The Dream

We often say that we never went looking for our vineyard property, but rather that it found us. After my husband, Tom Clark, had developed and farmed vineyards in the Napa Valley for sixteen years he and I, Laurie Claudon-Clark, had occasionally thought about having our own vineyard. It remained a thought until a friend invited us to look at a piece of property. Not expecting anything to evolve we thought it was a good day for a hike and followed his suggestion. From the moment we arrived the dreaming began.

The property was comprised of 117 acres, seventy of which were plantable, two ponds, two old weathered out buildings and a small tattered house. There was a creek, a stand of redwood trees, a beautiful meadow where Indians had once traveled and a wonderful array of birds and wildlife. We were enchanted, but had no idea how we could proceed. We were told that the person selling the property wanted someone to have it that would love it as he had. This extraordinary man decided that we were the ones. With the support of the seller, our banker and our families we worked out an arrangement that satisfied everyone.

Our first goal was to produce the highest quality fruit possible to sell to small producers while preserving the integrity of the environment. We decided that only 20 acres would be planted leaving the remainder for watershed and open space. A biologist was hired to recommend ways to recreate any wildlife environments destroyed by the clearing.

The vineyard development became a family affair with our children, Joshua and Briana, spending much of their teen years on the property. Joshua, having worked with his Dad while growing up played an integral part in the project. Along with all the work, the ranch became a place for family gatherings, camp outs and relaxation while the vines began to grow.

In 1992 we harvested our first fruit. Unproven, it was sold to a large winery, but Tom and I decided to buy a barrel of it back. It was then that the dream took another turn. The finished wine, though obviously from young vines, hinted at an incredible potential. We decided to not only sell the fruit, but to also produce an exceptional handcrafted wine. We wanted a wine business that followed the old tradition of family winemaking where the art began in the vineyard and ended with a beautiful bottle of wine to be shared by families, lovers and friends. We chose the name Clark-Claudon Vineyards and our logo's meeting of the two feathers to represent our joint commitment to the pursuit of our dream and to the preservation of the environment that supports it.

The year 2000 marked ten years since our first vines were planted. The fruit once purchased by some of the most prominent Napa Valley producers of Cabernet Sauvignon is now harvested for our Estate Wine. It is our hope that the joy and beauty found on our ranch & vineyards reaches our customers through Clark-Claudon Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon.