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Meet the Family
All Things Business
Mary Yates Jones
Mary grew up in Paradise, CA and moved with Lynn and Mike to Napa in her sophomore year of high school after Mike took over vineyard management duties for he family. After being introduced into the wine industry at such an early age, Mary pursued other dreams before coming back to the family business. Now with her refined passion for wine, she brings many new ideas and energy to the company and has her hands in all aspects of the business.
Mary keeps the whole family in check with all aspects. Mary graduated from Menlo College in 2006 with a degree in Business Management with a concentration in Marketing. She enjoys working on new promotions for the wines and planning events.
Mary married Todd Jones in September 2009 and they had their son Colt in July 2013 and welcomed a baby girl, Reese, in April 2015. When Mary is not at work she enjoys the research and development aspect of the wine industry by taking weekend trips wine tasting in Napa, Sonoma, and San Luis Obispo.
Our Industry Guru
Whitney Yates
The oldest of Mike and Lynn’s two daughters, she spent many weekends on the family ranch, being taught about wine and the vines. Learning early about the family’s zeal for hard work, she has become a major presence in the winery, coordinating all aspects of the winemaking as well as overseeing the vineyard operations.
Whitney is the proud mother of two daughters, Hannah and Lillian, and she is married to Ryan Silva, a staple in the wine industry and current Direct of Sales and DTC for Fontanella tasting room. They both love nothing more than a good glass of red wine.
The Beginning
Mike & Lynn Yates
Mike was born in San Francisco and grew up in the Bay Area in a large, close-knit family. He graduated from Chico State University in 1977 with a B.S. in Agriculture, specializing in Trees and Vines – and a dream that one day he would be running the family vineyard & ranch. Fostering Mike’s love of the land was the summer vacations spent working in the vineyards. He is now finishing up replanting vineyards that he first planted back in his high school years.
His love for wine was ingrained in him at an early age because of his father, Alden and his grandfather Perry, and their passion for fine wines. Alden traveled the world extensively and developed his zeal for French Bordeaux wine. You can see the influence in Mike’s style of winemaking.
Becoming a farmer first and later a winemaker, he knows that all great wines come from great vineyards. Choosing the right rootstock and the correct clone for each variety has been a labor of love and his life's enjoyment is sharing these grapes with other wineries that have that same passion.
Family Traditions are Strong in our Family
We hold our wine to the same traditions, let the vineyard be expressed in each bottle
From a young age, Mike Yates instilled in his two daughters that hard work is key to a happy and successful life. Success is not defined by how much you make, but rather how you live your life and surround yourself with great people, amazing wine, and happiness!
