Gary Farrell (born 1952) is a
California
California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...
winemaker, specializing in the production of
Pinot noir
Pinot Noir () is a red-wine grape variety of the species ''Vitis vinifera''. The name may also refer to wines created predominantly from pinot noir grapes. The name is derived from the French language, French words for ''pine'' and ''black.' ...
and
Chardonnay
Chardonnay (, , ) is a green-skinned grape variety used in the production of white wine. The variety originated in the Burgundy wine region of eastern French wine, France, but is now grown wherever wine is produced, from English wine, Englan ...
from
Sonoma County’s Russian River Valley. Until 2013 he was producing his luxury line of wines under the Alysian (ah-liss-ee-uhn) brand, which he co-founded in 2007 with investment banker
Bill Hambrecht
William R. Hambrecht (born 1935) is an American investment banker and chairman of WR Hambrecht + Co which he founded in 1998. He helped persuade Google to use an Internet-based auction for their initial public offering (IPO) in 2004, instead of ...
and Denise Sanders.
Early life and education
Farrell was born in
Pasadena, California
Pasadena ( ) is a city in Los Angeles County, California, northeast of downtown Los Angeles. It is the most populous city and the primary cultural center of the San Gabriel Valley. Old Pasadena is the city's original commercial district.
I ...
on April 20, 1952. He studied
Political Science
Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and power, and the analysis of political activities, political thought, political behavior, and associated constitutions and la ...
and
Criminal Law
Criminal law is the body of law that relates to crime. It prescribes conduct perceived as threatening, harmful, or otherwise endangering to the property, health, safety, and moral welfare of people inclusive of one's self. Most criminal law i ...
at
Sonoma State University
Sonoma State University (SSU, Sonoma State, or Sonoma) is a public university in Rohnert Park in Sonoma County, California, US. It is one of the smallest members of the California State University (CSU) system. Sonoma State offers 92 Bachelor's d ...
in 1970. This relocation to Sonoma County placed him in one of California's most promising wine regions, and he chose a career in wine production.
Career
Farrell's early mentors included Joe Rochioli, Robert Stemmler, Davis Bynum
and Tom Dehlinger. After several years as an apprentice, he took the head-winemaker position at Davis Bynum Winery in 1978.
[ Soon thereafter, he produced inaugural releases for Rochioli Winery, Limerick Lane and Moshin Vineyards.
During the mid-1990s, Farrell purchased land and developed Starr Ridge and Cresta Ridge vineyards. In 1998, he constructed Pinot noir facilities on a hilltop near Healdsburg for the production of his wines.][ ]
In 2004, Farrell sold the “Gary Farrell” brand and winery to Allied Domecq
Allied Domecq PLC was an international company, headquartered in Bristol, United Kingdom, that operated spirits, wine, and quick service restaurant businesses. It was once a FTSE 100 Index constituent but has been acquired by Pernod Ricard. They ...
.[
]
References
External links
* http://www.garyfarrellwines.com/
{{DEFAULTSORT:Farrell, Gary
1952 births
People from Pasadena, California
American winemakers
Sonoma State University alumni
Living people