For Tom Klein, who has helped build a sustainable future, success in the wine industry comes down to good dirt and investing in people.
Tom Klein isn’t the sort of guy to brag about his accomplishments. He likes to get his boots dirty. Raised in his family’s agricultural business, Klein harvested produce, drove trucks and did whatever else was needed before heading off to Stanford for college and business school. The Klein family had been farming in California for almost a century when Tom Klein returned to the family business and led the family’s acquisition of Rodney Strong, the historic and well-regarded winery in 1989. Namesake Rod Strong was an innovator in his own right, but Klein brought an unwavering commitment to quality and a keen business sense that allowed him to elevate the profile of Rodney Strong to an international scale that now includes the acclaimed brands Davis Bynum, Rowen Wine Company and Knotty Vines.
Almost immediately after assuming control, Klein identified and invested in his top vineyards and parted ways with ones that didn’t meet his high standards of quality. Klein’s focus on vineyard sites drove the quality of the wines forward and led to the acquisition of new parcels, which now total almost 1,200 certified sustainable acres. Among recent investments is the stunning Cooley Ranch, a high-elevation parcel of Cabernet Sauvignon and other Bordeaux varieties of which Klein is especially proud. Cooley Ranch now forms the core of many of Rodney Strong and Rowen Wine Company’s
This Article was originally published on Wine Enthusiast
