The People, Pride Mountain Vineyards

Winemaking

Winemaker Sally Johnson leads this tight-knit team, working closely with long-time associate winemaker Romel Rivera and Steve Pride. Pure of focus, the team is in constant conversation, brainstorming new ideas and implementing technical changes with the goal of coaxing the finest wines possible out of Pride's mountaintop fruit.

Sally Johnson

Winemaker

19 Years at PMV

Sally was bitten by the wine bug during a year abroad in France and has never looked back. After earning a dual degree in French literature and biology from the University of Michigan, she went on to earn her master’s degree in winemaking from UC Davis, spend eight years at St. Francis Winery, work a vintage in Australia at Hallett Winery and make three vintages of her own wine. Then on a fateful day in 2007, she joined the Pride Mountain Vineyards team. Passionate about every aspect of winemaking, Sally is at home in the vineyards as she is in the cellar. Now with two 100-point wines to her credit, her efforts have obviously paid off!

Romel Rivera

Associate Winemaker

28 Years at PMV

Born on the island of Luzon in the Philippines, Romel left his degree in Nautical Studies from the Philippines Maritime Institute behind at the age of 22 and headed for California. After six back-breaking months hoeing vineyards for his father, then the vineyard manager for Solari Vineyard Management in Calistoga, Romel landed a job in the cellar at Hans Kornell Cellars where Jim and Carolyn Pride were having their wines made. In 1998, when Pride was ready to move into its own winery, Romel made the move up Spring Mountain, too. An amazingly hard working and conscientious man with a very refined palate, he has been our Associate Winemaker ever since.

Ruben Ayala

Lead Mechanic & Production Assistant

26 Years at PMV

Ruben began his life in the beautiful city of Guanajuato, Mexico. At 16, he moved to California, living first with family in Los Angeles, then moving north to Napa. Affectionately known as our “MacGyver” with the ability to fix anything, Ruben developed his considerable carpentry and electrical skills building homes on US air bases in California and Hawaii. After a stint in the kitchen at Mustard’s Grill in the 1980’s (he’s also an amazing cook), Ruben took a job at Hans Kornell Cellars and in 2000 became part of the team making the Pride Mountain Vineyards wines. Like Romel, Ruben moved up the mountain with the wines in 1998 and has been a treasured part of our cellar crew ever since.

Erik Ayala

Viticultural & Production Assistant

11 Years at PMV

Growing up in the town of Napa, and as the son of Pride’s longtime Lead Mechanic/Production Assistant Ruben Ayala, it was only natural that Erik gravitate towards a career in wine. After graduating from Vintage High Erik, took a job in the cellar at Far Niente Winery in Oakville, where he worked off-and-on for the next seven years before joining the team at Pride Mountain Vineyards in 2014. In addition to sharing his dad’s carpentry and cooking talents, Erik is known as “the Bug Whisperer” for his uncanny ability to spot and capture damaging pests in the vineyards and also acts as a key liaison between our winery and vineyard teams.

Steve Pride

CEO & General Manager

21 Years at PMV

Steve has been responsible for guiding Pride Mountain Vineyards (PMV) since 2004. He involves himself in all aspects of the business from viticulture to winemaking, from management to marketing. Steve is proud of contributing to and promoting the general spirit that permeates Pride Mountain Vineyards, in which the entire staff places a priority on being concerned for the well-being and happiness of everybody they come in contact with: guests, long-term customers, new customers, vendors, other professional relations, colleagues and to the greater community in which they live. Steve likes to envision PMV, sitting high atop the Mayacamas Mountains, as a giant antenna sending out waves of good will. The ability to connect with people is made easier when the quality of wine is outstanding and Steve’s primary focus in his professional life is how to make the wines of Pride Mountain Vineyards as great as they can possibly be.

Vineyard

The next time you pull the cork on your favorite Pride wine, please fill your glass and raise a toast to this hardworking team. A wonderful and dedicated group of men led by our tireless Ranch Foreman, David Orozco, their efforts correlate directly to the quality of the wine we produce and the beauty of the property.

Paul Skinner has been our viticultural consultant since 1990. Paul has made many improvements to our viticultural practice over these past 30 years and continues to provide his technical insight as we move forward. Steve, Paul, Sally, and David are in daily communication about new and ongoing strategies for ensuring that each of our 50 vineyard blocks is producing the best possible wine.

David Orozco

Ranch Foreman

35 Years at PMV

David and his wife Cruz grew up in the town of Periban in Michoacán, Mexico where they were childhood sweethearts. They came to the United States to pursue the American dream and became citizens in 1987. In 1992, David became Pride Mountain Vineyards’ vineyard foreman and since that day, David’s diligence and hard work have been central to the winery’s success. "A key moment in the history of Pride Mountain Vineyards is when David Orozco and his great family moved onto the ranch in 1992," says Steve Pride. "Underneath his good-natured, macho exterior David is one of the most sincere and warm persons you will ever meet. I am honored to count him as my friend."

Miguel Castaneda

Trabajador de Viñedo

Mario Casteneda

Trabajador de Viñedo

German Gomez-Flores

Trabajador de Viñedo

Ramiero Castaneda

Trabajador de Viñedo

Jose Castro

Trabajador de Viñedo Operador de Tractor

Martin Castaneda

Trabajador de Viñedo

Rigoberto Alcantar

Trabajador de Viñedo

Manuel Baltazar

Trabajador de Viñedo

Nereo Galindo

Trabajador de Viñedo

Javiar Alcantar

Trabajador de Viñedo

Victor Padilla

Trabajador de Viñedo

Gustavo Baltazar

Trabajador de Viñedo

Jose Luis Perez

Trabajador de Viñedo

Enrique Guerrero

Trabajador de Viñedo Operador de Tractor

Steve Pride

CEO & General Manager

21 Years at PMV

Hospitality

You know these folks! Headed up by Director of Retail Sales, Tim Bouchet, they take great pleasure in connecting with you and sharing their enthusiasm and knowledge of all things Pride Mountain Vineyards.

Tim Bouchet

Director of Retail Sales

28 Years at PMV

A native Californian, Tim was born in Sacramento and moved to the Napa Valley when he was five years old. In his late teens, an opportunity to spend four years in Andalusia, Spain piqued his interest in food and wine, and upon returning home, Tim spent the next two decades of his life absorbing all he could from the chefs and sommeliers he worked with while managing some of the area’s finest restaurants. Now the director of Pride’s successful retail sales and hospitality program, Tim lives in Napa with his wonderful wife, Natalie and his two adult children, Timmy and Gracie, who are off at college. Off-work hours are spent outside, road cycling, mountain biking, working with Natalie in their yard, garden and honing the craft of wood-fired BBQ.

Rebecca Demchuk

Wine Education & Hospitality

25 Years at PMV

A California girl from day one, Rebecca fell in love with the Napa Valley while attending Pacific Union College on Howell Mountain. Since 1989 she has called St. Helena her home and never forgets to appreciate how lucky she is to live here. Rebecca loves sharing the Pride wines and sharing the family stories that are the foundation of the winery. Raising three daughters keeps her on the move but Rebecca always finds time to cook, play tennis and travel the world.

Katrina Hatchett

Wine Education & Hospitality

18 Years at PMV

“Where in the world is Katrina?” As a 25+ year wine professional and Delta Airlines flight attendant, when Katrina isn’t at the winery hosting guests and sharing her vast knowledge of all things wine, she could be almost anywhere. London, Rome, Prague . . . while she calls both St. Helena, CA and NYC home, international travel takes her to many far-flung places and often her winery co-workers benefit from her exploration of the local wine regions. Tennis and yoga keep Katrina in shape and ready for her next adventure, while her AAA Premier membership does the same for “Big Blue,” her 20-year-old Jeep and longtime road trip companion.

Jay Hebert

Wine Education & Hospitality

16 Years at PMV

Jay moved to the Napa Valley from Rhode Island with his family when he was 5 years old. After graduating from Vintage High in Napa, Jay attended Concordia University in Irvine where he majored in business. With plans to move to Australia for a year after graduation, Jay jumped into hospitality to save for the trip. Life had other plans, however, and raising two daughters became adventure enough. After more than a decade in hotels and restaurants, he followed his interest in wine to Pride Mountain Vineyards. Having found that he has the heart of a teacher, Jay now loves entertaining and educating our guests and is frequently heard to say that since coming to work at Pride, “he's been here for ten years but hasn't worked a day yet!”

Allison Mulligan

Wine Education & Hospitality

Andy Nies

Wine Education & Hospitality

14 Years at PMV

Born in Los Angeles, Andy moved to Arkansas for high school and later played football for the UCA Bears. After college, he headed back to California where he honed his hospitality and entertainment skills at Universal Studios, E! True Hollywood Story and Fox Sports. A second career in restaurants followed, as he worked his way up from the bar to management. During this chapter he found two loves: Brittany, now his wife of 10 years, and wine. Several grueling years in the restaurant business later, Andy had visions of a better life for his wife and their two children, Dorian and Evie. A well-timed job opening, and a great phone interview landed him at Pride Mountain Vineyards.

Nikki Lamberti

Wine Education & Hospitality

14 Years at PMV

Nikki relocated to wine county in 2012 from Orlando, after a long career of hospitality, sales and human resources with the Walt Disney Company. A New Jersey native, food and wine have always been an important part of her life, and after vacationing in Napa and Sonoma for a few years, she chose a career change to incorporate her love of those things into her daily life. She recently completed her winemaking certificate with UC Davis and enjoys making wine at home, global travel and spending time with her partner Michael and their 3 beautiful (big) dogs.

Samantha Orozco

Office Assistant

13 Years at PMV

Samantha came to live on the ranch with her mother and father, vineyard foreman David Orozco, when she was just eight years old. Her first job was working at the winery and while attending high school in St. Helena and during college at UC Sacramento, she helped out in many capacities. Graduating in 2008, and now a teacher in the Napa school district, Sam continues to work in the administrative and tasting room offices in the summer and on the occasional weekend. She loves sharing stories of growing up on the property with co-workers and guests and it delights her to see how much her two young children love spending time here, too.

Lacey Olson

Concierge

12 Years at PMV

Lacey is a wine country native, born and raised in the city of Napa. Although her first line of work was in banking, she was eventually drawn into the wine business and graduated from Sonoma State University with a bachelor’s degree in business with a concentration in wine. Lacey loves traveling, camping and hiking with her family, but her new favorite thing is seeing the “firsts” through her baby girl’s eyes. “Being a mom is my favorite job but coming to Pride every day is pretty amazing as well because it actually doesn’t feel like work. What Jim and Carolyn created all those years ago is pretty special. We are co-workers turned friends, turned family.”

Paul Smith

Wine Education & Hospitality

11 Years at PMV

Growing up in El Paso, Texas, Paul’s mother encouraged him to live “anywhere but there” and his father announced after a trip to Sonoma County that someday Paul would move to Santa Rosa and never want to live anywhere else. A natural empath who seems to have hospitality coded into his DNA, Paul’s friendliness with the Pride Mountain Vineyards’ hospitality staff led to a job when Tra Vigne, his prior employer, closed its doors. As predicted, Paul now lives happily in Santa Rosa where he shares his life with his wife and three little ones, describing “down time” as “family time” and loving every minute of it.

Becky Beissmann

Wine Education & Hospitality

9 Years at PMV

Born in San Francisco and raised in Novato, Becky studied nutritional sciences at Cal Poly and received her Bachelor of Science in Nutritional Sciences while studying the health benefits of moderate wine consumption. Following graduation, she accepted a position at Kenwood Vineyards as their Northern California & Hawaii area sales manager. Opting to stay closer to home once her children were born, Becky continued her wine education, and now at Pride, enjoys sharing her knowledge with guests. Becky’s coworkers make her laugh every day and the winery’s educational program help her to continue to expand her knowledge. When not at work, she enjoys family and friends, swimming, running and hiking.

Krista Duplantis

Wine Education & Hospitality

9 Years at PMV

Krista was born in southern Louisiana, grew up in western Massachusetts, and in 2013, headed west to be closer to her sister and nephews in California. Shortly thereafter, she fell in love with wine, and as a result of her enthusiasm and exuberance, was offered a tasting room job during her very first visit to a winery. While learning on the job, Krista also took a UC Davis extension course in Viticulture and Enology, and now at Pride, loves the continuing education seminars offered. A proud mom of two, Krista loves to sing.

Mark Ferguson

Wine Education & Hospitality

8 Years at PMV

Mark landed in the Napa Valley in 1971 at the ripe old age of five, and in 1976 his parents purchased a restaurant, in part to establish a strong work ethic in their four children. After graduating high school, he attended college with a focus on small business administration, then returned home to take ownership of the family restaurant. One more restaurant and sixteen years later, Mark changed course and began his now almost 20-year career in the wine industry with a position at Freemark Abbey as their wine club coordinator. While he has worn many hats throughout his career, Mark says he’s found the one that fits best here with the team at Pride.

Dana Kapustka

Wine Education & Hospitality

Ashley Younger

Concierge

Wine Education & Hospitality

7 Years at PMV

This Napa native has truly immersed herself in what this valley loves the most - food & wine. Once Ashley graduated from Chico State, she moved back to her home town and began her adventure in the restaurant business going from being a hostess at The French Laundry to becoming the Assistant General Manager at REDD Restaurant. This taught her not only a great deal about food and hospitality but also about wine. In 2017, she worked her first harvest at Davis Estates where she fell in love with winemaking and had the opportunity to work in sales as well. Now fully enthralled, Ashley is currently studying Viticulture & Enology at Napa Valley College and is studying to sit for the Court of Master Sommeliers exam.

Quique Jovel

Wine Education & Hospitality

7 Years at PMV

Quique was born in Napa and grew up believing that it was the best place you could ever want to live. He spent his childhood playing outside and trying not to grow up too fast. In high school, Quique worked in restaurants, including a stint alongside now PMV co-worker, Jay Hebert. In college, his passion for wine started to grow. Once he earned his bachelor’s degree, Quique dove headfirst into studying wine. He spent his first years at Orin Swift, then started working his way up the mountain, first at Spring Mountain Vineyard, and then finally at the top, here at Pride. When he got the job, Quique said, "I've been trying to work here for 4 years!" When not at work, he can be found relaxing at home with his wife, two huskies and two tuxedo cats.

Business

This diverse group does it all, from representing us in the national sales market, to answering your phone calls and emails with a smile, to keeping the property looking its best. Some of them you may meet when you visit, some of them you may not, but they are all important members of our team and we couldn't do it without them!

Steve Pride

CEO & General Manager

21 Years at PMV

Steve has been responsible for guiding Pride Mountain Vineyards since 2004. He is involved in all aspects of the business and is as likely to be out on the property with our vineyard manager as he is to be participating in a blending trial, working with the sales and marketing team or fine-tuning a budget with our CFO. While it’s a lot of work, he’d also tell you that it’s a whole lot of fun, with the themed educational tastings he hosts for the staff being a particular highlight. Steve lives with his French wife, Laurence, in Moraga, and when he’s not at the winery, is also a staff-scientist at the Lawrence Berkeley Lab and an adjunct-professor at UC Berkeley.

Rob Morris

CFO

9 Years at PMV

Rob grew up in Salt Lake City and graduated from the University of Utah with honors. A mutual love of wine led Rob to bring a bottle of 2001 Pride Viognier on his first date with his now wife. Thirteen years into his career at KPMG, Rob heeded the call to meld his professional proficiencies with his passion for wine. After a stint at a winery and then leading the Wine Business Services accounting practice for Frank, Rimerman + Co., Rob accepted his dream job as CFO at Pride Mountain Vineyards. In his spare time, Rob enjoys playing golf, cooking and traveling. Rob and his wife, Sallie, have a 22-year old black-headed caique parrot named Chester.

Wendy Brooks

Director of Business & Marketing

28 Years at PMV

Growing up in rural upstate New York and feeling most drawn to the beach, it never occurred to Wendy that she would move to wine country. Fate intervened in the form of her husband Mark’s dream to become a winemaker, however, and she is now 20 years into the wine business herself. Starting at PMV in 1998 when the winery was still in its infancy, Wendy is proud to have watched the business grow and become “home” to many co-workers over the years. More than a decade on the board of Family Winemakers of California offered further insights into what makes the industry tick. Yoga, paddle boarding, playing with clay and fostering with Wine Country Animal Lovers are favorite extracurricular pursuits.

Tim Bouchet

Estate and Facilities

28 Years at PMV

A native Californian, Tim was born in Sacramento and moved to the Napa Valley when he was five years old. In his late teens, an opportunity to spend four years in Andalusia, Spain peaked his interest in food and wine, and upon returning home, Tim spent the next two decades of his life absorbing all he could from the chefs and sommeliers he worked with while managing some of the area’s finest restaurants. Now the director of Pride’s successful retail sales and hospitality program, Tim lives in Napa with his wonderful wife, Natalie and his two adult children, Timmy and Gracie, who are off at college. Off-work hours are spent outside, road cycling, mountain biking, working with Natalie in their yard, garden and honing the craft of wood fired BBQ.

Yohannah Burmeister

Director of National Sales

Cheryl Windecker

Administrative Assistant

28 Years at PMV

Growing up in northern California, Cheryl joined the growing Pride Mountain Vineyards team in 1998 after several years in administration at Hans Kornell Champagne Cellars in the Napa Valley. Wearing many hats, she handles accounts payable, label approvals, and assists with the winery’s safety program. Known as “Mrs. Claus”, Cheryl is also responsible for decking the halls every holiday season, perhaps the part of her job she likes best. Living in Yountville with her husband and love of her life, Brad, Cheryl enjoys weekends on the coast, dining out, gardening, and the peace and quiet of living in a small town.

Katherine Rantz

Assistant CFO

21 Years at PMV

Kathy moved to the Napa Valley in 1986 from the Bay Area and where her first job was with a small family winery called Sutter Home (which actually was small at the time). As she branched out and went on to work at several larger publicly-owned wineries, she found herself missing the nuances of a family owned business. Kathy’s journey brought her to Pride Mountain Vineyards where she says she, “couldn’t be happier!”

Chris Bergen

Shipping & Bottling Manager

21 Years at PMV

Born in San Diego, Chris grew up a block from the beach until his family moved to Rancho Santa Fe. At 15, he began a life of hospitality and customer service with his first job at his parents’ country club. At 30, Chris moved to the Napa Valley where he built, with his sister, an award-winning gourmet food company. Chris joined the team at Pride in 2005 and has bottled and shipped over 2,500,000 bottles of Pride wines around the world, receiving countless notes of appreciation for his service. Chris’ passion for making people happy is only overshadowed by his love for his children, enjoying live rock concerts and days on the beach and or golf course.

Jessica Baker

Events & Media Manager

13 Years at PMV

Living in Napa most of her life, Jessica has visited much of the U.S. and even spent a few months in Italy after high school before returning to Napa. Starting in the wine business at 22, she gained work experience in shipping, tasting room hospitality, trade relations and custom special events. During these years, Jessica also attended college level wine classes, received her Level One Sommelier certificate and, as the result of her knowledge and passion, developed several wine and food programs. Here at Pride, Jessica is appreciated by all for love of great wine, her efficiency and her attention to detail.

Kathryn Bryan

Multimedia Designer

11 Years at PMV

Kathryn grew up in Santa Rosa, California. With a love of photography, she earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Photojournalism from the University of Montana. After working various journalism internships, she fell in love with book publishing, and moved to New York City. While working fulltime as the art & design coordinator for Random House’s cover art department, she attended night classes at NYU and earned a Professional Certificate in Traditional and Digital Book Publishing. Kathryn is the daughter of Suzanne Pride Bryan and Stuart Bryan and is a member of the third generation of the Pride family.

Eliza Sweet

Landscape Gardener

6 Years at PMV

Eliza joined the Pride Mountain Vineyards after relocating from Maine, where she'd lived since 1985. There she ran a successful landscaping business while running a small farm on sixty acres. Mother to two amazing children, French speaker, avid traveler, wine lover and adventurous spirit, Eliza is escaping northern winters while doing what she loves most, beautifying her corner of the world with gardens. In her spare time, Eliza can be found walking.

Vintner Ambassadors

Suzanne Pride Bryan

23 Years at PMV

Suzanne Pride Bryan is co-owner of Pride Mountain Vineyards along with her brother Steve Pride. A graduate of U.C. Berkeley, Suzanne joined her parents at the winery in 2003 after several decades in management in San Francisco and at the other family firm, Pride Institute. Suzanne says it’s been an honor to carry-forward her parents’ vision since Jim Pride passed in 2004 and Carolyn Pride retired, while citing the work of the winery’s remarkably talented and hard-working team. Today, Suzanne, along with her husband Stuart Bryan, supports significant philanthropic efforts on behalf of the winery including the Emeril Lagasse Foundation where she serves on the board of directors; the V Foundation for Cancer Research where she served on the board and has twice been named Vintner Grant Honoree; and the San Francisco 49ers Foundation.

Stuart Bryan

20 Years at PMV

Stuart joined Pride Mountain Vineyards in its earliest days and used the distributor network he’d developed through 10 years in national wine sales to help launch the brand. In 2014, after 30 years on the road, 20 of them for the family business, Stuart transitioned from his position as Director of National Sales to Vintner Ambassador and now represents us at key charitable events. From Red, White and Snow, to the Nantucket Wine Festival, and from Emeril Lagasse’s Carnival du Vin to the Napa Valley’s own V-Foundation Wine Celebration, Stuart is a well-known and welcome presence. Closer to home, Stuart also serves on the Sonoma County Vintners Board of Directors.