US: Spotlight on leaders of independent wine companies

(NBBJ) - Following are profiles of the top day-to-day leaders from the Business Journal’s lists of the largest independently owned wineries under 100,000 cases, published in March, and the largest wine companies, published in May.

Hank Wetzel

Alexander Valley Vineyards

8644 Hwy. 128, Healdsburg 95448, 707-433-7209, avvwine.com

Harry “Hank” Wetzel, proprietor and winemaker, and his wife, Maggie, purchased the property in 1962 from the family of Cyrus Alexander, after whom the valley is named. Their oldest son, Hank IV, launched the winery in 1975. Last year the winery shipped 162,000 cases. The operation farms 200 acres of vines.

Mike Benziger

Benziger Family Winery

1883 London Ranch Rd., Glen Ellen 95442, 888-490-2739, benziger.com

General manager, winegrower and Tribute winemaker Mike Benziger and his wife, Mary, co-founded the winery in 1980, and since that time the family business has been a leader in environmentally friendly winegrowing and advocate for Biodynamic farming.

Last year, Benziger produced 150,000 cases. The family business farms 100 acres of vines.

Jean-Charles Boisset

Boisset Family Wines

849 Zinfandel Ln., St. Helena 94574, 707-963-6172, boissetfamilyestates.com

Jean-Charles Boisset is president of Boisset Family Wines, the U.S. arm of a wine and spirits operation that among the largest wine producers in France and the U.S. Last year, the 33-year-old company made 6.5 million cases of wine globally and 750,000 in the U.S.

The U.S. portfolio added Central Coast brand Lockwood Vineyard in November to previous acquisitions Buena Vista in Sonoma Valley, Raymond in Rutherford and DeLoach in Russian River Valley.  In the past few years, the company has been upgrading facilities for Buena Vista and Raymond, including bringing wine production back to Buena Vista and developing a Biodynamic-wine program at Raymond.