Making Big in Sebastopol Hills

I remember not so long ago landing at the Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris, with my 3 year old daughter in hand wondering what was I getting into now. Shall I say I was reluctantly excited to join Tom in France on his quest to make fine wine or just oblivious. The wintry sky did nothing to enhance my first image of my new temporary home. Our taxi sped through the concrete walls laden heavily with french graffiti through the outskirts of Paris before we boarded the TGV (bullet train) to Dijon.

Our luck and fortune would prevail however and within a year I found myself wishing I wouldn't have to leave the rich traditions of Bourgogne and the gorgeous vineyards of Chambertin for the new world. But westward we traveled to California.

Now some 16 years later, my soul rests in the roots of our beautiful vineyard in Sebastopol. Soon we will experience the 5th harvest of our Pinot Noir. Our journey has hardly ended as we continue to toil away, but we are beginning to truly reap nature's rewards. Recent publication in the San Francisco Chronicle, reveals Tom's dream (now "our" dream) is not so far-fetched. Sebastopol Hills makes the headline in wine news this week with highlights about Maboroshi Vineyard. Like a line lifted from a Hollywood western, Andy Walker as quoted by Greg LaFollette may say it best; "...look to the hills to find your answer".

Find more at
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/object/article?f=/c/a/2008/08/29/WI1K12I044.DTL&o=