The Winemaker

Bob Bolan grew up far from the wine country in the small town of Lyndon, Kansas. Working at his father's service station and on the family farm, he developed an appreciation for physical labor and the rural lifestyle. He attended college at the University of Kansas and received a B.S. degree in Chemical Engineering in 1982. While working as a Process Engineer for Stratco Inc in Kansas City, Bob had the opportunity to travel and soon developed an appreciation for fine food and wine–as well as oceans, mountains and places with moderate climates (things not readily available in Kansas). In 1986, Bob accepted a position with SRI International's Business Consulting Division in Menlo Park, CA. Shortly thereafter he visited Napa Valley for the first time and dreamed of someday living and working in the valley.

In 1991, Bob decided to make his dream a reality. He left SRI to study winemaking at UC Davis. Prior to his coursework at Davis, he received some good advice from Winemaker Robert Brittan of Stags' Leap Winery. “Winemaking begins in the vineyard,” Brittan said, and he advised Bob to study viticulture, as well as enology. Bob did, and after earning his Masters degree, he accepted a harvest internship at Stags' Leap to continue his education as an apprentice winemaker. Bob worked six years at Stags' Leap and under Brittan's tutelage, developed a respect for both the traditional and scientific aspects of winemaking and grape growing. Like his mentor, Bob considers winemaking a craft and approaches it with a craftsman's mentality, with passion and attention to detail.

Early in his career, Bob recalls receiving advice from another very accomplished winemaker. While visiting the Rhone region of France, Bob had the opportunity to spend time with the Chave family at their home and winery in Tain l'Hermitage. During that visit, Bob asked Misseure Gerard Chave about his approach to winemaking and to what he attributed his success. Misseure Chave didn't hesitate when he said, “You must be quiet to be a good winemaker.” Through the years Bob has pondered the meaning of this advice and has come to his own interpretation of the word “quiet.” Winemaking requires patience, observation, a gentle hand, a calm demeanor, and a degree of humility. In the same way that terroir, or the physical traits of a vineyard site (soil, climate, exposure, etc.), contribute identifiable flavor characteristics to wine, the winemaker's personality is also reflected in the wines. In Bob's case, you can expect wines that are balanced, complex, generous in flavor, but never overbearing. While aiming for consistently high quality, Bob does not try to reproduce last year's wines. He recognizes that each vintage is unique, and his job as winemaker is to discover what each vintage has to offer and to bring out the best in the vineyards he works with year after year.