About Leslie
Leslie is a “vine to wine” winemaker whose bailiwick is monitoring closely the entire evolution of wine, beginning in the vineyard. With a Bachelor of Science in Plant Science – Viticulture, she understands that the best wine starts with the right vineyard site and skilled vineyard practices.
She values the dedication and hard work each and every person contributes during the gentle processing of grapes to wine. From sorting, punching down, draining and pressing to topping, aging and racking – every operation is significant right up to the moment the wine is bottled.
She rose through the ranks beginning as a crush intern at Chateau St Jean, Kenwood and later, Lab Director at Vinwood Cellars Custom Crush, Geyserville then Enologist at Rodney Strong Vineyards, Healdsburg. After a decade of lab experience, she was promoted to Flavor Winemaker for Pinot Noir, Assistant Winemaker for Kendall Jackson in 1997. In 2005 she decided on a change of pace and the journey down the wine consulting path began.
Recognition comes in many forms – awards, critical acclaim, scores . . .
But true gratification is knowing the wine is what the Winemaker envisioned