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Tributes paid to California winemaker Paul Dolan
Tributes have been paid to organic wine pioneer Paul Dolan who died last week at the age of 72 after a battle with cancer.
Dolan, a fourth-generation winemaker, worked for 27 years at Fetzer Vineyards, beginning life as a winemaker in 1977 and rising through the ranks to become the president of the winery by 1992.
During his time at the company, he assisted with its transition from the Fetzer family into the Brown-Foreman group, growing the family’s brand into a large-scale operation, and leading the front on organic methods, making the concept of growing grapes organically into a locally, nationally and finally international-respected concept.
David Cox, who used to work at Brown-Forman Wines, told db: “Paul was an immensely charismatic and charming man who had a profound connection to the land and to nature. When I was appointed European MD for Brown-Forman Wines in 1995, the company had purchased Fetzer Vineyards and Bonterra Vineyards three years earlier and Paul’s visionary and pioneering leadership of organic viticulture allowed our European team to truly establish these two brands as the preeminent premium organic wines from California.
“Paul’s passion, and the eloquent way in which he communicated the immense benefits of sustainable agriculture and biodynamic practices, left an indelible mark on me. He will be missed by so many.”
A front-runner in sustainable farming methodology, he helped to author the California Code of Sustainable Winegrowing, which became a state-wide certification, and, after leaving Fetzer Vineyards, he subsequently worked at Parducci Wine Cellars, assisting in it becoming the first winery in the USA to achieve a carbon-neutral certification.
Dolan then went on to become the CEO of Truett Hurst winery, and attempted to bring paper wine bottles for packaging and in recent years worked on regenerative agriculture, focusing on issues to do with soil health and workers’ rights.
He also served on President Clinton’s Council on Sustainability, Businesses for Social Responsibility, and The Climate Group, and was chairman of the California Sustainable Winegrowers Alliance.
At his family-owned Dark Horse Ranch, Dolan took part in regenerative wine-growing on 70 acres of land, creating a certified biodynamic vineyard and regenerative farm.
A biography of him on the Truett Hurst website said he was “constantly seeking to enhance his understanding of the restorative capacity of the soil and the farm, and its relationship to the restoration of the health of the planet’s ecosystems” and his “multigenerational family continues to be his daily source of inspiration”.
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