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Don Yannias |
Since 1991, Don Yannias has served as chairman and president of Spring Mountain Vineyard.
Don is currently also the president of Boker Investment Management Inc., a private investment management company. From 1997 to 2001 he served as the Chief Executive Officer of Encyclopædia Britannica Inc. He currently maintains seats on the Board of Directors of both firms, numerous other private companies, and Children’s Memorial Hospital in Chicago, Illinois. Mr. Yannias received a B.S. in Business Administration in 1979 and an M.B.A. in Finance and Marketing in 1981 from The Ohio State University. He and his family reside in Chicago. |
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Jac Cole |
After graduating from the University of California Berkeley with a degree in Biology in 1972, Jac followed his growing passion for winemaking to the Masters Program in Enology at California State University Fresno. Jac began his professional odyssey as an intern at Chateau St. Jean in Sonoma County, and from there, wound his way through Napa Valley gathering expertise and experience with such prestigious wineries as Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars, Stags’ Leap Winery, and S. Anderson Vineyards.
Jac has had the rare fortune of acquiring a remarkable depth of knowledge and experience along his winemaking path, as well as his valued friendship with Spring Mountain Vineyard manager, Ron Rosenbrand. Together they are dedicated to the concept that the world’s greatest wines are the direct result of the work done in the vineyard. Their focus has been on the nuance of clone and rootstock, the balance of canopy and fruit, and the determination of the point of perfection for harvest. Armed with a combination of gleaned experience, passion and friendship, Jac comes to Spring Mountain Vineyard to lift wine quality to even greater heights.
Jac makes his own wine from a picturesque two-acre vineyard on Howell Mountain where he lives with his wife, Ami. |
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Ron Rosenbrand |
Born and raised in Saint Helena and
into a winemaking family, Ron’s
passion for grape growing came at an early
age. His father, well known winemaker
Theo Rosenbrand - whose achievements at
Beaulieu and Sterling Vineyards are revered
by wine collectors today, knew that great
wines were made in the vineyard, not in
the winery. Certainly influenced
by this fact, Ron chose viticulture, not
winemaking; graduating from the University
of California at Davis in 1981.
After studying French viticulture in
the Jura, Ron spent 21 years growing
wine at Charles Krug, V. Sattui, and
Spring Mountain Vineyard. Before being
reunited on Spring Mountain he shared
his passion and dedication for six years
with winemaker Jac Cole at Krug. Ron
is dedicated to using his knowledge
of terroir, rootstock and clonal selection,
vine stress and canopy management to
realize the full potential of each of
Spring Mountain’s 135 vineyard
sites.
Ron resides in Napa with his wife Jacqueline
and their 5 children, Brian, Amy, Conner,
Cole, and Alexi. |
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Jeridan Frye |
Jeridan’s journey in wine began at Wolfgang Puck’s Spago Beverly Hills, where her enthusiasm for wine grew substantially. After gaining a BA in Sociology from Loyola Marymount, she was inspired to continue her education in wine, receiving her Sommelier Diploma at the International Sommelier Guild. She is currently working on her Teacher’s Certificate.
She has worked as a Sommelier and Portfolio Ambassador for such companies as Moet-Hennessy, Pernod Ricard, The Dolce Group and David Meyers’ Comme Ça brasserie. She has on-camera hosted a variety of food and wine related shows, including Cooking In with Chef Todd English.
As a native from Colorado, Jeridan stays active outdoors and enjoys hiking, cycling, skiing, tennis, water rafting and rock climbing. She has explored multiple areas of the arts and has maintained her craving for international travel throughout her life. While traveling to diverse regions, Jeridan has obtained a wealth of experience building alliances in wine communities across the globe. |
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Tony Glorioso
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Tony Glorioso is a native of southern California and a graduate of Cal State Fullerton…”go fightin’ Titans!” His outgoing personality and quick wit serve him well in the wine industry where he has worked for the past 20 years.
Tony comes to Spring Mountain with great experience from neighboring wineries: Robert Mondavi, Caymus, Rosenblum Cellars, Kuleto Estate and Tuck Beckstoffer Wines.
In his spare time, he enjoys playing the guitar. He lives in Tiburon, CA. |
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Scotty Barbour
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Born in Glasgow, Scotland, ‘Scotty’ got his nickname in the US, while studying accounting at the University of Washington. His early travels in France introduced him to the world of wine.
He decided to turn his interest in wine into a profession when, on the advice of a friend, he began selling wine in Southern California. Scotty went on to spend more than two decades with Kobrand Corporation, where he ultimately became the Senior VP of Sales & Marketing. He then headed domestic and international sales and marketing for Opus One.
His travels promoting fine wine have taken him to nearly 100 countries. When not travelling, he can be found on the golf course with his two sons. He lives with his wife, Jeanne, in San Clemente, CA. |
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Valli Ferrell |
Valli has been part of Spring Mountain Vineyard since 1992. She and her family lived on the SMV estate during its renaissance years in the 1990s, giving her an intimate knowledge of the beauty and seasonal cadence of life in the vineyards. Her early years were spent in the Midwest where she earned a bachelor's degree from Indiana University in French and English. Her fascination with the world of wine brought her to California where she contributed to the sales and marketing efforts of several wineries, including Inglenook, Geyser Peak, William Hill and Stag's Leap Wine Cellars.
Valli is the author of Dining In Napa Valley, a cookbook celebrating Napa Valley’s best restaurants. In her spare time she enjoys reading, gardening and entertaining. She lives in St. Helena with her husband, Tom, and their son, Scott. |
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Leah Smith |
Leah was born and raised in Los Altos, California. She received her Bachelors degree from Oregon State University and spent the next 10 years living in the Oregon wine country.
Having caught the “wine bug,” Leah, her husband Michael, and 2 young daughters, Taylor and Ashley, relocated to St. Helena to pursue their passion and immerse themselves in the wine industry.
Leah brings with her to Spring Mountain over 10 years experience in customer service, public relations and management. Her professionalism, coupled with her sunny personality enable her to meet the customers needs extremely well.
In her free time, Leah enjoys traveling, volunteering in the local schools, biking, gardening and coaching soccer. |
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Marilyn Ferrante |
Marilyn was born in Pasadena and raised in the Silicon Valley where she worked at General Electric as a nuclear energy analyst for fifteen years. Seeking a more creative career in a rural setting, she moved to Lake County, and was soon at the helm of the Tasting Room and Wine Club at Steele Wines.
She is thrilled to be at Spring Mountain Vineyard where her friendly warmth and enthusiasm for wine spark the same response in her guests. A talented photographer, Marilyn is often found behind the lens in the vineyard and winery, chronicling the day-to-day life and beauty of Spring Mountain.
She is a lifelong animal lover, devoted to her 29-year old paint horse, Mogan, her two dogs and her cat, Zsa Zsa, with whom she lives on a picturesque Napa vineyard. |
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Patrick Shannon |
Patrick was raised in Albuquerque, New Mexico where, at age 4, his wine-loving father put a glass of wine into his chubby hands. Thus initiated, his love of fine wine increased with his years, and at age 15, he ‘borrowed’ a case of his father’s 1966 Lafite. (all but 4 bottles were returned)
Patrick began his formal wine education in 2007, and received a certificate from the Court of Master Sommeliers. He is currently working toward a diploma from the Wine & Spirits Education Trust (WSET).
He spends his free time on a ‘mini farm’ high atop Spring Mountain Road where he grows ‘rare and unusual edibles’. |
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Doris Capovilla |
Except for her studies at Sacramento State where she received a BS in Business-Marketing, Doris has lived in Napa her entire life. She and her husband of 20 years, Steve, are consummate do-it-yourselfers, having renovated their Napa home from nearly the ground up. She applies the same ‘can do’ attitude to the logistics of keeping Wine Club members happy.
She has a passion for cats, and has been known to feed and rescue felines from feral colonies. She rescued Hershey from the wild at 7 months, and he has been living a pampered, domestic life for over 7 years.
Doris loves to camp, hike and kayak while visiting our National Parks. Enthusiastic about seeing new places and trying new foods, she plans to visit as many countries as possible on her bucket list. |
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Paul Remboldt |
Paul Remboldt has been applying state of the art accounting techniques in the wine industry for over seven years. Paul worked with Charles Krug Winery during their explosive growth through the last half of the 90’s. He now brings his expertise and enthusiasm to Spring Mountain Vineyard and works with the management team in all financial matters.
A native Napan, Paul lives in St. Helena with his wife Kelli and their two young girls, Hannah and Abigail. He graduated from California State University, Sacramento with a B.S. in Accountancy in 1991. |
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