FETZER VINEYARDS: BACKGROUND

When the Fetzer family purchased a run-down ranch and vineyard in Redwood Valley in rural Mendocino county in 1958, they never dreamed that their name would someday grace the label of one of America's best-selling wines.

The Fetzer's had a simple plan when their small winery released its first wines ten years later in 1968: to produce quality wines at a price that allows them to be enjoyed at a wide variety of social occasions with family and friends. Over thirty years later, the path has taken the Fetzers and their winery through the winery's history of stellar success and growth, groundbreaking education and training in food and wine, and cutting edge use of organic farming techniques and sustainable business practices, but the result is the same. As it was in the beginning, the goal at Fetzer has not changed: "These are the days. Fetzer days. Enjoy the wine."

The family's story, and the story of Fetzer Vineyards, is a shining example of the American Dream coming true. From the winery's well known Sundial Chardonnay and Eagle Peak Merlot, America's best sellers in their categories, to the critically acclaimed Barrel Select collection, to the carefully crafted Fetzer Reserve collection, created from some of California's best vineyards, their vision ensures that every day can be a 'Fetzer day'.

The story of Fetzer begins in 1958, when lumber merchant Barney Fetzer bought a ramshackle ranch in Redwood Valley, Mendocino County, primarily as a home for his wife, Kathleen and their eleven children. The house came with 720 acres of land, on which they kept sheep, hunted and fished. It also included a 100-year-old vineyard. Father and sons gradually began uprooting the old Mission vines and replanting them with classic varieties such as Cabernet Sauvignon, selling the grapes to home winemakers throughout the United States.

In 1968 Jim and John Fetzer, the two eldest sons, converted an old barn into a winery and the family made about 2500 cases of their own wine. Barney's motto was to "make wines people can drink every night," not just on special occasions, and Fetzer soon earned a reputation for high standards and reasonable prices, particularly for its reds such as Zinfandel and Cabernet Sauvignon.

By 1976 sales were booming, enabling Barney to retire from the lumber business and focus all of his attention on wine. A year later he hired Paul Dolan as head winemaker, specifically to establish Fetzer as a serious white wine producer (the family's own attempts at Chardonnay had not been particularly successful.)

Barney Fetzer died suddenly in 1981, at the age of 61, just after purchasing the 1130-acre Sundial Ranch near Hopland, 25 miles to the south of Redwood Valley. Ten of his eleven children took over management of the company and helped develop it into one of the California wine industry's major success stories. Barney had correctly anticipated the white varietal boom of the 1980s: Fetzer Sundial Chardonnay (launched in 1982) became a stylistic trendsetter, while the Gewürztraminer became (and remains) the best seller of its type in America. At the same time, Fetzer also launched their second label, Bel Arbors (now known as Bel Arbor), made from purchased grapes. Bel Arbor competes in the "fighting varietal" category of lower priced wines.

In 1984, Fetzer purchased the 1300-acre Valley Oaks ranch, just down the road from the Sundial Ranch. Construction began of a new winery, including a 50,000 square foot barrel room. This opened in 1988 and until recently has produced mainly red wines. However, a plan to merge the Redwood Valley and Hopland operations into one in Hopland will be completed in late 1999.

In 1985 Paul Dolan began to concentrate his efforts on the development of a top quality "Reserve" range. Attention was focused on growing and sourcing top quality grapes, and the company invested heavily in oak barrels. Fetzer's new Reserve range was launched in 1990 and was an instant success with critics across the US. In 1993 Fetzer established an in-house cooperage to produce new American oak barrels and restore three and four year old barrels to new. This unique on-site cooperage was the only one of its kind in the US, and has now been developed into a sister company, Mendocino Cooperage.

By the mid-1980s many premium California wineries were trying to link their product closely to the table, specifically to top chefs, cutting-edge restaurants and the sophisticated art of food and wine pairing. Fetzer decided to take a somewhat different route, emphasizing not just food consumption but production and preparation. The phrase "from the earth to the table" was coined, to remind consumers of the connection between the land and what they eat and drink.

In 1985, Fetzer hired Michael Maltas to establish a five-acre, biodynamic organic garden at Valley Oaks. This was expanded in 1989 to include a Food & Wine Center, consisting of a dining pavilion/demonstration kitchen and bed and breakfast facility.

The quality of the produce from the organic garden convinced Fetzer to experiment with organic viticulture, and in 1988 the 131-acre Home Ranch vineyard in Redwood Valley was converted to organic methods. The results were so encouraging that by 1990 Fetzer was committed to growing all its grapes organically, converting between 100 and 200 acres a year. Fetzer was the first winery in California to make such a major commitment to organic viticulture and today is one of the largest certified organic grape growers in the world.

In 1992 Brown-Forman Corporation, the Kentucky-based beverage and luxury goods company, purchased the Fetzer and Bel Arbor brands, together with the wineries in Redwood Valley and Hopland, the Valley Oaks Food & Wine Center, and about 900 acres of land. Paul Dolan was named president, and there was not a single lay-off among the 300 members of the staff (many were promoted into positions vacated by family members). The Fetzer family retained a major portion of the vineyards.

Today the most popular Fetzer wines, made under the direction of Winemaker Dennis Martin, include Sundial Chardonnay, Valley Oaks Cabernet Sauvignon, Eagle Peak Merlot, and Home Ranch Zinfandel. In addition, Fetzer produces super-premium Reserve wines, including Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir, and Merlot; and a line of Barrel Select wines that includes Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Pinot Noir, and Chardonnay. The winery also produces a number of critically acclaimed classic varietals, including Johannisberg Riesling, Gewürztraminer, and White Zinfandel.

Along with the Fetzer Tasting Room & Visitor Center at Valley Oaks in Hopland, which includes a gourmet deli and bed & breakfast, the winery also operates a full-service Tasting Room in the historic coastal village of Mendocino. Both Tasting Rooms are open daily from 10 a.m. The Hopland Tasting Room & Visitor Center is located at 13601 Eastside Road and the Mendocino Tasting Room is located at 45090 Main Street, next door to the Mendocino Hotel.

Under Dolan's direction, Fetzer continues to reinforce its position as an environmentally and socially conscious winery. Among Dolan's initiatives has been to develop and implement a triple bottom line program for the winery. Along with economics of any business decision, equal consideration is given to impact upon the environment and the employees of the company.

With thirty years of growth, constant innovation, and award-winning wines to their credit, it is clear that the trend for Fetzer as a successful leader in the wine industry will continue. And, as the winery expands their distribution into new markets around the world, where people are now able to enjoy Fetzer wines for the first time, the message is now more clear than it has ever been before: These are the days. Fetzer days. Enjoy the wine.™