One visit to the Cliff Lede Vineyards property, which is full of contemporary art and is juxtaposed with vineyard blocks named for classic rock songs, and it is clear that to him, wine—like music and art—is a source of great beauty.

Lede grew up involved with his family’s successful construction business in Canada, and first discovered the splendor of the Napa Valley while on a business retreat in the 1990s. An avid long-distance runner, he explored the back roads of Napa Valley throughout his trip. The area resonated a great deal with him, as he had collected Bordeaux wines since his late 20s. Frequent return visits ensued, and he was soon exposed to everything Napa Valley has to offer: beautiful land, some of the world’s greatest restaurants and a core of friendly, passionate and hardworking people that reminded him of his own community.

Lede soon began searching for a property in Napa where he could start a winery. Determined to plant his roots in the Stags Leap District for its complex and age-worthy wines, he remained patient and focused.

Upon learning that a Stags Leap District estate was for sale, Cliff recognized the opportunity and, after months of negotiations, established Cliff Lede Vineyards. One year later, the southwest facing hillside just above the Silverado Trail became available. Following the acquisition of the rare hillside property, Cliff named it the Poetry Vineyard. In 2005, he opened Poetry Inn, one of Napa’s most secluded luxury boutique hotels, perched high above the valley floor overlooking the winery and vineyards. In 2009, he expanded to include cooler-climate varieties from the Anderson Valley as his love for creating things led to the purchase of the Savoy Vineyard and the creation of a new brand, FEL, named for his mother, Florence Elsie Lede.

Prior to Hahn, Tony served as a brand manager for luxury wine brands in the Constellation Wines portfolio, such as the Napa Valley’s Franciscan Estate and Mount Veeder Winery. Before Constellation, Tony held marketing roles at Don Sebastiani & Sons and Jackson Family Wines.

Tony grew up in the Napa Valley. His father was a longtime vineyard manager who planted some of Trefethen’s original vineyards. Tony holds a BA in economics from the University of California at Davis and an MBA from the University of California at Berkeley, Haas School of Business. He lives in Napa with his wife, Caroline, and their two children.

As a means of researching the topic for his thesis – Pinot Noir tannins in the Willamette Valley – Hodgins got his first hands-on vineyard experience while working harvest at Witness Tree Vineyard in Salem, Oregon. Upon graduation in 2004, he spent a year gaining experience in other regions at wineries such as Acacia Vineyard in Napa, where he served as harvest enologist, and Krishna Valley Winery in India, where he served as visiting winemaker.

In 2005, Hodgins returned to the United States and accepted a full-time position as assistant winemaker and viticulturist at Hanzell Vineyards, a role that helped hone his expertise in Pinot Noir and Chardonnay from Sonoma. While at Hanzell, Hodgins also worked as the founding consulting winemaker for Breggo Cellars in the Anderson Valley. The Lede family’s acquisition of Breggo Cellars (now FEL) in 2009 allowed Hodgins to become full-time winemaker. In 2011 the Lede family purchased the Savoy Vineyard, a benchmark vineyard in the Anderson Valley, giving Hodgins access to his first estate vineyard.

Upon her graduation from Smith, Sarah worked her first harvest at Donelan Family Wines in Santa Rosa and was instantly captivated by the world of winemaking. At the conclusion of her internship, she worked consecutive harvests in New Zealand, the Sonoma Coast, and Margaret River, Western Australia. In 2013, Sarah returned to Sonoma, where she spent the next four years as Assistant Winemaker at Donelan. In 2017, Sarah joined the team at FEL Wines as Associate Winemaker. She was drawn to working with FEL’s excellent fruit sources, especially the Pinot Noir and Chardonnay from its renowned estate, Savoy Vineyard – and to the challenge of building out FEL’s brand new winery space. In 2021, she was promoted to Winemaker, where she continues to work alongside Director of Winemaking Ryan Hodgins.