And Lindsay took it to heart. She went out and made her own mark on the world attending Georgetown University, learning Spanish, Catalan and Mandarin and managing the overseas supply chain for Williams-Sonoma and finally ending up as Assistant District Attorney in San Francisco. The idea of running the family business fell to the background, but never disappeared and eventually Lindsay did make the decision to step in and help her dad run the business he'd been managing for 30 years. And this time, she'd earned the right to stay.
Lindsay's dad planted their first vineyard in 1983 and sold fruit to other wineries for the next 20 years. Lindsay remembers these decades growing up in Napa as a more peaceful place than it is now, one where farming was at the center of everything. Their family fit right in with all the other farmers. But that slowly began to change as more wineries popped up and things became a bit more congested. In 1999, her father did what many farmers have started doing since: he took a look at all the great wine being made from his fruit and said to himself, 'Hey, I could do this. Why not keep my fruit and make wine for myself?' So he hired a winemaker and set to making his first vintage: 400 cases of Oakville Cabernet.
When Lindsay came back to Hoopes Vineyards in 2013, she wasted no time making her own mark there, too. She was looking for a specific style of wine, and a specific culture. One where everyone worked well together, shared ideas and was willing to collaborate. And in her experience, this meant assembling a team of women. So she hired a new winemaker, Anne Vawter, in order to adjust the style of the wine to be more reserved and less manipulated. And then an assistant winemaker, Jennifer Rue. And then there's the dogs, Maya and Sophie.
All of it, though, comes back to Lindsay carrying on the family business. "This is our family's livelihood. It's not a corporate entity," she said. "Farming is risky business and our quality is our name; they're one and the same." That's why Hoopes will even "declassify" wine some years. Basically, in years where they feel that the quality of grapes is not up to their standards, they will not bottle it as Hoopes Cabernet but instead sell it to other wineries who might be interested. In 2011 (and 2000), this actually meant that there was no Hoopes Cabernet. It's this commitment to quality that Lindsay is looking forward to continuing as the next generation. "I'm very proud to take a brand that I grew up with into the next generation. Our brand integrity and philosophies that my father implemented, are things that I've grown up with and now I'm just sort of taking a newer twist."
This is something that may be less and less common. Just about every other day it seems I read about another winery being sold to a large corporation. In that kind of climate it can be hard to compete. Lindsay's thankful her dad made her get some other work experience as it's come in useful. The years just before coming back to the family business, Lindsay was working as a homicide prosecutor for the DA's office in San Francisco. "There are a lot more analogies than you might appreciate. Understanding contracts and negotiation, you couldn't have a better training ground. But also, working at the DA's office is really about learning how to get people to relate to your case. And, frankly, the wine business, is helping people relate to your story." Continuing on a family tradition while still making your own mark on it? Well, that's something I can relate to.