Chalone: A Journey on the Wine Frontier (Paperback)

~ Gregory S. Walter (Author), W. Philip Woodward (Author) "THE AREA THAT WE KNOW TODAY as Chalone Vineyard had many residents and a rich history long before vines were first planted there..." (more)
Key Phrases: new winery, wine business, San Francisco, Dick Graff, Phil Woodward (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Located on a benchland of the Gavilan Mountains in the shadow of the Pinnacles National Monument, the place we know today as Chalone Vineyard began its journey on the wine frontier more than 100 years ago. A Frenchman, Charles Tamm, planted the first grapevines on the isolated property.

The journey that continued over the next 60 years was as wild as the Gavilan benchland itself the property changed hands many times, partnerships came and went, sometimes peacefully, other times in a heated moment. Technology didnt exist on the benchland electricity (without a generator) wouldnt exist until the mid 1980s. Life at Chalone truly was a life on the frontier.

In the 1960s, Richard Graff, just out of the Navy, and looking for a career fell in love with Chalone. He set his mind to it, and eventually he and his family were able to purchase it. Then in 1972, Philip Woodward, a young accountant, signed on to help run the business while Graff made the wines. It was the beginning of a beautiful partnership, and the foundation of the company that has evolved out of this incredible property and these two incredible people: the Chalone Wine Group.

Today, the Chalone Wine Group is made up of eight wineries in locations from eastern Washington state to the south central coast of California. It was the first premium winery to go public more than a decade before it became fashionable to do so. The company has forged a strong relationship with its French partner, Domaines de Barons Rothschild (Lafite). Its poised and ready to enter a new century and a new millennium with much potential yet unexplored.

Chalone: A Journey on the Wine Frontier is at once the history of a place and all of the interesting people who took up residence there over the years as well as the personal journey and recollections of Philip Woodward, the co-founder of the modern Chalone Vineyard and the chairman of the Chalone Wine Group.

It is a story with good times and bad, triumph and tragedy, and an ending that has yet to be written.

About the Author

Gregory S. Walter is a writer, editor, publisher and publishing consultant. He is president of The Carneros Group, based in Sonoma, Calif. His clients have included Wine Spectator, Appellation and WineX magazines, Wine.com, Ambrosiawine.com and Winetasting.com. Greg began his career with a 14-year stint with Wine Spectator, eventually rising to the position of president. His imprint, Carneros Press, is the publisher of this book.

W. Philip Woodward is currently chairman of the Chalone Wine Group and the Chalone Wine Foundation. He joined the company in 1972 as vice president, chief financial officer and a director with the charge of building the business and selling Chalones wines. In 1974 he was named president and CEO, a role he continued until 1998 when he relinquished his day-to-day duties to focus on broader company issues as chairman.

Product Details

• Paperback: 222 pages
• Publisher: Carneros Press (May 15, 2000)
• ISBN-10: 097010300X
• ISBN-13: 978-0970103000
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.9 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,778,244 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent overview of building a wine business, July 15, 2000

By	Dale Bentson "bentmax" (San Francisco, CA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

An excellent overview of how a wine business is built. This book traces the history of the land as well as the wine business. As it is with most land, Chalone Vineyard has had a colorful and checkered history eventually emerging as a premier producer of Burgundian style wines. But the book also shows that business is built on the personalities of strong leaders--successful businesses do not just "happen". This book is an easy and fun read that adds even more personality to one of America's greatest wine labels.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A wine journey by Greg Walter can only be the best, January 9, 2001

By	Steven Charnick "a solo cello outside a chorus" (Ocean, NJ United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

As a friend of Greg's during his days at SmartWine.com I freely admit my bias. However during those formative days of my wine education I was fortunate enough to engage in wine chats on the 'net when such ideas were still in their infancy.

Greg has the unique gift of being able to talk about a subject such as wine with the knowledge of a master without seeming arrogant or snobbish in the least.

Most people that want to learn about wine are intimidated by the 'snobbery' people associate with it. Greg makes no pretense about his not being a snob. He is engaging, and his 'chatting' and writing styles are absolutely what the burgeoning wine industry needs more of.

Jancis Robinson did more than anyone to make a knowledge of good wine accessible to the British public. Greg Walter's first book will be a keeper as I'm sure someday he will be thought of in the same breath as someone like Jancis.

If you want to learn about a wine company's development from step one, this is absolutely your book. And even if you're not 'into' wine, it's still a great buy if you like an engaging story.

The French never call themselves 'connoiseurs' of wine as the word means they 'know' wine. They call themselves 'amateurs' (lovers / friends) of wine.

Tonight I'll raise a glass to one of the United States' most engaging 'amateurs' in the French sense.

4.0 out of 5 stars A sip of California history, October 30, 2002

By	california-bookworm (California) - See all my reviews

Among all the wine regions of California, Chalone and the Pinnacles are unique, not only in soil composition but also in atmosphere and cultural history. This engaging book shows how Chalone wines, some of the best in the world, came to be. It is essentially a history of the company and of the people who made it happen. What emerges from this fast-moving tale is the constant determination and vision required for any successful enterprise. I do wish the authors had spent a little more time discussing the wines themselves; we are told that a given year is "good" or "bad" without any sense of what that might mean in the glass. But this is a small quibble. All those interested in wine, California history, or the inner workings of a growing company (the discussions of which are unusually frank) should read this book, which was written to support Chalone's very worthwhile foundation.