01/09 BOB CABRAL, BILL KURTIS

BOB CABRAL - DIRECTOR OF WINEMAKING / GENERAL MANAGER OF WILLIAMS SELYEM WINERY

Bob Cabral has been involved in growing and making wine professionally since 1980 and has had an interest in wine and farming since his childhood helping his grandfather make wine in his barn. Growing up pruning grapes, irrigating vineyards and harvest became routine on his family’s 70 acre ranch near Escalon, CA. A fourth generation farmer and grape grower from the great San Joaquin Valley, he took all he learned at the family farm and applied it to his degrees at Fresno State University.

His passion for pinot noir was evident very early on as he would spend every spare dime, and good chunk of his student loans, on buying wine from all over the world - especially Burgundy and Russian River Valley pinot noir. One of the first North Coast wineries he became passionate about was Williams Selyem. He joined their consumer list during graduate school in 1985 as customer #576, soon after experiencing the Williams Selyem 1983 vintage wines.

In the mid 1980’s while working at a large winery south of Fresno, Bob knew that Sonoma County was where he could best hone his skills and learn to make wines that could rival the best made anywhere in the world. He worked the next 11 vintages in various winemaking positions as the Associate Winemaker at De Loach Vineyards, Custom Crush Winemaker at Kunde Estate Winery, Winemaker at Alderbrook Vineyards and Winemaker at Hartford Court Winery. In 1998 Burt Williams recommended that Bob take over for him as Winemaker at Williams Selyem. Bob met with John Dyson, then the new owner of Williams Selyem, and discovered that they shared a similar philosophy about winemaking and viticulture: that the most important aspect of winemaking is in the vineyard. Bob became the winemaker at Williams Selyem July 29, 1998.

Heading into his 15th vintage at Williams Selyem and 33rd at a commercial winery, his winemaking philosophy has not changed: “The key is to respect the vineyard and value the fruit. Working with some of the best grower’s and vineyards in the world allows us to farm to the highest possible standards and provides us with the finest fruit available. That’s more than half the battle in working with Pinot Noir. Once the fruit is taken care of, then we try to intervene as little as possible. While there is no shortage of hard work in the cellar and you must still pay careful attention to detail as great wines are really made in the vineyard. My job is to just guide it along and allow the individual vineyard to be expressed in every bottle.” Bob is an experienced winemaker whose meticulousness and patience yield wines that are authentic expressions of each vineyard site.

Bob was awarded the 2011 Wine Star Award from the Wine Enthusiast Magazine as Winemaker of the Year. Bob, his wife Heather and daughter Paige, make their home in the Russian River Valley.


BILL KURTIS - TALL GRASS BEEF / KURTIS PRODUCTIONS

Founded in 2005 by broadcast journalist Bill Kurtis, Tallgrass Beef Company is the industry leader in the production of grass-fed, grass-finished beef in the United States. After purchasing his 10,000 acre ranch near the town of Sedan, Kansas, Kurtis was compelled to find a sustainable method of raising cattle that was not only good for the environment, but also the animals themselves and the American food consumer. This was the genesis of Tallgrass Beef Company.

Today Tallgrass Beef Company is comprised of a network of family farmers and ranchers across the United States that produce grass-fed, grass-finished cattle according to a strict set of protocols. These stringent standards ensure that food consumers are buying the safest, healthiest, most nutritious beef possible. Tallgrass Beef is a favorite among consumers seeking a healthy, humane source of beef.
In addition to being available for purchase by consumers online, Tallgrass Beef became the first grass-fed, grass-finished product served in many of Chicago's finest restaurants, with a roster of clients featuring James Beard Award Winning chefs Rick Bayless (owner of Chicago's Frontera Grill, Topolobampo, and XOCO restaurants), Charlie Trotter, George Bumbaris and Sarah Stegner. Harry Carays, Praire Grass Café, Frontera Grill, and Topolobombo serve Tallgrass. The brand has expanded to the west coast where Tallgrass Beef is available in San Diego, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Seattle. Tallgrass Beef products are also available in select grocery stores, including Sunset Foods and Fox and Obel in Chicago; Fairway Markets in New York; and Sendik's Markets in Milwaukee.

Much like the cattlemen of the old west, Bill Kurtis started Tallgrass Beef with a vision of a healthy, sustainable, delicious beef source for the American consumer. With a steady annual growth rate and a loyal customer following, Tallgrass Beef Company provides customers with a sustainable alternative to traditionally raised