02138 MAGAZINE
In Vino Veritas: Six alumni tackle the sweet challenges of making wine in Napa Valley
September–October 2007

Brice Cutrer Jones, 67, a former Air Force fighter pilot and the founder of Sonoma-Cutrer wines, aims to make the best Pinot Noir in California—all thanks to a tour of duty in Vietnam and a lesson from his commanding officer, General George Simler. "We were sitting having lunch one day, and he said, 'Lieutenant... you know Burgundy is a place?' I said, 'No, sir, it's a brand of Paul Masson.' He said, 'Get a book.'

"So I got one book, and then another. I went to Christie's (in London) and started buying wine. I'd go over on a transport plane and come back with cases of wine. I had a pretty good cellar for a fighter pilot."

Jones' winemaker, industry veteran Don Blackburn, has crafted a European-style Pinot Noir—the grape used to make Burgundy—that is lighter, less fruity, and lower in alcohol content than many American Pinots. "As a fighter pilot, you have to be aggressive and willing to take risks," Jones says. "I think that's what we've done."

—Caroline Zinko