Steve Pepe ('The Vigneron') and Catherine Pepe ('L'agent')

Steve Pepe ('The Vigneron') and Catherine Pepe strut their stuff at a wine dinner at Hearst Castle:

Steve Pepe, voted one of the Country's 'Top Fifty Labor Attorneys' in 2002, changed professions at the end of that year.  Splitting his time between legal consultation and running the vineyard and winery, Steve is living his lifelong dream of vineyard and winery ownership.  Steve's family has a long and colorful history of home winemaking back in New Jersey, stretching back to Prohibition.  Steve has been a Wine Judge at the L.A. County Fair for two decades, and takes an active part in many wine societies including the Chevaliers du Tastevin, California Vintage Wine Society, as well as the 'official' societies for Alsatian, Beaujolais, and Bordeaux wines.  Steve is currently finalizing a deal to publish his memoirs "To the Vineyard", a compilation of his newsletters and commentary concerning the establishment of a home vineyard, and then a commercial wine enterprise. Steve is enjoying his retirement, and works tirelessly during harvest, both picking fruit and making wine.

Steve has also written a book about the Clos Pepe Vineyard, called: Clos Pepe: A Vigneron's Quest for Great Dirt. It's available in the website store.

Catherine (Hagen) Pepe is known on the vineyard by her nickname L'agent, which suggests she has final say over how much money the 'boys' can spend on the vineyard, the winery, and wines -- leaving just enough so she can build her dream home here on the vineyard.  The house is finished, Steve and Cathy have moved in, and the vineyard is now able to provide an unmatched level of hospitality. Besides being an amazingly successful labor attorney for a large law firm, Cathy finds the time to create Best-of-Show quality doll houses (L.A County Fair) and amazingly intricate needlepoint designs.  She also loves to spend time with her two precious Grand-daughters, Jennifer and Nicole Hagen.

Wes Hagen ('Viticulturist-in-Residence') and Chanda Hagen

Wes Hagen (Winemaker/Vineyard Manager) and Chanda Hagen (Assistant Winemaker)

Wes Hagen: Vineyard Manager, Winemaker.  Wes has run the show here at Clos Pepe since 1998.  He manages the vineyard and the crew, communicates with our producers and fine-tunes viticulture to suit the stylistic needs of their winemaking.  Involving himself in every aspect of the planting, growing, harvest, crush, fermentation, aging, bottling, shipping and marketing (jncluding the photography and text in the website), Wes is passionate about his life's goal -- producing and celebrating world-class Santa Rita Hills Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.  From 1997-98, Wes researched and wrote the petition that established the Santa Rita Hills American Viticultural Area with help from Bryan Babcock, Richard Sanford and other local wine personalities.  The 'Santa Rita Hills AVA' was approved in 2001, and the name was changed a few years later to 'Sta Rita Hills AVA'.  In his quest to promote the wines of Santa Barbara County, and the Santa Rita Hills in particular, Wes created and served as Director of the Santa Barbara County Fair Wine Competition from 2002 until 2004.  As a result of his hard work promoting the region and penning the AVA Petition, Wes was awarded the Central Coast Winegrower's Association 'Grower of the Year Award' for the 2001-2002 growing seasons.  Wes writes a bi-monthly column for WineMaker Magazine called 'Backyard Vines', and has written content for the L.A. Times Magazine, guest blogged for the Wine Spectator and ZesterDaily.com, articles for the Sommelier Journal,'Burgundy-Report', WestCoastWine.Net, VineSwinger.com and other small publications.  In his free time Wes consults on establihsing small vineyards (hillside Pinot Noir only), and has judged the L.A County Fair Wine Competition for eleven years, Riverside International for twelve, and the Long Beach Grand Cru for thirteen years. Wes also lectures on subjects such as the history of wine, backyard winegrowing, and general topics of viticulture and wine education.

Chanda Hagen: Assistant Winemaker, Olive Tree Pruner, Animal Trainer, Shepherdess.  Chanda and Wes met in April 1999 over a bottle of Beaujolais at a college-style party in Isla Vista (UCSB).  Their first date was the Vintner's Festival the next weekend, and they have been inseparable ever since.  The marriage proposal was accepted on New Years 1999-2000, and the couple was married at Clos Pepe on September 9th, 2000.  Their Honeymoon was spent picking and crushing the grapes from the 2000 Vintage, which resulted in a Pinot Noir that Robert Parker called 'brilliant', 'complex' and 'promising'; just like their marriage! Chanda's influence as assistant winemaker runs deep.  She makes sure Wes' energies are tempered by common sense and an obsessive degree of winery sanitation and organization.  Besides Pinot Noir, Chanda's passion is horses: Hunter/Jumpers and Dressage.  Chanda is training her horse, Charlemagne (Chase for short), for Dressage. Chanda also takes care of our miniature sheep here at the Clos, which have been bred into a flock for eating winter weeds and fertilizing the vineyard organically and sustainably.

Cesar Corona

Cesar Corona:

Cesar Corona assumed the Vineyard Foreman position in 2008 after nearly a decade of hard work and dedication as our Assistant Foreman. Cesar has a knack for organization, tractor skills, and his perseverance is formidable. He is careful to listen and make sure the crew follows up on all the cultural practices suggested by our producers, Wes and Chanda. We are very lucky to have Cesar running the crew in the field, as it frees Wes up to complete winemaking, tours, computer work and customer service. Thanks, Cesar, for farming our wine six days a week!

Miguel and Felipe

Miguel Rodriguez and Felipe Martinez

Miguel and Felipe work with the vines, the olive trees, irrigation, and about every other aspect of farming here at Clos Pepe. Working closely under the direction of Cesar and Wes, they complete the daily work that is necessary to grow world-class pinot noir and chardonnay winegrapes. Miguel has been harvesting with us seasonally for many years, and Felipe began work with us in early 2007. Even though their work is equally perfect, their personalities couldn't be more different. Miguel is loud and funny, Felipe is serious and paternal. We try to take as much care with Miguel and Felipe as they take with our vines. We think the vines know the difference and the wine tastes better knowing Miguel and Felipe are comfortable working here.

Rosa

Rosa:

Our Border Collie Rosa is a miracle dog.  Born with four separate congenital heart defects, the vets that checked her health as a puppy warned that she would not live past her second birthday, and would likely be dead even quicker if we didn't confine her to the house.  We are pleased to announce that Rosa's tenth birthday has come and gone, and she seems as healthy as ever.  Her brown-eyed stare is so intelligent as to be spooky.  She still loves to play frisbee with anyone she can hurl it towards, and she seems to be happy with her new sheep family. 2011 and the miracle dog is still living large and battling coyotes!

Oliver

Oliver:

Even though Oliver is a show-quality Italian Greyhound, we believe his breed should be renamed the 'shovel-nosed snuggle-hound'. Italian Greyhounds love to use their slender noses to burrow under sheets, covers (even Chanda's sweater) to warm themselves. Oliver completed his training to become Chanda's Medical Alert Dog in 2005, a registered Service Dog that goes everywhere with us. Oliver has walked the deck of the Queen Mary, eaten at restaurants including The French Laundry (Healdsburg), Cuvee (Napa), Melisse (Santa Monica) and George's (La Jolla), has been to Disneyland, the LA County Fair, Bill Graham's Vault, the Aquarium of the Pacific, Big Sur, Napa, and has helped Chanda develop a new lifestyle that would not have been possible without his amazing skills and love.

Indi

Indi:

Indi is an ex-racing greyhound from Arizona. In his youth he refused to run after a mechincal rabbit on the track, so he was 'retired' very early in his career and ended up here on the vineyard as a rescue. Indi loves to chase rabbits and squirrels, and on occasion even catches one! He doesn't have the heart to kill anything, so he tends to bring back perfectly healthy rabbits, drops them, they run away and the chase starts anew. Indi sleeps about 20 hours a day like most greyhounds, and is the best behaved canine I have ever seen. He is a gentle 'alpha' on the property, plays gently with Oliver and Trillian, and even welcomes his brother Tiva in a wonderfully hospitable manner when he visits from Colorado. He's lost a little speed on his top end as he nears 10 years old, but he can still let loose when he wants to, topping out around 35 mph these days. Sometimes known as Indi, sometimes known as 'Cletus the Slack-Jawed Greyhound', he's always a loving and devoted pet.

Mad Max

Max is an amazing herding dog. He's an Australian Kelpie whose full name is Creek Spirit's Mad Max. His mother is the #1 Kelpie Herding Bitch in North America. We've seen him handle 300 goats at a time on a hillside, so moving 20 sheep from pasture to corral is like Derek Jeter playing tee ball against 5 year olds. he's a spirited soul and a very handsome boy. He basically has free run of the property, and is one of the most important pieces of farm equipment we have here at the Clos. If you've ever tried to move a sheep without a dog, you'll know why.

Gaius (Julius) Pepe

GAIUS!

Gaius is a triple-cross mastiff from Lovetree Farm in Wisconsin. He is part Spanish Ranch Mastiff, part Polish Tatra and part Italian Maremma. He is a big, aloof dog that will bark at anyone who gets close to his sheep, but is generally very gentle and loving towards people, even though he prefers the company of those that bleat. His job is singular: protect his sheep family from any predators. his bark is deep and gruff, and the coyotes take it very seriously. He has done such a good job protecting the sheep, that the squirrel and rabbit populations have increased as a result of the lack of coyotes coming onto the property.

Gaius is an amazing that never fails to impress in person.

Trillian

Trillian (R.I.P., 2005-2010):

Trillian is an ex-racing greyhound that came to us from the Caliente Race Track in Tijuana, Mexico in December, 2006. She won 4 out of 34 races there, which was a poor enough record for her to get booted off the track and into our hearts. She was the fastest dog on the property, stable to hit speeds in excess of 40 mph. She was a shy hound. It took a while to get to know her and earn her trust, but she was a sweet beauty. She enjoyed sleeping around 20 hours a day, punctuated by spastic and goofy play. Her favorite time of the day was when Chanda climbed on her golf cart and lead the hounds around the vineyard. Her favorite line? Of course it HAS to be, "Show me the bunny." Hares beware--Trillian WOULD keep you out of the vineyard. This pic is for our accountant: 'Can we write off her dog food NOW?' She's Trillian to us, but to the IRS she was'Organic Pest Management'.

Trillian passed on last year from a surprise bone cancer diagnosis. We were there holding her and petting her while she was put down. What an amazing and gentle animal she was (unless you were a bunny). Not surpisingly, we've had a fairly massive explosion of hares on the proerty since her passing.

Winston

Winston R.I.P. (1991-2007):

Here is Winston's Eulogy from August, 2007:

After a 24 hour period of Winston’s health rapidly declining, Chanda and I had him put down this morning at 8:00 am.  We stayed up with him last night and rubbed him and soothed him—but he let us know that he was in pain and it was time.  We were with him during his passing and it was swift and peaceful.

His was a life any dog would covet.  Thirteen years on Chanda’s lap complete with adventures on planes, to the beach, the big city, the snow, and then the life of a retired pug gentleman on the vineyard.  He was a crazy and wild beast in his youth—trying at every moment to gnaw on power cords or eat anything he could get his flat little face around.  Given the chance he would bolt out of doors and run into streets.  The fact that he died a natural death at the age of almost 16 is a miracle of dog husbandry and the great love Chanda has always towards her pets.

As Chanda said, Winston has been the only thing she’s kept in the last 15+ years, the one constant presence.  When I first (clears throat) spent the night with Chanda, I also spent the night with Winston, and his raspy little snoring kept me up all night.  But I was smitten, and I didn’t complain.  Although Winston more than once came between Chanda and me (sometimes I want her lap for myself!), I always gave them their space—his fuzzy weight seemed to comfort and even heal her, and that relationship deserved respect (plus those little peg teeth can do more damage than you’d think!)

Winston has had some close calls:

When we first got the greyhounds Indy and Tiva, Tiva tried to play with Winston and ended up landing on Winston’s neck and doing some spinal damage.  Winston was paralyzed for a number of days, and miraculously came back at least 80%.

A few years after that, Winston broke into the cabinets and knocked over a trash can and preceded to devour two entire game hen carcasses still covered in meat—nothing was left—he ate the bones.  When we came home he was standing by the trash can, his distended pot belly nearly dragging on the ground.  He was so overstuffed that he couldn’t lie down or he’d stop breathing from the pressure….so he stood all night long and panted and whined, and that was a long, long night.

Years of having bulging eyes takes a toll.  Brushed by everything from pant legs to shoes to bushes and other dogs—one of Winston’s eyes started slipping a lens and had to be removed.  We were surprised how quickly he recovered with one eye—he was much perkier without the eye pain, and within a  week he had totally adapted to his Cyclopian nature.  To lessen the psychological impact of having an eye removed, we declared that he looked butch and distinguished—like a pirate!  So we started calling him the Pirate Pug.  He thought it was stupid.

Well, Winston…farewell little snarfle-upugus.  You were a cantankerous little bastard, a devoted snuggler, a swirling dervish of destruction and one hell of a little dog.

Bud

Bud R.I.P. (1988-2003):

You may recognize Bud from our 2002 Clos Pepe Estate labels, where his 'mugshot' is prominently featured.  Bud was the first 'Clos Puppy' and will be missed sorely.  Highlights of his celebrated life include: saving the Long Beach house from a fire and being saved by Steve Pepe ('Vigneron')when he was drowning in our vineyard's pond.  Bud lived a dream life for a dog -- having 40 fenced acres to roam every day.  He was a loving dog that spent many good years with us after being rescued from a Riverside Animal Control kennel in 1990.  Bud's enthusiasm for love and tasty treats were, unfortunately, cut short by back and leg problems at the ripe old age of 15.  Bud was put down in Summer 2003, and buried overlooking the pond at Clos Pepe.  He was and will always be 'Le Chien Formidable!'

Henley

Southdown Babydoll (miniature) Sheep :

Pinot Noir makes me think. One night, as I was under the influence of the fermented grape, we were discussing miniature Kobe beef, and I said out loud, "Hey, I wonder if there are such things as miniature sheep..? If they were small enough they would eat the weeds but they couldn't reach the vines." The next morning we launched into some research, and Chanda was able to find Canvas Ranch, a wonderful organic farm that raises this breed of sheep. They brought the sheep to Clos Pepe in late May, and we have fallen in love with Henley (our ram), and his harem-to-be, Matilda and Althea, who were named by our Allocation List in a contest. Chanda takes care of the sheep with help from max, our Australian Kelpie (herding dog). We've bred 13 lambs here on the Clos since 2005.

As of 2011, we have 22 sheep here at the Clos--20 Olde English Babydolls, and 2 Icelandic Sheep that we bought from a friend to save them from being made into sausage. Currently, they graze about 30% of the vineyard each Winter. We cordon off about 3-5 acres at a time between November and March and allow them to eat weeds and cover crop and to produce their magic fertilizer.

Above: Sheep in the field and at rest. Bottom pics are before and after shearing. Sheep have limited intelligence. When they are freshly shorn they will fight amongst themselves because they do not recognize members of their own flock.

Charlemagne

Charlemagne:

Charlemagne is the 'show name' for Chanda's horse, who is called 'Chase' on a daily basis.  He is a proud 12 year old Hanoverian Warmblood with a serious athlete's attitude.  This horse might be Chanda's greatest challenge beyond managing Wes.  Chase has recently changed gears from a Jumper to a Dressage horse, and he seems very pleased with the new saddle and all the fancy new footwork. His 'show name' was derived from the Corton-Charlemagne vineyards in Burgundy, which represents the only Burgundian Grand Cru vineyard that produces both Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.  We thought it appropriate when the Vigneron suggested it.