THE RUDD STORY
Leslie Rudd always said that the individual who has a vision of what he or she wants to accomplish in life is very fortunate. As a young man, on his first visit to Bordeaux, he experienced his “vision” at Château Haut-Brion. The understated elegant château is one of the smallest of the First Growth Estates, producing only three wines — two reds and a white. The reverence and responsibility the owners (who happened to be American) felt for the heritage and the stewardship of their unique piece of land was palpable. It was his first exposure to a business paradigm driven by a multi-generational legacy of craftsmanship, artistry, and excellence rather than by pure economic return.
It was Leslie’s intention to recreate that vision when he purchased the Oakville Estate in 1996. Shortly after he bought the property, he and our winemaker went to Bordeaux to visit all the great châteaux again. They wanted to ascertain what made each winery special in terms of their wines, of course, but also with respect to their people, their heritage, and their facilities. He discovered each château had idiosyncratic ideas about farming and winemaking, but their overarching philosophies shared three key similarities:
A reverence for their unique terroir.
A focused quest for the absolute pinnacle of authentic and significant achievement.
A sense of timelessness with expertise and commitment passed on through generations; in other words, a desire to leave a trace that will survive them.
Using these three principles as the foundation and with a long-term time horizon, we let the land teach us how to maximize its potential. We began working with the most respected experts from both France and the U.S., including Didier Dagueneau from Silex, Jean Bernard Delmas from Château Haut-Brion, Olivier Berrouet from Petrus, and David Ramey from Ramey Vineyards, to help guide us. We planted new vines selected specifically for the attributes of each soil type in the vineyard, renovating and expanding the hospitality building, and planting a meandering California-inspired garden adjacent to the winery. At the same time, we experimented with different tanks, bringing in the first concrete eggs from France — following our philosophy of marrying the best in Old World tradition with innovative techniques.
RUDD OAKVILLE ESTATE VINEYARDS
1996
2016
Using these three principles as the foundation and with a long-term time horizon, we let the land teach us how to maximize its potential. We began working with the most respected experts from both France and the U.S., including Didier Dagueneau from Silex, Jean Bernard Delmas from Château Haut-Brion, Olivier Berrouet from Petrus, and David Ramey from Ramey Vineyards, to help guide us. We planted new vines selected specifically for the attributes of each soil type in the vineyard, renovating and expanding the hospitality building, and planting a meandering California-inspired garden adjacent to the winery. At the same time, we experimented with different tanks, bringing in the first concrete eggs from France — following our philosophy of marrying the best in Old World tradition with innovative techniques.
In early 2016, we completed a Howard Backen-designed glass Boathouse for guest visits on our Lake, as well as a Greenhouse reception area. The Barn, the third building surrounding the Lake, is where we host our harvest lunch. The final piece of Leslie’s 40-year vision, the Workshop, was completed before the 2016 harvest. The Workshop was designed to completely integrate the fruit grown on our Estate with our winemaking philosophy. This allows us to maximize the potential of the unique land we are fortunate enough to steward. In addition, we have a variety of tools to optimize our ability to adjust to the vagaries of Mother Nature as well as the natural differences between soils within the vineyards.
Our innovative concrete tanks were built on-site with the assistance of the designer/mason who built the Petrus tanks. In the spirit of creating something truly unique and evocative of this particular land, 60 tons of rocks were gathered from our vineyards, and crushed for the concrete used in the formation of the tanks. These tanks are small, and although traditionally made, have the most advanced technology for pinpoint control so we can individually tailor the variables to optimize the fruit down to the individual row level if desired.
In many ways we feel that life has come full circle. The friendship and dissemination of knowledge and respect between the renowned French châteaux and us flows freely in both directions. It seemed only fitting that the granddaughter of the designer of the Petrus tanks who helped pour our tanks is currently working with us at Rudd Estate. And in December 2015, Samantha returned from an internship at Château Margaux in Bordeaux.
Leslie’s vision of a small jewel in Oakville producing wine of impeccable quality being cared for by one generation with the intention of passing it on to the next is now complete. He proudly handed the reins over to his daughter after insisting she pay her dues and learn the wine business from the ground up. Samantha has spent most of her life at Rudd Estate, and always felt a deep connection to the land here. She started in the vineyards at Rudd Estate and then deepened her knowledge about winemaking and the wine business by two experiences in Bordeaux and one in Paris, along with stints at other premier Napa Valley wineries. Confident she would fulfill the generational promise of leaving the winery better than when she accepted its stewardship, Leslie did not expect Samantha to precisely duplicate his dream. “She will put her own interpretation on the details of the dream and it will evolve. But its essence and three founding principles will never change.”
LESLIE & SAMANTHA RUDD
1996
2016
“To strive, to seek, to find and not to yield.”
— FINAL VERSE OF LORD TENNYSON’S “ULYSSES”