Nord Estate Wines
http://www.nordvineyards.com
Will Nord is the connection between past, present and future of Napa Valley Viticulture. Through his teaching and mentorship in the 70’s and 80’s he has passed on his skills to countless winery owners and vineyard managers. In 1968 he started the Viticulture program at Napa Valley College. His advisory board was the “Who’s Who” of Napa Valley with members including Robert Mondavi, Joe Heitz, Louis Martini, Brother Tim, and Roland Wilkinson.
As a professor, he had taught viticulture to the now legends of the 21st century. Larry Hyde of HdV, Ernie Weir of Hagafen, and Zelma Long of Vilafonte. Zac Berkowitz and Jack Todescini are respected vineyard managers now. Not only has Will taught in the classroom, but he continued teaching in the field. He is proud to have watched many of his vineyard field workers move up the ladder into leadership positions today. The boys from the Ceja family started working for Will at age 16, and now Pedro and Armando own the successful Ceja winery.
Will Nord has always been involved in the development of Napa Valley. He designated the original Carneros Appellation boundaries when the appellation was defined. Will served as the Chairman of the Napa County Planning Commission when the winery definition ordinance was passed in Napa.
Will has passed his knowledge onto the next generations of his family. His daughter, Julie, now runs the business with her husband, Don Clark and brother-in-law Jon Kanagy.
Here’s what leaders in Napa Valley have to say about Will Nord:
Bruce Neyers of Neyers Vineyards says “Will Nord is one of the legendary pioneers of the Napa Valley, He’s been a college educator, a successful businessman, and a prominent public official.”
Bill Cadman of Tulocay Wines says “Will Nord, the scion of the Nord Family Vineyard, is one of the premier longtime Napa Valley viticulturists.
Robert Rex of Deerfield Ranch Winery “Will Nord and his family have been growing grapes in Napa for a long time. The Nord vineyards and his Trio Vineyard in particular are at the cutting edge of modern viticultural practices”
Dave Thompson of Dave’s Travel Corner says:
“ Nord sustainably farms, manages or owns over 1000 Napa area acres for various wineries making them one of the larger vineyard management companies in the valley. Their attention to detail is amazing in the vineyards - if you are not involved in the wine industry and you look at a vineyard you may think "how much work can go into managing grape vines?". After a visit with Nord in the vineyards you will have a deep appreciation for the hard work that goes into producing high quality fruit from carefully managing the vineyards. As a result, fruit from their vineyards are highly sought after by local wineries.”
Julie Nord is one of the few women vineyard managers in California. Since she joined Nord Vineyards in 1994, the company has quadrupled in size, now managing nearly 1000 acres of Napa Valley winegrapes and selling fruit to over 60 ultra-premium wineries. She also operates Nord Estate Wines a fledgling 1000 case Napa Valley winery. Julie was raised in the Napa Valley around agriculture all her life. While working her way through various aspects of the vineyard and winery industry, Julie received her B.A. in Chemistry and Music minor from U.C. Davis and went on to Texas A&M University for a M.S. in Soil Science. After spending time as a lab director for a soil testing and remediation lab in Texas, Julie returned to Napa Valley as a co-owner of Nord Vineyard Services.
Julie has encouraged a pest management philosophy that uses integrated pest management (IPM) within sustainable agriculture. Nord Vineyards received the 2003 IPM Innovator Award from California Department of Pesticide Regulation. According to Julie, “In cultivating winegrapes, we strive to achieve balanced, sustainable whole farming systems by seeking and implementing actions that foster biological diversity, soil and crop health, and employee contribution and development, while reducing dependence on chemical inputs and consumption of natural resources.”
Under her direction, Nord Vineyards has received numerous grants for streambank stabilization work, salmon habitat improvement and wetland restoration. Nord Vineyards was in the first graduating class of Fish Friendly Farming in Napa and currently has vineyards certified in Napa, Sonoma and Solano counties. In 2008, Julie received an Employment training grant from California to teach sustainable agriculture to field workers.
Julie has been vital in maintaining and improving relationships with vineyard neighbors. In 2001 she started a “Vineyard Open House” for neighbors and friends at a vineyard in Yountville. It was so successful the Napa Valley Vintners adopted the program and have expanded it to the whole county and 12 sites.
Julie has served as a board member of numerous California winegrape committees and organizations. She is a current member of the board of directors for the Napa Valley Grapegrowers and has been active in Napa Valley Vineyard Technical Group, California Association of Winegrape Growers Pesticide Alliance, and North Coast Pierce’s Disease Task Force.
