Stories

Preface I want to preface my comments with a little bit of my personal story. I first visited Sonoma County as a college student in the Summer of 1986. I was spending a summer in Walnut Creek with a girlfriend (ah, young love) and would take weekend trips to Napa Valley where I became convinced…

Over the past few weeks, I’ve been tasting through a lot of 2024 Pinot Noirs—Morét’s full lineup and my Clarice wines from tank. And here’s the thing: they’re making me rethink the vintage—at least when it comes to our wines. Heading into harvest, 2024 looked primed to be an “immediate gratification” year—a vintage full of…

In the August 6, 2025 San Francisco Chronicle, Joe Bartolomei—co-owner of Forestville’s Farmhouse Inn and the originator of the idea for a Sonoma County Wine Improvement District—was quoted as saying: “Things have never been more dire than they are right now and I feel like we’ve got to try. It’s a proven model that generates…

On August 4, 2025, I had the opportunity to address an unusually packed meeting of the Sonoma County Winegrowers Association as we discussed the proposed Wine Improvement District (WID), which would impose a 1-2% assessment (tax) on all Direct-to-Consumer wine sales originating from Sonoma County. I’ve been involved in leading the effort to oppose this…

Clarice was my grandmother—born in 1896 in Giddings, Texas—and she was my best friend growing up. My dad, Howard Lee, was born on July 11, 1921. I still smile thinking about him making my grandfather the butt of a gentle joke, just to make Clarice laugh (picture below). When I started Clarice Wine Company, I…

Morét’s wine journey began in the tasting room of Silver Oak – where Cabernet Sauvignon reigns supreme. Later, during her five-year tenure at HALL Wines, her connection to the varietal only deepened. So while she went on to launch her own Pinot-focused label, it was only a matter of time before Cabernet made its way…

In Christian theology, Felix Culpa refers to the “fortunate fall”—the idea that Adam’s original sin led to something ultimately good. In this case, the sin was Adam Lee’s: accidentally blending three sample bottles of Santa Lucia Highlands Pinot Noir with one from the Russian River Valley. Each sample bottle represented a different barrel. He meant…