Authority Magazine
An Interview with DougNoll
First and foremost, lead with respect and kindness in everyday working relationships. The second trait is to listen to your team and understand how you can help them do their jobs. I’ve always tried to recognize the team’s efforts, as it’s important that the craft and the wines are recognized. Finally, it’s been instrumental that Ipay close attention to detail and continue to train my palate — so an interest in continuous curiosity iskey.
The world of wine and spirits is not only about the nuances of taste, aroma, and presentation but also about understanding the intricacies of the business, mastering the craft, and building meaningful relationships. It’s an industry rich in tradition, yet ever-evolving with trends, technologies, and tastes. Navigating this fascinating landscape requires ablend of passion, knowledge, strategy, and atouch of artistry. In this series, we aim to shed light on the key ingredients that brew success in the wine and spirits industry. We’re speaking to industry veterans, master sommeliers, distillers, marketers, and professionals in the wine and spirits industry to discuss the essential elements needed to create ahighly successful career in the industry. As apart of this series, we had the pleasure of interviewing Kristen Barnhisel.
At J. Lohr Vineyards &Wines, acclaimed winemaker Kristen Barnhisel brings two decades of viticulture and winemaking experience spanning three continents to her role as winemaker for all white wines. Known for her gifted palate and technical skill, Kristen uses her expertise with arange of white wine varieties, styles, and winemaking methods to guide J. Lohr’s white wine portfolio.
Kristen was raised in Santa Rosa by amicrobiologist mother, who worked for Simi Winery, and afather who was ahome winemaker. Though she grew up immersed in the wine industry, even working harvests as asummer job, it wasn’t until she traveled to Italy while earning her B.A. in Italian literature that she was inspired to become awinemaker. Encouraged by legendary California winemaker and family friend Zelma Long, Kristen became one of the first women, and the first American, to work harvest for Ruffino in Italy. Kristen went on to earn amaster’s degree in enology from UC Davis, while also working anumber of coveted internships, including Warwick Wine Estate in South Africa, Opus One, and Long Vineyard, where she gained invaluable knowledge working alongside her mentor, ZelmaLong.
After graduation, eager to build on her growing knowledge of different wine regions, Kristen moved to Washington State, where she spent two years as the enologist at Columbia Crest. Returning to California, Kristen held positions as the assistant winemaker at Jordan Vineyard &Winery and later Belvedere Winery, before joining Handley Cellars in Anderson Valley, where she was co-winemaker with founder Milla Handley for eight years. Prior to joining J. Lohr in 2015, Barnhisel was the quality control manager at Inglenook, where she was charged with ensuring wine quality of the Rubicon, Inglenook’s flagship Cabernet Sauvignon, and the Blancaneaux, the winery’s top whitewine.
Today, utilizing her extensive experience with cool-climate white wine varieties, Kristen works alongside President/COO Jeff Meier and Director of Winemaking Steve Peck to guide J. Lohr’s white wine program. “We are awinery that values leadership, experience and awillingness to experiment,” says Jeff. “From her work in multiple countries and appellations to her leadership role as president at the American Society for Enology and Viticulture from 2019 – 2020, Kristen has shown acareer-long commitment to research and experimentation. She is aphenomenal winemaker.”
“I love the challenge of making serious white wines that reflect their vineyard roots,” says Kristen. “It is incredibly rewarding to take an inherently transparent grape and to find that perfect place where fruit flavors, aromatics, alcohol, acidity, texture, and palate length all come into perfect balance.”
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dive in, our readers would love to get to know you abit. Can you tell us abit about your origin story, and your childhood?
Iam originally from Santa Rosa in Sonoma County. Growing up, my mom, worked as amicrobiologist at SIMI Winery, where Zelma Long was the winemaker. Iwas struck by how happy she was, working with agreat team that was inclusive and always experimenting. My dad made homemade wine, so Iwas crushing grapes at eight years old and helping ferment at home. It was these experiences that got me hooked on wine early on in mylife.
Can you tell us the “backstory” about what brought you to the wine industry?
Although Igrew up with wine in the family, my undergraduate degree is in Italian Literature, and it was when Itraveled to Italy for school that Iknew that winemaking was my calling — making wine to bring people together around the table and aconduit to conversation.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began leading the J. Lohr team as White Winemaker? Can you tell us what lesson you learned fromthat?
The most interesting story is the one of moving J. Lohr’s white wine production from San Jose, California, to our state-of-the-art winemaking facility in Monterey County. Istarted at J. Lohr in 2015, with the second official harvest at our new winery, where Iwas only doing about 25% of the winemaking in Monterey County and 75% at our winery in San Jose. Gradually, Iworked my way up to 100%, and Iam now the winemaker for all white wines which are all produced in Monterey County. Since then, to see the continued success of one of America’s top-selling Chardonnays, the J. Lohr Estates Riverstone Chardonnay has been amazing.
It has been said that sometimes our mistakes can be our greatest teachers. Can you share astory about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned fromthat?
It wasn’t funny then, but early in my career, we were making amaster blend of wine, and Imiscalculated the calculations on the tank. So, the crew came to me at acertain point and said that we made the blend, and the tank was now empty. Unfortunately, we had to re-master blend the entire vintage of that wine. Thankfully, we were able to fix the issue. However, it encouraged me to double and even triple-check my additions, calculations, and measurements from there onout!
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there aparticular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share astory?
Yes, Iwould have to mention Zelma Long; as aleader in the industry, Ireally admire her. She always asked me thoughtful questions and encouraged me to experiment and investigate more into wine. She encouraged me to be apart of The American Society for Enology and Viticulture (the sciences of winemaking and grape growing), an organization for research to move the wine industry forward. She has also provided endless support for my career through internships and first jobs and continues to be my mentor to this day, and Iam very grateful for that. Zelma also encouraged me to mentor the next generation of people in the industry, particularly women, to assist them with their career growth. When you can, pay it forward!
You are asuccessful business leader. Which three character traits do you think were most instrumental to your success? Can you please share astory or example foreach?
First and foremost, lead with respect and kindness in everyday working relationships. The second trait is to listen to your team and understand how you can help them do their jobs. I’ve always tried to recognize the team’s efforts, as it’s important that the craft and the wines are recognized. Finally, it’s been instrumental that Ipay close attention to detail and continue to train my palate — so an interest in continuous curiosity iskey.
Are you working on any new or exciting projects now? How do you think that will help people?
We here at J. Lohr are very happy to be celebrating the 50th anniversary of our family-owned and operated winery. It’s very exciting! In addition, we’ve just launched the new J. Lohr Estates Riverstone Chardonnay packaging. It’s awesome to have been able to freshen up the look to amore modern design. Now, consumers will see beautiful floral imagery on the label, and ascrew cap closure, making it easy to enjoy the wine wherever they go. The process of blending is always an exciting project at the winery. Iam currently working on the blends of upcoming new vintages for our white wine portfolio. Some of these are as small as 200 – 300 cases, which really allows the winemaker’s creativity toshine.
Okay. Thank you for all that. Let’s now jump to the main core of our interview. Can you share 3things that most excite you about the wine industry today?
I think it’s really great that in 2024, we are still seeing white wines trending and continuing to be aconsumer favorite. Iam particularly excited to see people enjoying white wines and the diversity of white wine varietals. Secondly, the focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion across the industry is great to see. The industry’s committed inclusion of more communities of women, BIPOC, and LGBQT+ is an important step in the right direction. The third thing that I’m excited about is how we’re continuing to grow our sustainable portfolio of wines. Today, California has over 230,00 certified California winegrape acres. It’s great to see more sustainable vineyards out there as efforts to continue minimizing the impact on the land we’re farming rise. All are worthwhile directions for moving forward in the wine industry atlarge.
Can you share 3things that most concern you about the industry? If you had the ability to implement 3ways to reform or improve the industry, what would you suggest?
Focusing on diversity, equity, and inclusion is important, as this issue continues to be apriority for our industry. Ibelieve we still have more to do there in terms of building apath in the right direction. There is also room for improvement in the wine industry when it comes to sustainability. We can continue to look for ways to take even better care of the environment and our land through sustainable farming and further minimize our impact and water &energy usage as best we can. The third, and something Ilook forward to, would be introducing and engaging the next generation of wine consumers. By bringing everyone together with wine, whether over acasual meal or at acelebratory event, you’re creating memories together, and this is where the magic happens.
You are a “Wine Insider”. If you had to advise someone about 5non-intuitive things one should know to succeed in the wine industry, what would you say? Can you please give astory or an example foreach?
The first thing that comes to mind is confidence. Confidence in your skills and decision-making, confidence in your opinions and palate, as these are all very important aspects needed for success. Understand that in the wine industry, relationships are important. In this industry, there are only one to two degrees of separation, and it’s asmall wine world community. For example, I’ve run into people in South Africa who were from Napa, and I’ve run into people in Japan who knew friends of mine from back in California. It’s vital to recognize that the world is very small, and relationships are important, so appreciate that as you go through your travels. Building your network is also very important as you move through your career journey. It is pivotal to continued learning and growth within your career path. It’s okay to take calculated risks and don’t be afraid to bebold.
Specific to winemaking, patience is essential to succeeding in this industry. It’s important to know when to treat or interfere with the wine or when to hang tight and come back the next day. You need patience to be able to think about wine strategically versus acting impulsively, and that’s areal skill set, especially with white wine. We don’t want to move it or interfere with it too much. Maybe have aglass and think about what you want to do before you do it. For example, when making small lot white wines and during certain trial periods, I’ll sometimes let aglass sit overnight and come back the next day to see what happens, ensuring Ican make the right decision for that particular vintage. All in all, patience is crucial for decision-making across all industries.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life? “A rising tide lifts all boats.” — John F. Kennedy. Everything that we do at the J. Lohr winery, we do as ateam. If the awards and accolades come in, we all celebrate together. It’s about all ofus.
Thank you so much for the time you spent with this. We wish you only continued success!
About the Interviewer: Douglas E. Noll, JD, MA was born nearly blind, crippled with club feet, partially deaf, and left-handed. He overcame all of these obstacles to become asuccessful civil trial lawyer. In 2000, he abandoned his law practice to become apeacemaker. His calling is to serve humanity, and he executes his calling at many levels. He is an award-winning author, teacher, and trainer. He is ahighly experienced mediator. Doug’s work carries him from international work to helping people resolve deep interpersonal and ideological conflicts. Doug teaches his innovative de-escalation skill that calms any angry person in 90seconds or less. With Laurel Kaufer, Doug founded Prison of Peace in 2009. The Prison of Peace project trains life and long terms incarcerated people to be powerful peacemakers and mediators. He has been deeply moved by inmates who have learned and applied deep, empathic listening skills, leadership skills, and problem-solving skills to reduce violence in their prison communities. Their dedication to learning, improving, and serving their communities motivates him to expand the principles of Prison of Peace so that every human wanting to learn the skills of peace may do so. Doug’s awards include California Lawyer Magazine Lawyer of the Year, Best Lawyers in America Lawyer of the Year, Purpose Prize Fellow, International Academy of Mediators Syd Leezak Award of Excellence, National Academy of Distinguished Neutrals Neutral of the Year. His four books have won anumber of awards and commendations. Doug’s podcast, Listen With Leaders, is now accepting guests. Click on this link to learn more andapply.
