“Making wine has been, and always will be, our passion, our work and our play. But as we dedicate ourselves to quality in our wines, we recognize it’s also about the journey: relationships created, wines shared, concern for our community and the environment; sprinkled with lots of laughter. Our goal is a life well lived, with honesty, humility and integrity, all of which we hope translates into our wine.”
MEET THE TEAM
As a family owned and operated business, the early years often found them bottling, topping barrels and labeling the wines themselves. Tom’s eclectic mix of consulting clients kept the office door open as they grew slowly, building a dream as they built a team: small, lean and talented.
Tom was born in southern California and when his family moved to Northern California when he was 11 years old, he not only discovered the beauty and richness of the north state, including many magical trout streams, but he was profoundly fortunate to reside in the community of Davis, where the opportunity to attend UC Davis was there waiting for him to explore the fermentation science discipline.
Tom completed his enology degree at the University of California Davis in 1974. At the same time a group of talented grads also burst on to the scene to be credited for the meteoric rise in the quality of California wines in the 70’s. Before starting the eponymous Tom Eddy label as the family winery in 1991, Tom had been the winemaker for some of the largest and smallest wineries in California. As a recognized industry expert, and noteworthy writer about all things “Wine”, Tom left a personal stamp on many winery operations in Napa, Sonoma, Oregon and Washington, and even globally, and has had a direct influence on winery design and winemaking with a broad consulting client base.
Tom’s tenure in the wine industry is now well over 40 years young. During the past several decades, it just seems like he has made wine of every type, from every location and has met every winemaking challenge head on with enthusiasm, a quality perspective, and an artistic flair. Tom’s passion and dedication to excellence with wine is ongoing. He is always quick to point out that, when it comes to his favorite grape, Cabernet Sauvignon, his winemaking goal is to produce wine which is rich, flavorful, and elegant, from hillside vineyards that deliver intense fruit flavor and depth of structure to ensure complexity and richness.
One of the final career goals for Tom was to purchase the Calistoga ranch in 1999, provide an exciting landscape to live and explore nature on a daily basis, and plant a small vineyard and build a family winery on the back side of the mountain. True to his commitment to the passion of artistic winemaking, Tom and his wife Kerry brought together friends to help in the construction of a classically designed, efficient, yet small winery, along with a beautiful cave dug deep into the mountain Tom’s journey to produce elegant, age worthy wines will continue, and now he can do it from his back porch.
Watching Kerry working in her art studio or tending to the garden at the winery, you may not think her background would prepare her for a life as a winery owner.
As a student at UC Davis, Kerry had wanted to become an educator. The summer after graduation found her in Hawaii with the intention of returning to Davis to complete her masters and teaching credential. But that fall, the airlines went on strike and there was no way to get off the island. “I figured it was a sign so I stayed,” laughs Kerry.
Working for her cousin’s Honolulu wine import company and studying with two Masters of Wine, Kerry was able to hone her wine tasting and analytical skills. That led to being the first female sommelier in Honolulu in 1980 followed by a job offer in NYC working for M. Shanken Communications the publisher of Wine Spectator, as their Director of Education and Information.
It was in NY where she met winemaker, Tom Eddy, who enticed her to become his wife, and move back to California. Being from a long line of Californians (5 generations), moving back to her home state was a no brainer. Kerry then transferred to the Wine Spectator office in San Francisco and continued to work closely with the New York office, coordinating the Grand Tastings for the Wine Spectator’s California Wine Experience, while spearheading the Spectator’s telemarketing, distribution and sales networks.
Nowadays, Kerry manages the Parcel One Wine Club and happily leads individual groups of tasters, wine glasses in hand, up the hill to take in the spectacular views and to experience the cave. And should the opportunity present itself, you’ll still find her slipping away to her studio, by way of the garden.
Although she’s an East Coast native, Anna moved to California more than 25 years ago and is happy to call this her home. A love of wine drew her to the Napa Valley and she has immersed herself in the industry over the past fifteen years. Anna brings a wealth of knowledge to our team with experience working across marketing, membership, administration, and compliance functions for various wineries in that time. She resides in St. Helena with her husband and twin daughters.
Born and raised in the Napa Valley, Gabe cooked professionally for more than eight years before making the leap into winemaking. This experience developed his palate and provided him with a keen understanding of unique flavors, which also led him to the conclusion that winemaking was a better fit. He worked at Groth Vineyard and Winery while pursuing his BS in Enology and Viticulture from University of California, Davis. Gabe’s experience in the lab and cellar make him an integral part of our team.