SPEAKERS
MORNING SESSIONS
Morning Session #1: Bien Nacido Vineyards
Jim Clendenen, Winemaker, Au Bon Climat
Chris Hammell, Vineyard Manager, Bien Nacido Vineyards
Adam Tolmach, Winemaker, Ojai Vineyards
Steve Fennell, Sanford Winery
Jeff Frey, Owner, Frey Farming
Jonathan Nagy, Byron Winery
Jeff Pisoni, Winemaker, Pisoni Vineyards & Winery
Morning Session #2: Cambria Winery
Denise Shurtleff, Winemaker, Cambria Winery
Randy Ullom, Winemaker, Kendall-Jackson
Richard Sanford, Founder, Alma Rosa Winery
Larry Hyde, Vineyard Manager, HdV Wines
Chuck Ortman, Consulting Winemaker, Riverbench Vineyard & Winery
Brian Talley, Founder, Talley Vineyards
Ken Volk, Kenneth Volk Vineyards
ABOUT OUR SPEAKERS
Jim Clendenen (Winemaker, Au Bon Climat): Jim Clendenen graduated from the University of California, Santa Barbara, with High Honors in Pre-Law in 1976. It was during his “junior year abroad” in 1974, while turning 21 in France, that he discovered life beyond tacos. After graduation, a one month stay in both Burgundy and Champagne convinced him to attempt a career in wine rather than continue on to law school.
Beginning with the 1978 harvest, Jim Clendenen was assistant winemaker at Zaca Mesa Winery for three vintages, a valued training experience. In 1981 his vision broadened with three harvests in one year as Jim worked crush and directed the harvest at wineries in Australia and France. Three harvests in one year confirmed his masochistic tendencies.
In 1982, Clendenen decided, along with now ex-partner Adam Tolmach, to start his own winery in leased quarters. Au Bon Climat (which means “a well exposed vineyard”) has grown over its history to over 30,000 cases through careful re-investment from its own production.
The winery has cultivated an international reputation for its Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Pinot Blanc and Pinot Gris. Jim Clendenen, the “Mind Behind” Au Bon Climat, is recognized worldwide for his classically-styled wines (in addition to his Burgundian-focused ABC wines, Jim is also highly regarded for his Italian and other French varietals). In 1989 and 1990 Au Bon Climat was on Robert Parker’s short list of Best Wineries in the World, and in 1991 was selected by Oz Clark as one of fifty world-wide creators of Modern Classic Wines. Dan Berger of the Los Angeles Times named Clendenen the “Los Angeles Time Winemaker of the Year” in 1992; Food & Wine Magazine named him “Winemaker of the Year” in 2001. Germany’s leading wine magazine, Wein Gourmet, in 2004 named Clendenen “Winemaker of the World;” and in 2007, Jim was inducted into the James Beard Foundation’s “Who’s Who of Food and Beverage in America.”
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Steve Fennell (Winemaker – General Manager, Sanford Winery): the pioneering California producer that helped establish the Santa Rita Hills of Santa Barbara County as one of the world’s great regions for Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.
For Fennell, who joined Sanford in February 2006, the position marks a return to his wine roots. As an undergraduate at the University of California Santa Barbara, Steve pedaled his bicycle through the area’s vineyards, taking in the sights, smells, and the famous cooling breezes. It was on those rides that Fennell found his calling.
After studying enology at the University of California Davis, he began his career as an assistant winemaker at Trefethen Vineyards, where he honed his skills helping to improve fruit quality, managing the cellar and making blends. From 1999 to the present, Steve was at Voss vineyards as head winemaker. His attention in the vineyards produced a range of innovative and highly acclaimed wines, from an Australian-styled Syrah to a distinctive and bold Sauvignon Blanc that earned raves for four consecutive vintages.
“I bring an integrated approach that draws on my expertise in the vineyard as well as in winemaking,” said Fennell. “For me, it’s about treating the soil with respect, achieving consistent and high-quality grapes and crafting elegant, fruit-forward wines that are the finest expression of the Santa Rita Hills.”
Fennell works under Doug Fletcher, Vice President of Winemaking of Terlato Wine Group, who oversees the family-owned Chimney Rock, Rutherford Hill, Alderbrook, and Terlato Vineyards wineries. Fletcher believes Fennell brings an indispensable gift to crafting the wines that made Sanford famous.
Jeff Frey (Founder, Frey Farming) Jeff Frey is currently operating Frey Farming/Tapestry Vineyards Inc. a self-owned company that manages vineyards in the Central Coast area. Frey Farming’s range of operations extends from Edna Valley to Santa Rita-Santa Ynez Valley. Some of Frey Farming’s growers and winery client’s include Au Bon Climat, SeaSmoke and Qupe’.
Jeff has worked in the grape business for over 35 years in many regions of the state. Jeff has grown and planted thousands of acres of wine and some table grapes. Jeff is currently a Board Member, seven years and counting, of the California Association of Wine grape Growers and Vice Chair of the California Wine grape Grower’s Foundation.
Jeff lives in Santa Maria with his wife, Bonnie, and son Calvin.
Chris Hammell (Vineyard Manager, Bien Nacido Vineyards) Chris Hammell is the Vineyard Manager for the Bien Nacido Vineyards. He heads a highly competent group that is committed to furthering the success of Bien Nacido, one of the most acclaimed vineyards in California.
Chris was raised in Arroyo Grande and has a degree in Agribusiness from Cal Poly – San Luis Obispo. Upon graduation, he served as Assistant Vineyard Manager and later as Vineyard Manager for Cambria Vineyards in the Santa Maria Valley.
Before joining the Miller Family operation, he was the Director of Vineyard Operations for the David Bruce Winery of the Santa Cruz Mountains.
Chris enjoys a wide variety of reading, music and sports. He and his wife, Dayna live on the Bien Nacido Vineyard with their four children, Garrison, Weston, Payton, and Owen.
Larry Hyde (Vineyard Manager, HdV Wines): Born into one of the oldest farming families in California, Larry Hyde came to the Napa Valley over thirty years ago with a great love of wine and the soil. In 1977, Larry left his job as an apprentice at some of Napa’s finest wineries to purchase and transform the Carneros soils into what is now known as Hyde Vineyards.
With a family history in California wines dating back to the early 1800’s, Larry brings to the partnership not only a long and rich tradition of viticulture, but also the cooperative spirit and integrity of the Napa viticulturists. For many years now, all who claim his acquaintance have enjoyed his relentless desire to share and exchange information learned in his vineyards in order to advance the quality of wines throughout the valley.
Jonathan Nagy (Winemaker, Byron Vineyard & Winery): Santa Maria gets in your blood. Jonathan Nagy can attest to that. His first 13 years were spent in Santa Maria before moving to San Jose. In 1997, he attended the University of California, Davis, where he earned his Bachelor of Science in chemistry. Following graduation, Jonathan returned home for good, taking a part-time position in the tasting room at Cambria Winery. With his expertise in chemistry, he was named full-time lab director in 1998. The following year he was promoted to enologist.
In March 2001, Jonathan joined Byron Vineyard & Winery as assistant winemaker where he trained with winery founder Ken Brown. He was promoted to Director of Winemaking in 2003. According to Ken, “Jonathan has a great wine knowledge and savvy instincts. At only 31 years of age, he has one of the best palates I’ve ever tasted with.”
Describing Santa Maria Valley as one of California’s top regions for growing Pinot Noir, Jonathan devotes
a great deal of time exploring and understanding the interplay between the vineyards and winemaking
practices. “I’ve learned that paying attention to every detail makes a big difference,” says Jonathan. “I work
closely with the vineyard crew to make sure they are focused on quality when pruning or picking. We use a
sorting table during harvest to ensure only the best clusters are de-stemmed and delivered to the tank. Also, we carefully match our French oak barrels to each individual lot.”
Jonathan lives in Santa Maria with his family. In his spare time he coaches high-school basketball,
occasionally plays an afternoon pickup game at the Y. He’s a huge music junky, and he loves the outdoors.
Chuck Ortman (Winemaker, Riverbench Vineyard & Winery): Chuck Ortman is recognized as one of California’s most respected winemakers. His winemaking career extends over nearly 40 years, during which he cultivated his signature “Ortman style” of winemaking.
Chuck began his winemaking career in the cellar at Napa Valley’s Heitz Cellars in 1968. He quickly worked his way up in the winemaking ranks, and by the mid-1970’s he was consulting for some of Napa Valley’s premium wineries, including Far Niente, Shafer, and Cain. Along the way, Chuck became one of the first Californian winemakers to explore the benefits of barrel fermentation of Chardonnay, earning him the nickname “Mr. Chardonnay.”
Later, Chuck founded Meridian Vineyards in Paso Robles. The success of Meridian helped establish the Central Coast as one of California’s most dynamic and prestigious winegrowing regions.
Chuck now returns to his earlier years, when he sourced the fruit from Riverbench for Meridian. Over three decades, he has watched the progression of the vineyard, and is proud to carefully hand craft stellar small lots of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir from the paramount sections of our property.
Jeff Pisoni (Winemaker, Pisoni Vineyards & Winery): Jeff, like his brother Mark, spent much of his early life around his family, the farm and the vineyards. Growing up around this and his father’s winemaking, Jeff had known all his life that he wanted to pursue a life of making wine. He earned a degree in Enology from California State University, Fresno, and after gaining experience at other wineries, started making wine full-time with his family. Jeff really enjoys the commitment of working with his family, as he knows winemaking is a long-term endeavor, and it takes years to really understand a specific vineyard site.
Richard Sanford (Founder, Alma Rosa Winery): Growing up in the early 1940’s along the southern California coast Richard developed a love for the ocean, nature, and wide open spaces. His first job driving a tractor through the Palos Verdes bean fields provided an early introduction to agriculture and established a firm connection to the cycles of nature and the responsibility associated with being a good steward of the land.
During his college years at UC Santa Barbara and UC Berkeley Richard developed a passion for flying, sailing and yacht racing. Upon graduation he was drafted into the military and became a naval officer serving in Viet Nam from 1965 to 1968. The Viet Nam tours introduced him to the study of eastern philosophy and left him with a desire to work in a peaceful, natural environment when he returned home.
Winegrowing is the natural extension of Richard’s lifelong interest in agriculture and the environment. In 1970 he planted the first Pinot Noir vineyard in the region at Sanford & Benedict Vineyard, and as others followed he helped to establish the area now known as the Sta. Rita Hills American Viticultural Area.
In 1976 Richard met his future wife Thekla Brumder, and in 1981 the two of them started Sanford Winery. Differences in business philosophy led to a separation from their namesake winery in 2005, and a decision to found the Alma Rosa Winery & Vineyards. As Richard explains, “My wife Thekla and I are focusing on what’s most important to us; organic grape growing and sustainable business practices.”
Richard was founding chairman of the Sta. Rita Hills Wine Growers Alliance, the group responsible for obtaining formal designation of the Sta. Rita Hills appellation. He is co-founder of the American Institute of Wine and Food and is active with the Santa Barbara Museum of Art and the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History.
Richard and his wife Thekla live in the Santa Ynez Valley at Rancho El Jabalí. Their daughter Blakeney was born in 1979.
Denise Shurtleff (Winemaker, Cambria Winery): As the daughter of a banker, Denise Shurtleff grew up all over California. “We moved a lot.” After high school she went to California State Polytechnic University, San Luis Obispo, where she received her Bachelor of Science degree in Dietetics and Food Administration. After college Denise spent 16 years with Corbett Canyon Vineyards where she was Winemaker and Winery Manager. Denise joined Cambria in September 1999 as Assistant Winemaker before becoming head Winemaker in 2003.
Throughout her tenure at Cambria, Denise has worked closely with the vineyard team to refine the level of quality for all bottlings of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. She has also been instrumental in developing the winery’s successful Rhône varietal program.
Being in charge of a large, single estate has its advantages. “As a single estate property—where we own rather than lease all of our vineyards—we have complete control of our raw material,” says Denise. “We don’t have to rely upon or second-guess someone else’s farming. Because the winery is on the same site as the vineyard, we get to observe all facets of the growing season. The quality and the condition of our fruit is never a surprise. We can better anticipate the type of winemaking procedures we need to do—or not do!—before the grapes are even harvested.”
Denise’s goal is to create wines that reflect Santa Barbara County and, more importantly, the Santa Maria
Bench. “Our terroir at Cambria is strong and specific. Katherine’s Vineyard Chardonnay displays a distinct
personality with pineapple and exotic fruit nuances. Julia’s Vineyard Pinot Noir presents luscious cherry,
raspberry and strawberry characteristics that are indicative of the Santa Maria Bench.”
When not making wine Denise lives with her husband and two sons on their five-acre property. As a family,
they enjoy camping, kayaking, swimming and sports in general. Denise loves to cook and grow fruits and
vegetables on their land. Asked about planting grapes in her yard, Denise rolls her eyes and replies with a smile, “You must be joking!”
Brian Talley (Owner, Talley Vineyards): Brian Talley is a member of the third generation to work in his family’s farming operation, which was founded in the Arroyo Grande Valley in 1948 by Oliver Talley. After graduating from the University of California at Berkeley with degrees in History and Natural Resource Economics, he worked in the family’s vegetable farming business before he became General Manager of Talley Vineyards in 1991. Since that time, Talley Vineyards has become one of the best sources in the South Central Coast of California for estate bottled chardonnay and pinot noir. Brian now serves as President of Talley Vineyards and Talley Farms. He lives in Arroyo Grande with his wife Johnine and daughters Elizabeth and Olivia.
Adam Tolmach (Ojai Vineyard): The Ojai Vineyard began in 1983 with the dream of producing distinctive California wines using traditional wine making practices learned in Burgundy. Twenty-seven years later Adam Tolmach continues to pursue the craft at his artisanal winery in Ojai, California, purchasing grapes from the finest terroirs in the coolest districts of northern Santa Barbara County. His quest to bring together European sensibilities of balance and finesse with the exuberant fruit from coastal California vineyards is expressed in the wines he makes today.
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Randy Ullom (Winemaster, Kendall-Jackson): Randy Ullom is well aware of the responsibility he has as Winemaster for Kendall-Jackson. “It’s a daunting job,” he says. “Five years ago I never imagined I’d be the head winemaker for one of America’s most successful wineries.”
A native of Ann Arbor, Michigan, Ullom became interested in wine during a three-year stay in Chile, while on sabbatical from college in the early 1970s. His stay inspired a cross-county trek through Chile’s vast wine-growing regions. It was an education in various climates and soils that has proved invaluable throughout Ullom’s winemaking career. On his return to the United States, Ullom entered Ohio State University to study crop production with a specialty in Viticulture and Enology. He received his degree in 1975.
After six years as a vineyard manager and winemaker in Ohio and upstate New York, Ullom moved to California to become associate winemaker at De Loach Vineyards in Sonoma County. He was promoted to winemaker and vice president in 1991, and contributed to the winery’s meteoric growth from 10,000 to 120,000 cases. Ullom also spearheaded the development of De Loach’s reserve wines and vineyard-designated Zinfandels. The wines he produced during his tenure were consistent gold medal winners at wine competitions.
In 1993, Ullom was hired by Jess Jackson to be the winemaker at Camelot Vineyards. That same year, Jackson gave him the additional responsibility of heading up a new Chilean operation as founding winemaker and general manager of Vina Calina. In 1996, Ullom helped Jess Jackson establish wine production in Argentina with his Mariposa label. Ullom now has the distinction of being one of the few winemakers in the world to work two harvests a year in two different hemispheres.
In March of 1997, Ullom was handed his most prestigious assignment – Winemaster for Kendall-Jackson Winery. “Sometimes,” he says, ” I look at all of the vineyards we own, and all of the individual lots of wines that we make, and the thousands of barrels we have sitting in our cellar and I think, You gotta be kidding me. After I’ve sufficiently recovered from my daily panic attack, I just take off my coat, dig in my heels and take it one barrel at a time.”
Ken Volk, owner and winemaker, Kenneth Volk Vineyards:
