Kale Anderson

Winemaker

Kale grew up in Sonoma County, where he was exposed to the wine industry by a community that encouraged creativity, love for the outdoors, and stewardship of the land.

He attended UC Davis intending to pursue medicine, like his father had, but instead found himself drawn to Davis’ Plant Biology program. As an undergraduate, Kale researched DNA repair in plants. He spent winters in Tahoe, and tried his hand at commercial fishing in Alaska during the summertime.

Feeling scientifically inspired but creatively unfulfilled, Kale transitioned into an interdisciplinary major in Nature and Culture. While changing his major, he stumbled upon an introductory course in Viticulture and Enology. It immediately struck him to be the most fascinating blend of nature and culture that he had experienced to date. This discovery set him on a focused trajectory toward winemaking.

After interning at J Wine Company in 2001 and graduating from UC Davis in 2002, Kale worked the inaugural harvest at Colgin Cellars’ Pritchard Hill estate, a vintage that resulted in several wines deemed “perfect” by critics. It also enabled him to meet and collaborate with David Abreu. Soon after, Kale took a position with Terra Valentine on Spring Mountain.

Kale joined Cliff Lede Vineyards as Assistant Winemaker in 2005 for the inaugural vintage of the new state-of-the-art winery at the Stags Leap estate. There, he was reunited with David Abreu. “When I heard David was replanting a property in Stags Leap District, my mouth watered at the possibilities and after I met Cliff I knew I wanted to be a part of his vision.”

Kale earned the title of Winemaker in 2011 and is now responsible for wine production at Cliff Lede Vineyards. After an extensive replant and a thorough review of winemaking protocols, Kale is charged with realizing the potential of this property. “I make wine with my senses, and I use science to gauge risk,” says Kale.

In the off-season you might find Kale on the first chair for KT-22 at Squaw Valley, on the soccer pitch, or tasting and traveling through the different wine regions of the world. He lives in Napa with his wife, son, and chocolate lab.