town is only ½ mile from end to end. The vineyard benefits from cool nights and warm, breezy days, perfect for growing pinot.

The wine has a very unique character, thanks to five different clones that add a complex and unique Freestone personality to it. A complex array of rich fruit and sweet earth in the nose is followed by red and black juicy fruit and pie spice. The finish is silky and smooth with notes of strawberry. This well-balanced Pinot’s a beauty.

I usually try to let wine age a couple more months in the bottle before opening it, even after releasing it. But I can’t wait to pair this up with some wild game – roast duck or pheasant.  Or maybe a braised brisket. . .

A “not so petite” Petite Sirah: Ledson 2009 Lake County Diamond Ridge

As you can probably imagine, one of the most exciting parts of my job is seeing a wine start as an actual planting of a grapevine and following it all the way through to its final tasting just prior to bottling. It never ceases to amaze me. Today we tasted our 2009 Lake County Petite Sirah (future bottling) from my dear friend Jake Stephens of Diamond Ridge Vineyards.

The color is deep dark plum with aromas of robust blackberry and dark chocolate. These fruity aromas lead onto the tongue and co-mingle with full-bodied black cherry, blueberry, hints of cocoa and a slight touch of vanilla. The well-managed tannins produce a long rich finish with luscious black fruits that last to the very end.

I can’t wait to open one of these babies in a year or so, and enjoy it with barbecue beef ribs that have marinated overnight in my Cousin Mars’ family recipe!

Behind the Wine Awards

The Ledson 2010 Napa Valley Sauvignon Blanc won “BEST OF CLASS” and “DOUBLE GOLD” and the 2007 Knight’s Valley Cabernet Sauvignon won “DOUBLE GOLD” at the 2012 American Fine Wine Competition.

Monty and Sara Preiser, co-founders of the competition (along with certified sommelier Shari Gherman), came to the winery last week to personally present me with medals for our two big wins! I’ve entered a lot of wines in competitions over the years and have won a lot of awards, but this is the first time anyone delivered them in person! We also spent about an hour tasting new releases and futures. It was great!

It was interesting to discover more about the competition. It’s unique, because it’s by invitation only.

Monty explained how it works. “I taste wine throughout the year and make notations of the wines I want to invite to the competition. I invite about 80% of the wineries, and Shari the other 20%. So you’re competing against other wines that have already been judged and deemed good enough to get gold, in our opinion.”

Four-member panels of judges are pulled together from an impressive mix of industry wine educators, wine writers, restaurateurs, and sommeliers. All the wines are tasted blind. They’re poured in private, and glasses are numbered to correspond with numbered wine bottles, which are kept in a secret staging area.

To receive any medal, three out of the four judges have to vote the same. That 75% requirement is another thing that sets this competition apart. To get a Double Gold, the vote has to be unanimous. The “Best of Class” is a competition among wines that were awarded Double Golds. To win “Best of Class,” one wine must get the majority of votes.

We re-tasted the Sauvignon Blanc at a recent Friday Morning Tasting Panel, after learning it had won “Best of Class.”  All fifteen of us were smiling from ear to ear. We didn’t want to pour this one out, even if it was 9 a.m.  I could drink it with breakfast, lunch and dinner. . .

The Knights Valley Cab, which comes from Bellisimo Ranch, lives up to its place of origin. Bellisimo translates as “most beautiful,” and this wine truly is. It’s majestic and powerful, with tons of blackberry and hints of chocolate, and a long, lingering elegant finish. Most beautiful!

Chapter Four- Preparing to Fly

The boys get a workout at 4 am.

I talked to a pigeon expert. He said if I decide to keep him I should get a little coup and put it out on my deck. He also suggests that I feed him at exactly the same time every day, and rattle the can when I feed him so he connects the noise with meal time. He said not to feed him prior to letting him out so he will come back to eat. And to keep him outside for about three weeks or so, until he gets used to the environment on the porch, and then he should come back to his cage when he gets hungry.

He will take off flying if I let him out, and may be gone for an hour or so, but he should come back – or he may try to find his way home.

This guy also said that hawks are terrible predators with these birds, and it’s likely a hawk chased him and got him off of a familiar path. I haven’t had a lot of luck with people, trying to get him home. I can tell he wants to go home or maybe just wants to fly outside. He flies all around the house and stops at windows, looking outside, slowly flapping his wings.

Now he gets up every morning at 4:00 am with me, Jimmy (our Cockatiel) and Pistol (our McNab Shepherd puppy). They all get along just fine, playing and eating while I work at my desk. He’s an awesome bird and someone wants him back!