How do you define success?
For me, being successful means being inspired by the work I do and inspiring others to feel engaged in the work they do. Success is about being part of something bigger, helping a team meet important goals, and bringing value to those around me. Making wine is particularly rewarding because we get to share the literal fruits of our labor with one another and with the wine-loving community, bringing joy to people’s lives and celebrations.

What are some surprising lessons you learned in becoming a leader?
While great vineyards and high-quality facilities are critical to making excellent wine, people are the most important ingredient. It is easy to accomplish the goals of the business if you have a top-performing team. It is important to recognize, encourage, and promote others and empower them to make decisions in areas where they are the key stakeholders. At Domaine Carneros, I have enjoyed building on our practice of open book management and other employee engagement and advancement programs to support the team in performing optimally even during difficult times like we have experienced the last few years. I am so proud of the team at Domaine Carneros and continue to be impressed with what we accomplish in world-class winemaking and hospitality.

What do you love most about your job?
I am fortunate to work at a place as beautiful as Domaine Carneros, with a group of people who care deeply about the wines we make while protecting the beautiful land around us. Every day that I walk our estate vineyards, I am reminded of how lucky we are to live and work in the gorgeous Napa Valley and how important it is that our wines represent this special place and our practices enhance our environment.

What are some of the biggest challenges facing your industry?
Climate change and its resultant impact on the wine industry is one of the most significant business concerns facing our industry. Water quality and availability is another major concern.

At Domaine Carneros, we are committed to do what we can to mitigate these concerns by developing a robust sustainability program and reducing our carbon footprint.

In 2003, we installed the largest solar renewable energy array of any winery in the world. Now we are amping up, pun intended, our commitment to solar by building a microgrid so we can store energy we generate during the day for use at night and in the event of a power outage. We reuse our packaging boxes, having reused over 1 million boxes since its inception. We have composted more than 420,000 pounds of waste, diverting over 90% of waste away from landfills. In recent years, we have experimented with and expanded our use of a lighter weight bottle to reduce the impact on shipping, and our direct fulfillment partner offsets all of its carbon emissions from shipping.

We created a complex system to capture rainfall on our property into irrigation ponds to be used for vineyard irrigation. The water we use to make wine is treated and reused as vineyard or landscaping irrigation. In the vineyard, we use several techniques to gauge water status and implement minimal irrigation, and in the winery we track and implement best practices to improve water conservation.

What do you do for fun?
I enjoy living a wine country lifestyle, having dinner parties with friends that feature fresh vegetables from our gardens and delicious wines we produce locally. Hikes and dancing with friends and taking yoga classes help to offset the indulgent enjoyment of all that bounty! I love traveling and experiencing new people and cuisines, and I often see live music locally or while traveling.

Describe your ideal day.
An ideal day starts with a hike with beautiful views followed by a delicious lunch at a great restaurant. After an afternoon spent relaxing poolside, nothing warms my heart more than an evening that involves making dinner with friends and family sharing delectable wines!