THE KIMMEL FAMILY

Headed by matriarch Lillian and guided by her three sons Jim, Gary, and Dennis, all generations of the Kimmel Family have joined in our winemaking venture. Most often, you'll find Jim in Southern California, introducing our wine to notable chefs and sommeliers then heading back to Mendocino to taste and perfect the upcoming vintage. Closer to the ranch, Gary travels throughout Sonoma and Mendocino counties, following up on the latest shipment of barrels or corks, checking in with Mark at the Vineyard. Dennis tries to keep them both on track with the reporting! Nieces and nephews have joined in the sales effort as well as guided our usage of green farming practices at the ranch. Needless- to-say, we all are thrilled to find yet another reason to gather around "Nana's" ranch table!



WINEMAKER BRUCE REGALIA

Bruce Regalia was born into an Italian family and learned about the senses of taste and smell at an early age. With his grandparents from Genoa and Calabria, the family was brought up in the Italian tradition that everyone was underfed and Sundays were made to eat and drink. It was Bruce's indoctrination into the world of food and wine.

In college he decided the agriculture field was his calling and received a degree in agronomy and then graduated from Chico State with a degree in plant and soil science and botany. After college he worked as an entomologist for a large farming company in the northern Sacramento Valley and then went to work for a consortium farming 500 acres of walnuts near Chico.

In the mid 80's Bruce managed a Mendocino County vineyard and started learning how to make wine by asking questions of those around him. While developing a vineyard for a client, the winemaker was fired just before harvest and Bruce was thrust into his first job as "winemaker". That property was later purchased by Duckhorn Wine Company where he became winemaker and general manager of a Pinot Noir project called Goldeneye. While working at Goldeneye he met the Madrigal family and after 7 vintages left to do some consulting work and run a custom crush facility near Ukiah. In 2005 Bruce took over the Madrigal Wine program which at the time was being crushed at Napa Wine Company in Oakville. Madrigal Vineyards completed construction of a new winery in 2007.

Bruce has been with the Kimmel Family since 2006 and works closely with our vineyard manager Mark Welch to grow and select only the best grapes for our wines.

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VINEYARD MANAGER MARK WELCH

Mark Welch has been farming on the North Coast and specifically in Mendocino County for the past thirty years and Lake County for the past twelve years. Kimmel Vineyards became Mark’s first client when he transitioned from his role as vineyard manager for Domaine Chandon to opening his own company, Welch Vineyard Management Services, Inc. In total, Mark farms approximately 800 acres in Potter Valley, Ukiah, Redwood Valley and Lake County.

Mark graduated from Santa Clara University with a B.A. in Spanish and Latin American Studies and received a Masters Degree in Agriculture from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo. He was a foreign exchange student in Madrid, Spain during his undergraduate period at Santa Clara and resided in Lima, Peru upon his graduation.

Mark is a past president of the Mendocino County Farm Bureau and a long time director/member. He also served as a treasurer and director of the North Coast Grape Growers Association, an organization which promoted the interests of northern California coastal wine grape producers. He is also past director and grower-member of the Mendocino Winegrape Growers Commission.

Mark has been farming for the Kimmel family since 1995 and has devoted much of his energy into establishing Potter Valley as a premium wine grape area within Mendocino County.

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