Wines

Chapter Four “Wine Country Stories”

Toad Hollow Vineyards

Located in the heart of the Russian River Valley in Healdsburg California, Toad Hollow Vineyards has been producing fine wines at affordable prices for the last decade and a half.  

The winery was the vision of Francine (Frankie) William’s husband Todd who dreamed of producing quality wines at reasonable prices with whimsical labels. In 1993, with the help of his friend Rodney Strong together they set the tone of Toad Hollow Vineyards as humorous, fun and sometimes irreverent‐ while always producing fine wines at affordable prices.  

Todd entered the wine business in July of 1988 doing sales for Whitehall Lane Winery. Todd had his big break: He was offered the position of National Sales and Marketing Manager at Shafer Vineyards. During my final interview with the owner, John Shafer, He expressed his concern about not having the expertise and experience required to handle his wines nationally. Todd said he would never forget his reply – he said that marketing was 90% common sense and ethics, and he would teach me the other 10% needed to survive. And he did that in Spades! Todd stayed with Shafer for three years and learned why John Shafer’s wines are so successful. Not only are they beautifully made, but he learned from one of the best guerrilla marketing men in the business. Get all of the press that you can (without paying for it), keep your name and label in every publication possible. Make sure that everyone you come in contact with remembers your name and product, and always keep your word – be honorable at all costs. This is a lesson not many people seem to remember in these times when discounting and cutthroat are the words of the day.

In the fall of 1993, the Toad Hollow story began to take shape. My old friend Rodney Strong, who had just sold his winery but still owned a beautiful Russian River Chardonnay Vineyard and I started talking about different styles of wines that we liked and that weren’t “cookie cutter” wines. We decided to combine forces – he would grow the grapes and make the wine (with some input from me), and I would sell the wine….and I could do this through my marketing company, Hillside Estates! We released our first vintage of three thousand cases of Russian River Valley Chardonnay in May of 1994. The Hillside Estates venture continued through January of 1995 with Toad Hollow as one of its members. Eventually, as Toad Hollow grew, Hillside Estates disbanded and Toad Hollow became my one and only business focus.

Todd launched the Toad Hollow brand with the release of their Unoaked Chardonnay, Francine’s Vineyard (named appropriately for Frankie). Together Todd and Frankie grew the business from 3,000 cases of Chardonnay to a winery boasting over a dozen different wines from many different corners or both California and the world. “Our commitment and focus has always been and continues to be to keep our quality high and the price affordable,” remarks Frankie. This dedication is reflected in Toad Hollow’s award winning wines.  

Now also producing a Sonoma County Dry Pinot Noir Rosé “Eye of the Toad”, a Russian River Merlot “Richard McDowell Vineyard”, a Russian River Pinot Noir “Goldie’s Vineyard”, a proprietary Red called “Erik’s The Red”, and our second label of less expensive wines from the Limoux district in France named Le Faux Frog (Merlot, Syrah, Chardonnay), plus two sparkling wines – Amplexus and Risque.

Sadly, Todd passed away in August of 2007, but his spirit lives in every glass of Toad Hollow and Frankie continues on with Todd’s vision.

The Toad marches on with Frankie Williams, Dr. Toad’s  wife,  carrying  the  torch  that  brightly  lights  the  new  path for the future of Toad Hollow Vineyards.  

 
And the best is yet to come!

Toad Hollow’s tasting room is open daily and the entire Toad family looks forward to visitors stopping by to sample the wines, see the labels and hear the story of Toad Hollow Vineyards.  

The Toad Hollow Vineyards Tasting Room is located at:

409A Healdsburg Ave., 

Healdsburg CA, 95448.  (707) 431‐8667
 
www.toadhollow.com 

The Wines of Toad Hollow Vineyards are highlighted in blue.

Robert G. Mondavi

Robert Mondavi of Napa Valley was the global symbol of American wine and food. He founded the Robert Mondavi Winery in 1966, inspired by his belief that he could produce world-class wines in Napa Valley. Since that time, the Robert Mondavi Winery has become known as one of the world’s leading innovators, producers and marketers of fine wine.

Born in Virginia, MN, to parents who emigrated from Sassoferrato in the Marche region of Italy, Robert was greatly influenced by Old World traditions of the pleasures of wine and food. The family moved to Lodi, CA, during Prohibition and he attended public schools there.

A 1936 graduate of Stanford University with a degree in economics and business administration, Robert understood that marketing was as critical as winemaking expertise in achieving success in the wine industry. He joined his father at Sunnyhill Winery in St. Helena. After convincing his father to purchase the Charles Krug Winery there, he upgraded the technology, determined to raise quality—a commitment which never faltered. His children, Michael, Marcia and Timothy, grew up at Krug.

At age 53, he established the Robert Mondavi Winery, the first major winery built in Napa Valley following the 1933 Repeal of Prohibition. Robert’s goal was to combine European craft and tradition with the latest in American technology and use educational efforts to sell his wines. At his fledgling winery—which he intended as an enduring landmark to California history, reflecting this in its iconic, mission-style architecture—Robert pioneered many fine winemaking techniques in California, including cold fermentation, stainless steel tanks and the use of French oak barrels. As a marketing leader, he initiated blind tastings of Napa Valley wines with other world-class wines, allowing consumers and the trade to evaluate wine quality and value. By the l970s, Robert Mondavi wines were recognized for their quality internationally, and Robert pioneered the export of fine California wines.

Dedicated to fostering a wine culture in America, Robert also began holding tours and wine tastings. For four decades, the winery has celebrated the pleasures of wine, food and the arts; and provided creative settings for jazz and classical concerts, art exhibits and comprehensive cultural and culinary programs including the Great Chefs program, which has featured such luminaries as Julia Child, Paul Bocuse, Alice Waters and Joel Robuchon.

Never one to rest on his laurels, in l979, Robert joined forces with Baron Philippe de Rothschild, creating the Opus One Winery in Oakville. An immediate international success, Opus One created a world sales record for California with a $24,000 case price at the first Napa Valley Wine Auction. He and his wife, Margrit, with local support, were founders of that auction, which is now recognized as the major wine auction in the U.S An uncompromising perfectionist, Robert believed that if you wish to succeed, “…you must listen to yourself, to your own heart, and have the courage to go your own way.” These and other lessons from his life are the subject of his autobiography, “Harvests of Joy,” published in l998 by Harcourt, Brace & Company. He has been honored by countless national and international institutions, including France’s Legion of Honor (2005), the government of Italy and many U.S. institutions.

Robert remained an active ambassador for the winery into his nineties, together with his wife, Margrit. He passed away peacefully at home at the age of 94.

The Wineries that are included under the Umbrella of the Robert Mondavi Winery include: Robert Mondavi Napa, Solaire by Robert Mondavi, Robert Mondavi Private Select and Woodbridge by Robert Mondavi.

The Wines of Robert Mondavi Winery are highlighted in blue.

BOB, ROGER & VERA TRINCHERO

The history of Sutter Home Winery dates back to 1874, when a Swiss-German immigrant named John Thomann established a small winery and distillery in the heart of California’s Napa Valley. After his death, the winery and Victorian home beside it were sold to another Swiss family, the Leunbergers. They rechristened the estate, Sutter Home.

As with most Napa Valley wineries, Sutter Home was shut down during Prohibition. The winery remained abandoned until 1947, when John and Mario Trinchero purchased it. They were immigrant brothers from New York City whose family had long been active in the Italian wine business. The Trincheros refurbished the winery and began producing a diverse assortment of Napa Valley wines. For many years they operated “mom-and-pop” style, selling to their Napa Valley neighbors who filled their barrels and bottles at the winery’s back door. The Trinchero’s mission was straightforward: “A great product for a fair price.”

In the late 1960s and early 70s, the next generation of Trincheros, Bob, his brother Roger and sister Vera, inherited stewardship of the winery. While continuing to adhere to the family credo, they effected some dramatic changes, most notably a shift in the winery’s production and quality focus from generic to premium varietal wines.

A turning point occurred in 1968, when Bob Trinchero sampled a homemade zinfandel made from grapes grown in the Sierra Foothills; California’s famed Gold Rush country. Impressed by the character and intensity of this robust, spicy red wine, Bob began vinifying Amador County Zinfandel, the first north coast winery after Prohibition to do so. The result was a rejuvenation of the historic Sierra foothill growing region and recognition of Sutter Home Winery as a pioneer in this quintessentially American varietal.

In 1972, another of Bob Trinchero’s innovations made wine history by providing the American consumer with an entirely new style of premium wine. Experimenting with ways to make his Amador County Zinfandel even more robust, Trinchero drew off some of the free run juice and fermented it as a “white” wine. This pale pink zinfandel, lighter-bodied and more delicately flavored than its red counterpart, became a favorite of the winery’s tasting room clientele. Production of the wine, originally called Oeil de Pedrix(Eye of the Partridge), began in 1972 at 220 cases. The name was quickly changed to White Zinfandel, and sales grew exponentially throughout the 1980s as Americans by the millions fell in love with its approachable, food-friendly style. By 1987, Sutter Home White Zinfandel had become the best-selling premium wine in the United States. In 1994, the Wine Spectator, gave Bob its coveted distinguished service award for “having introduced more Americans to wine on the table than anyone in history.”

The Trinchero Family Estates also Produces the Wines of Trinchero, Napa Cellars, Folie a Deux, Terra d Oro, Main Street, Menage a Trois, The Show, Newman’s Own, True Earth, Sutter Home, Montevina, Trinity Oaks, Bandit, Fre, Angove’s, Red Belly Black, Nine Vines, Little Boomey, and a Restaurant Exclusive line called Sycamore Lane.

The Wines of the Trinchero Family are highlighted in blue.

JESS S. JACKSON


Founder, Kendall-Jackson Wine Estates, Majestic Fine Wines


If you had told Jess Jackson back in the early 1970s that in twenty years he would own one of California’s largest and most prestigious wineries, he would have had serious doubts.

Born in 1930, Jackson was raised in San Francisco and graduated from UC Berkeley’s Boalt Law School. By the early 1970s, he was a highly respected attorney with a thriving practice on the San Francisco peninsula, specializing in land-use and property rights issues. He helped found the American California Trial Lawyer’s Association, authored legislation, and rewrote sections of the California Code of Civil procedure.


In 1974, Jackson and his family bought an 80-acre pear and walnut orchard in Lakeport. Jackson had a long-standing interest in wine, so the family went to work converting the orchards to vineyards. For seven years, they sold the ranch’s grapes to local wineries. Then, in 1981, a downturn in the market suddenly left them with no buyers.


“I never intended to go into the winemaking business,” Jackson says. “But I was forced to. We couldn’t sell our grapes for what it cost us to grow them. So we did the only thing we could – we made wine.”


The first wine bottled under the Kendall-Jackson label was a 1982 California appellation Chardonnay. In 1983 it won the first Platinum Award ever presented by the American Wine Competition. For the last three years, Kendall-Jackson has won more gold, silver and bronze medals than any other winery in America, according to the 1996 California Wine Winners Book. In 1995, Wine & Spirits Magazine named Kendall-Jackson “Winery of the Year,” and in the 8th Annual Restaurant Poll, published in the April 1997 issue of Wine & Spirits Magazine, Kendall-Jackson was the top-rated restaurant wine in America for the fourth year in a row.


In the wake of this enormous success, Jackson gave up his law practice and devoted his energies to wine. Today, the Kendall-Jackson winery thrives as one of California’s few remaining family-owned wineries, with family members working full-time in a variety of positions.


Jackson’s commitment to quality and his “can-do” attitude are legendary. When he realized that the quality of the French oak barrels used to age his wine was inconsistent, he bought his own mill in France to provide the barrel-staves, and became a partner in a cooperage located in Missouri.


Jackson is a founding member of Family Winemakers of California, and one of his greatest passions is generating a new understanding of wine among Americans. “Wine is entirely different from liquor and beer, and I’d like to see our industry free itself from the images that are used to sell those products,” he says. “Wine is a part of our cultural heritage. It has always been the traditional partner with food. Wine celebrates friends, family, love – all of the best things in life!”

The Wines of Jess Jackson are highlighted in blue. — Replaced By Chapter Two Wines