Watch Napa Valley Grow Up

Joining the new 1973 Sterling Vineyards marked the most exciting development of my wine sales career so far.

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In 1973, I was the 1st Director of Sales, then the 1st VP, National Sales Manager, at Sterling Vineyards.

My achievements at Sterling Vineyards enabled me to implement my wine sales ability in California and later in France.

I loved every minute!

Here I was, precisely in the middle of seeing Napa Valley “grow up.” It had been such a short adolescence, really, only 15 years total. From 1961, when Joe Heitz opened his winery, to the 1976 Patis tasting, Napa Valley had emerged from dormancy, backward agricultural pruning, and cattle farmland to gain international prominence and recognition for making exceptional wines. No one saw it coming.

"Sterling Vineyards was a leader in high-quality estate-bottled wines,

thanks to our winemaker, Ric Forman.

We were unsure how far we could go, but we charged ahead with confidence."

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