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WINEMAKER INTERVIEW September 2016 WINES&VINES 53 We don't find much disagreement on im- portant matters, so that really hasn't been an issue for us. At the end of the day, Kevin as president is responsible for allocating re- sources, and as chairman he is responsible for the strategic plan, so the buck stops with him. Q How have you arrived at your various roles over the years? Chris Corley: For me, it was based on a mix of intellectual and emotional interests. At a young age, I was very intrigued with the equip- ment. I loved driving the forklifts and flatbed trucks, rolling barrels, dumping the grapes into the hopper. The appeal of the mechanical as- pects of winemaking developed into an interest in the winemaking itself, and eventually into a commitment to dedicating my career toward making wine for our family. Kent Corley: We all grew up participating in typical ways kids would, like tying vines and hauling rocks out of the vineyards, driving tractors and helping in the cellar during crush. Dad hired great people; we did what we were told and learned along the way. The business today is diverse enough that we have been able to come back to it from school or other jobs and plug ourselves into positions that suit our talent and interest. For example, Chris is a natural musician. That musical artistry directly relates to his winemaking. He has even taken it to another level by creating original music to describe our wines acoustically, and he performs live to audiences at the winery and other venues. Kevin has the diverse business experience to run the company, and Stephen has an ex- tensive social network and skills that lend themselves to sales, marketing and in develop- ing the hospitality that we offer in our tasting rooms and throughout the estate. Stephen Corley: We seem to have come by our positions very naturally. Kevin was the general manager and eventually president as we replanted our vineyards in the 1990s, so he ended up assuming responsibility for winegrowing. Chris worked his way through the cellar to winemaker and is extraordi- narily well-suited to the creative demands of winemaking and the operational demands of wine production. I joined at a time of our father's retirement, so I hit the road to take on the selling responsibilities that Dad had covered and freed up time for Kevin to focus on the winegrowing and the business at large. Kent came at a time of what I might call administrative renewal, when we needed to update or refresh our administration of the business and our teams. Q What sort of succession plan do you have for the future? Stephen Corley: The four of us will likely con- tinue on in some version of our roles for the next 20-25 years, if needed. There are 12 in the next generation, ranging from ages from five to 25. They will likely have a variety of skills to offer and interests to pursue, so hope- fully some will pursue it with us. Chris Corley: In the same way that our dad created an opportunity for us, I think it is important for us to create that same oppor- tunity for the next generation. When I started on the bottom rung in the cellar 27 years ago, our dad told me to keep my eyes and ears open, and my mouth shut. That as a young family member at the bottom of the business, I had to work even harder than expected to prove my value to my peers. I still consider that some of the best advice I've ever received, and I endeavor to pass that same work ethic along. Kevin Corley: We've joked that there are enough siblings that if one of us was hit by a bus, there would be another one to step in. We do have family members in some key positions in the business, though we have a great team of non-family members as well. We continue to develop and grow the business mindful of generational sustainability with professional team members whether in the family or not to keep the business moving forward. Q Monticello, like many Napa Valley win- eries, had to replant in the 1990s be- cause of phylloxera. Now you're replanting your vineyards in the Oak Knoll District again. Why are you replanting? Kevin Corley: Our oldest vineyard blocks are nearly 30 years old and may continue for a number of years more. However, from a plan- ning and financial standpoint, 20 years is a figure that we have in mind to at least be ready for potential replanting. Most of the current replanting work is for blocks that were planted between 1986 and 1993, (and) that provided some fruit for some great wines. They were removed due to a decline in both health and productivity. Striving for balance in the vineyard and the wines is one of our guiding principles and leads us in terms of selecting varietals, plant materi- als, planting density, trellis systems and other planting decisions. Q With each replanting, you changed which grape varieties are being planted in which places. What are some examples of these changes? Kevin Corley: We make wines from vineyards in St. Helena, Rutherford, Yountville and the Oak Knoll District. The three up-valley vine- yards are and always have been planted to Cabernet Sauvignon. We have a wider range of varietals at our Oak Knoll District vineyards. Based on the good results of other vineyards in the Oak Knoll District and Carneros with Cabernet Sauvignon, we began experimenting with small plantings of Cabernet Sauvignon in Oak Knoll in 2009. In the current replanting efforts, we are not adding or subtracting any new varietals, but we are tweaking the mix. The excellent quality results with small plantings of Cabernet Sau- vignon have led us to increase the planting of that varietal. Within the next six years, the TWO BRANDS, TWO APPROACHES T he Corley family produces most of its wine under two brands, Monticello Vineyards ("our original wines," as Stephen Corley puts it) and Corley. The two brands are governed by slightly different approaches. Winemaker Chris Corley says that the Monti- cello wines, which represent about 80% of the winery's 15,000-case production, "are crafted in a fruit-forward, balanced style that allows them to be food-friendly, but also are great wines to enjoy on their own, sans accompaniment." The Corley wines, on the other hand, are "oriented toward small-production blends, single-vineyard wines, and block or clonal designations.…They generally are wines that will have a longer aging window and lend themselves to longer term cellaring and collecting." He adds, "We know which of our blocks and sections tend toward providing us the spe- cific grapes we like for each of these brands." Stephen Corley calls the Corley tier "our highest expression of winemaking," produced with long-term ageability in mind.