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DAN LEESE Dan Leese became President of 585 Wine Partners when he and business partner Doug Walker along with a small group of investors purchased the Red Truck Wine brand from Fred and Nancy Cline of Cline Cellars in 2005. The purchase of Red Truck and the launch of 585 Wine Partners was a dream come true for Leese, who has an energetic passion for the wine industry and had thought about owning and running his own wine business for many years. Leese has over 25 years experience in brand building, business results and leadership in the beverage alcohol industry. Prior to the launch of 585 Wine Partners, he was president and managing director of Beringer Blass Wine Estates (now Foster's Wine Estates Americas) in North America, where he directed all sales, marketing, finance, administration, production and vineyards for the $700 million unit of Foster's Group. During his time in this role, Leese led a full business review of the North American subsidiary, successfully completing a restructuring of the enterprise which resulted in a total business turnaround including double digit volume and profit growth. Prior to his role as managing director, Leese held the position of senior vice president and general manager of the company's $550 million Premium Wine Division. Before Beringer Blass, Leese was executive vice president and managing director of Brown-Forman Wine Group's U.S. Wine Business, directing all operations for the company's $340 million wine unit. Leese was with Brown-Forman for thirteen years and held a number of marketing and general management positions with increasing responsibility. Prior to Brown-Forman Leese worked at the Stroh Brewery Company for six years in a variety of sales and marketing roles. Leese has served on the boards of the Wine Institute and Marin Theater, and has been a guest lecturer at Sonoma State University, University of California, Davis, and University of Northern Iowa.
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KATY LEESE Fulfilling a long-held dream with her husband Dan, Katy Leese co-founded 585 Wine Partners, the dynamic wine company that owns Red Truck Wines, Picket Fence Vineyards, Bivio Italia Winesand Steelhead Wines. Katy and Dan were joined by friends Becky and Doug Walker to form the Sonoma, California-based company in 2005. Prior to 585 Wine Partners, Katy ran a successful interior design business in Marin County, California. From 1996 to 2005 her expertise in color theory and creating harmonious interiors landed her jobs in homes from Palo Alto to Santa Rosa. From 1994 to 1996, while living in Louisville, Kentucky she ran the Louisville Ballet Company’s in house boutique, managing purchasing and merchandising and leading to the boutiques most successful sales period. Today, Katy brings the worlds of art and wine together in her role as Director of Public Relations and Packaging. Using her knowledge of color and design, Katy has been a driving force behind the artistic, attention-grabbing labels in 585 Wine Partner’s portfolio. She also manages the company’s merchandising, copy writing and websites, and is the creator of several innovative public relations programs. As a co-founder, Katy is also involved in strategic planning and business development. “I love the whole ethos of the Red Truck brand,” says Katy. “It’s big hearted, adventurous spirit always reminds me that rolling up your sleeves, doing something new, and not taking yourself too seriously is a good way to live.” Katy and Dan have been married for 25 years and have three children.
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DOUG WALKER Wine industry professional Doug Walker formed 585 Wine Partners with his colleague and friend, Dan Leese, in December 2005 when the two purchased the Red Truck Wine brand from Fred and Nancy Cline of Cline Cellars. As Chief Operating Officer of 585 Wine Partners, Walker oversees the company's finance and business development functions. Walker has spent over 18 years in the wine industry, and prior to 585 Wine Partners was Senior Vice President, Finance and Business Development with Foster's Wine Estates Americas. He was with Foster's (formerly Beringer Blass Wine Estates) for nine years and held a series of finance and business development posts there. In these roles, Walker oversaw Beringer's long-term financial planning, merger and acquisition activities, the annual budget process and the management of strategic business relationships. He also led the team that oversaw the integration of Beringer Blass and Southcorp Wines in 2005. Walker joined Beringer when it purchased Sonoma-based Chateau St. Jean in 1996. He had been President of Chateau St. Jean since 1993, having joined the winery in 1990 as Vice President of Finance and Administration. Prior to joining Chateau St. Jean, Walker practiced public accounting with Arthur Andersen and Motto, Kryla and Fisher, a leading wine industry accounting and consulting firm. Walker has served on the Board of the Wine Institute, the Board of the California Growers' Foundation as well as Wine Vision. He currently serves on the executive committee of the wine business program at Sonoma State University.
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BECKY WALKER Becky Walker was drawn to Northern California and the beauty of the wine country and in 1985 she’d landed a job at the jointly owned Rutherford Hill and Freemark Abbey. At Rutherford Hill and Freemark Abbey, where she worked for 10 years, Becky held a variety of management positions. She began as Assistant Controller at Rutherford Hill, a role that led to her promotion to Customer Service/Sales Operations Manager for both wineries. Eventually, Becky was named Sales and Marketing Director for Freemark Abbey, a position she held until 1995 when she decided to take on a different role as stay-at-home mom, school board member and community volunteer leader. But the lure of the wine business was always there, and in 2005, Becky, husband Doug, and their two friends Dan and Katy Leese formed 585 Wine Partners when they purchased Red Truck Wines. As a co-founder, Becky’s primary function is Director of Human Resources, but she is also involved in strategic management, sales and marketing and public relations at the fast-growing Sonoma based wine company. “For me, this business has been the fulfillment of a dream,” says Becky. “I can’t imagine anything better than working with great friends – and great partners – to create a world class wine company.” Becky and Doug have been married for 30 years and have two children.
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CAROL REBER carol.reber@585winepartners.com
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ALEX DESSOUKY
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DAVE MOLLISON
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BILL COLADONATO
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ANITA LEES
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DAN SCHOMAKER
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DAN HANSEN
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STEVE STARKE
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SCOTT ERICSON
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RITA DILELLO
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CHRIS POULOS
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SERETH KJOLEN
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GARY THOMPSON
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JOHN DIMARCO
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CHARLIE TSEGELETOS Although Charlie Tsegeletos owns a garage full of motorcycles, he has a soft spot for the old 1947 GMC truck that serves as the mascot for Red Truck Wines. "I'm like that old bus," says Charlie, whose memories of it include the time it leaked oil during the annual 4th of July parade in Calistoga. "I've taken that thing all over, even done drag races with it. It loses control at about 40 miles per hour." Having grown up amidst a landscape much like that pictured on the Red Truck label - the rolling, golden hills of Sonoma - Charlie is eminently well-suited to his role as winemaker. Raised by an Italian mom and a Greek dad, Charlie's family always had a bottle of wine on the table. But his interest in making wine was inherited from his great grandfather, Guippe Guidotti, who in the 1930's grew grapes and made wine in the Guerneville area of Sonoma County. Charlie earned his degree from the University of California at Davis and immediately began his winemaking career at the age of 24. He's been making wine in Sonoma ever since. Charlie joined Cline Cellars in 2002 and is responsible for winemaking and production for the winery's Cline, Oakley and Jacuzzi Family Vineyard brands. He's made the Red Truck Wines since their inception in 2002 and today continues as winemaker for both Red Truck and Cline Cellars. Charlie has a philosophy about making Red Truck Wines: he wants them to appeal to both new and experienced wine drinkers alike. For his reds, he strives for weightiness, complexity and a tannin level that will keep an experienced wine drinker interested, but also for fruit intensity and richness that a novice wine drinker will love. Similarly for the whites, Charlie looks for a style that is balanced and nuanced for the experienced wine drinkers but with a purity of fruit for those just discovering wine. Charlie is a professional wine judge, a member of the Board of Directors for the Sonoma Valley Vintner's and Growers Association, and - when he's not drag racing vintage red trucks - an avid snow skier and motorcyclist. He resides on an old chicken ranch in the hills of Sonoma with his wife and daughter, along with an assortment of animals.
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DON VAN STAAVEREN Don Van Staaveren believes that the best wines, the wines that are most distinctive, are those that have been gently nudged along by the winemaker rather than highly manipulated. He should know having made some of California's most critically acclaimed wines, including the Wine Spectator's #1 Wine of the Year in 1999, the 1996 Chateau St. Jean Cinq Cepages. Don's career in wine began early when as a youngster on his family's dairy farm he grew weary of milking cows and went to work in his neighbor's vineyards. After graduating from Cal Poly with a degree in fruit science, Don worked as a vineyard manager and viticulturalist at several prestigious wineries in Sonoma County. He became curious about what happened to the grapes after they were harvested and started working in the cellar quickly becoming head winemaker. Don has over 20 years of experience as a winemaker and continually delivers beautiful, richly flavored wines as in Picket Fence Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Don sees his role as a winemaker as "custodial" not manipulative. "You don't want to disturb the grapes a lot," says Don. "There are gentle things you can do to guide them in their development, but you've got to have a light touch. It's not unlike raising a child."
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CHRISTIAN SCRINZI It was Winemaker Christian Scrinzi's grandfather who gave him his early fascination with wine through their many excursions to the vineyards around their home in Trentino, a well known wine region in Northeast Italy. These early experiences led Christian to complete his studies in agriculture and oenology and ultimately to Gruppo Italiano Vini where he is the Director of Oenology. As the winemaker for Bivio Italia, Christian has his boots in the soils of both Tuscany and the Northeast Italian regions of Friuli, Veneto and Trentino. In Tuscany he carefully cultivates our Chianti and Tuscan Red counting on the vineyards' gentle hills in combination with perfect soils and sun exposure to create the refined bouquets and elegant full bodied characteristics of these wines. In the Friuli, Veneto and Trentino vineyards Christian crafts our Pinot Grigio relying on these regions' cool climate and gently sloping terrain as well as some of the richest soils in Italy for this bright, expressive wine. Christian is an avid outdoorsman and loves hiking, biking and skiing in the mountains near his home. He is passionate about collecting modern art, restoring antique furniture and, most of all, spending time with his wife and daughter. His ultimate passion is his work. Christian's winemaking philosophy begins with his deep understanding of the basic materials - the grapes - which "need to be interpreted, fostered and handled with respect for their individuality and for their area." His classic and deft touch as an Italian winemaker has been complemented by his continuous desire for knowledge which has led him to travel throughout the wine regions of California's Napa Valley, Chile and New Zealand where he has gained extensive experience in New World winemaking techniques. It is "with rigorous selection of grapes and the careful process of vinification that the healthier, more long lived wines expressive of their terriors can be created." Christian's seamless integration of tradition and innovation is the hallmark of Bivio Italia Wines.
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STEVEN CANTER Steven Canter was raised in Boston, Massachusetts and studied musical composition and guitar through out his childhood. He studied at the Berklee College of Music but soon discovered that the lifestyle of a professional musician was not the path he should take. In 1985 Steven began working at a Boston wine shop and found that he really loved wine. "I wanted more control of my destiny and I came to a cross roads", Steven remembers and his aspirations to become a winemaker began. While in Boston he worked for Silenus Wine Imports, then as a sommelier at two prestigious restaurants in Nantucket, Massachusetts, Toppers at the Wauwinet and The Languedoc Bistro. In 1996 Steven decided to pursue his winemaking dream and followed his passion to California. His career began with DeLoach Vineyards in Russian River Valley in Sonoma County and during the next 10 years Steven worked for wineries in Napa Valley, Amador and Mendocino counties, Australia, South Africa and Italy. Most recently he worked for Davis Bynum as head wine maker before moving to Quivira and Steelhead in 2006. Steven's expansive global knowledge of winemaking includes the four vintages he spent working with Dave Powell at Torbeck in Australia's famed Barossa Valley. He worked with Dave on some of the world's greatest wines. He also worked at Beaumont Vineyards in South Africa, Corte Pavone in Tuscany and Tenuta Loacker in the Sud Tyrol-Alto Adige region of Italy and brings all this experience to his winemaking today. Steven's goal as a winemaker is to "interfere as little as possible in creating the balance that will enable the wine to show its richest varietal qualities." His Pinot Noir made under the Baker Lane label was chosen as one of Wine Spectator's "Hot New Dozen of California Pinot Noir(s)". With Steelhead Zinfandel and Sauvignon Blanc, Steven created "eclectic and balanced wines" that show the natural flavors of the region. The Zinfandel has rich "briary blackberry and black pepper" while the Sauvignon Blanc has fresh "lemon and grapefruit zest" both natural components for varietals grown in Dry Creek Valley. For Steven "winemaking transcends" all that he does, he has an "inherent trust in nature's wisdom" and he is not afraid to work with its natural order. Steven, his wife and two sons are conscious of living in harmony with the earth and grow most of their own vegetables and keep bees on their property. Steven is very committed to the continued restoration of Wine Creek which runs through Quivira's property. The Steelhead and Coho Salmon have returned to the creek and Steven works with Trout Unlimited to keep the creek and surrounding ecosystem compatible for the spawning Salmon that return each year. "I became a member of Trout Unlimited when I was 12 years old so it is exciting to be their official winery and support Trout Unlimited and their efforts," added Steven.
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