President (Of Fun)
As president, Mari Jones oversees all aspects of Emeritus Vineyards. Like her father, Brice Cutrer Jones, Mari believes in a collaborative approach that empowers the talented Emeritus team. She works closely with Vineyard Manager Riggs Lokka and Winemaker Keith Hammond to cultivate high standards of excellence at Emeritus.
Mari grew up playing, camping, and even learning to drive on the Sonoma–Cutrer Estate. At the age of 12, she took her first trip to Burgundy with her father to buy barrels. It was there where Mari discovered Pinot Noir. In a centuries-old cellar, she turned to her father with a glass of Pinot in hand and told him, “This wine is better than yours. You should make wine like this.” Brice was speechless (and in complete agreement).
“That experience gave me a new perspective on my family business. It was also when I fell in love with Pinot Noir.”
Though an early passion for wine had been instilled in Mari, she was eager to chart her own path. After earning a philosophy degree at Colgate University, she moved to Colorado and worked at the Telluride Adaptive Sports Program. In 2012, after years of giving her father advice from afar, he invited Mari to return to wine country to build a tasting room. Over the next three years, Mari oversaw the design and construction of the Emeritus tasting room, and in 2017, USA Today named Emeritus the “#1 Winery Tour in the USA.” She also founded our E-Club, which in the years since has grown into a thriving community of wine enthusiasts.
“From the beginning, we’ve strived to create experiences and build relationships that are personal and meaningful. More than just sharing our wines, we want to share who we are, what we do, and why we love doing it. The more I focused on these goals, the more I knew that Emeritus was something that I wanted to be a part of for decades to come.”
As the dedicated second generation to our family-run winery, Mari is active in the wine community. She believes in the power of educating consumers and trade about the beauty of her region, and that together the community can accomplish more than any one individual. She is on the board of directors for the Russian River Valley Winegrowers and Russian River Valley Pinot Forum. She works with the Sonoma County Vintners International Committee to sell and promote Sonoma County wines all over the world. She also works with the Sonoma County Vintners New Gen Committee, who work to create a collaborative environment for young winemakers and owners, and to promote Sonoma County to the next generation of wine enthusiasts. Mari is a mentor to up-and-coming wine professionals through The Verasion Project and Batonnage. In part due to this work she was named one of the ’40 Under 40′ by the North Bay Business Journal in 2022.
At the winery, Mari works with the team to produce the most elegant expressions of Pinot Noir from our vineyards. These wines match the complexity and depth of the ones she first fell in love with in Burgundy, but with a style that’s all California (much like herself). She approaches her role with a long-term vision of sustainability in every sense, from the land to our Emeritus family and beyond.
When not at the winery or traveling the world to share Emeritus, you can find Mari snowboarding, hiking with her dog Mocha or volunteering.
