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HOME ABOUT US PEOPLE
Gerret Copeland, Chairman of the Board
Gerret Copeland became a wine connoisseur at a young age, growing up enjoying fine wines at family meals. His lifelong dream of owning a winery came true in 1981 when he and his wife, Tatiana, purchased Bouchaine Vineyards.
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Copeland comes from a long line of serious wine lovers. His father, Lammot DuPont Copeland, was a founding member of the Wilmington chapter of the Confrerie des Chevaliers du Tastevin.
“You go out on Bouchaine’s terrace and feel the vineyard around you – it seduces you. Nearly everyone who comes here feels that connection. It is a connection to the soil and to a very special place.”
Gerret Copeland Gerret’s mother Pamela Cunningham Copeland, was the first woman member of the Confrerie des Chevaliers du Tastevin in the US.
As Bouchaine’s Chairman of the Board, he remains consistently involved in winery operations and plays a significant role in harvest and blending decisions to determine the style of Bouchaine’s wines.
Copeland, a resident of Wilmington Delaware, is active in commercial real estate and a leader in environmental initiatives. Previously he developed a successful New York Stock Exchange brokerage firm, which he later sold to Dean Witter. He has attended the University of Pennsylvania, as well as Columbia University. Copeland founded the Brandywine Conservancy's Environmental Management Center in Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania, and he's a member of the Confrerie des Chevaliers du Tastevin.
Tatiana Copeland, President and Proprietor
Tatiana Copeland brings a diverse international background in business and travel to drive the winery towards its goal of making and marketing exquisite wines. Tatiana is a respected CPA and financial analyst, and she is involved in the management of finance, marketing, and sales at Bouchaine.
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In addition to her endeavors at Bouchaine, Tatiana heads her own tax and financial consulting firm in Wilmington, Delaware and serves as president of several companies. Obviously a busy woman, Tatiana says that none of her other businesses capture her attention and her heart the way Bouchaine does.
Tatiana’s family legacy is remarkable. She was born in Dresden, Germany but her Russian roots go back more than 100 years. The late Composer Sergei Rachmaninoff is her great uncle. Her family fled to Denmark and then to Argentina, where she spent most of her childhood. It was In Argentina, where Tatiana developed an affinity for food and wine.
Following her university work at UCLA and Berkeley, she started her career at Price Waterhouse in LA where she often entertained high-profile entertainment clients in a style that always included wine. In Geneva, Tatiana served as international manager at DuPont's European headquarters. DuPont transferred Tatiana to their Wilmington, Delaware headquarters, where she met Gerret Copeland and the two were married in 1979.
They were drawn together by a respect of each other's expertise and a love of fine wine. In 1981, they invested in a small winery property in the Carneros District of Napa Valley, established Bouchaine Vineyards, and began to pursue their dream of crafting elegant and exuberant Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.
Michael Richmond, Winemaker, Vice President and General Manager
Mike Richmond is more than Bouchaine’s winemaker. His intense involvement and passion for Bouchaine have given him the monikers ‘Visionary’ and ‘Spiritual Leader.’ Mike joined Bouchaine in 2002 with over thirty years of wine industry experience, as well as a passion about winemaking that is unparalleled.
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As founder of Acacia Winery in 1979, Mike was a pioneer in developing premium Pinot Noir and Chardonnay wines from the Carneros appellation. He is credited with helping to bring prominence to wines grown in the Carneros wine region putting the region on the international wine map for evermore.
In 1986, Chalone Inc. acquired Acacia Winery and appointed Michael Vice President of sales for the entire Chalone group. In 1993, he was appointed Managing Director of Chalone’s Carmenet wines. He created the Dynamite Cabernet brand for Carmenet shortly thereafter.
Michael is a well-known and respected member of the Pinot Noir community. He was a co-founder of the Steamboat Pinot Noir Conference, now running for over 20 years. Michael is Past Vice President and continues to support the Carneros Wine Alliance (CWA), the organization that promotes Carneros wines and vineyards and provides quality-oriented education for its membership. He serves on the Community Outreach Committee of Napa Valley Vintners (NVV), one of the most influential organizations in the wine industry. He is currently serving on the board of the Napa Valley Chamber of Commerce.
He and Theresa, his wife of 20 years, live in Carneros and have two daughters. Michael is an avid cyclist and outdoorsman who relishes the natural beauty of the Carneros hills and Napa Valley.
Greg Gauthier, Wine Production Advisor, Vice President of Sales and Marketing In 2003, when Michael Richmond was appointed to the General Manager position at Bouchaine, he searched for an associate who was equally passionate about wine as he is. Greg Gauthier was Michael Richmond's first choice as VP of Sales and Marketing at Bouchaine. Bouchaine is fortunate to have the experience and the enthusiasm that Greg has driving our brand.
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Greg Gauthier maintains a position unique in the wine business. As a savvy wine marketing veteran of 28 years, he is setting Bouchaine Vineyards on a successful sales and marketing course. As a longtime devotee of wine, he has become an essential part of the winery's wine technical team.
A respected amateur winemaker, Greg has taken his passion seriously by attending UC Davis classes in enology, and has interned with Ted Seghesio, winemaker at Sonoma County's well-regarded Seghesio Winery. He observed closely the skills of Dan Karlsen, winemaker at Chalone Vineyards and Michael Terrien, Acacia Vineyards' winemaker.
Prior to joining Bouchaine Vineyards, Greg was VP, Midwest Regional Manager for Rodney Strong where he joined the winemaker in the cellar at every opportunity.
His sales history includes six years as a Vice President at Sutter Home Winery and spent the two previous years as Director of Sales and Marketing for Montevina Winery. Greg was instrumental in the successful execution of the Sebastiani Vineyard's Country Varietal launch.
Greg is known at Bouchaine for his humor and charm. You will not miss him at events, tastings, and winemaker dinners, where his enthusiasm really gets the crowd going!
Greg resides with his wife in Napa, California.
Bill Murray, Associate Winemaker
Bill Murray's love of Carneros is evident in the fact that he has spent most of his winemaking career in this area. Bill began his career as a cellar worker at Buena Vista in 1988, continuing at Acacia in 1989 and became the Cellarmaster in 1991. Bill also had the opportunity to develop an intimate knowledge of the vineyards of Carneros managing the Grower Relations program at Acacia.
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Bill joined the Bouchaine Vineyards team in 2003 as an assistant winemaker and his enthusiasm and motivation quickly earned him the position of Associate Winemaker. Bill works alongside Mike Richmond, consulting winemaker, Larry Brooks and Gerret Copeland in directing the style and the quality of the wines.
He is responsible for setting the tone for the eclectic and motivated cellar team that enthusiastically bring Bouchaine wines to the table.
Bill lives close by Bouchaine in the Carneros and spends his free time training for triathalons. He has just successfully competed in the Vine Man, Sonoma Valley's Iron Man.
Donna Burk, Hospitality and Retail Sales Manager
Aside from a warm and welcoming smile, Donna Burk offers Bouchaine a diverse background in wine, gourmet food, and gardening, as well as marketing and events planning. Donna's vast interests include cooking, wine and food, and art collecting, so she loves her responsibility at Bouchaine managing our Hospitality and Retail Sales Departments, and we love to sample her delicious delicacies that she pairs with Bouchaine wine!
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Donna has lived most of her life in Indianapolis, where she became a Master Gardener and organized many local gourmet food and wine pairing clubs. Donna has traveled extensively and her travel has provided her with international flavor for wine and food.
Wendy Yeh, Director of Communications
Wendy began her career in advertising at NW Ayer and Partners in New York City. She relocated to Los Angeles in 1997 and began a five-year tenure at ESPN Networks in Sales and Marketing, working with media giants such as DIRECTV.
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After a six-week trip traveling through Europe in 2003, Wendy returned to California with an enhanced appreciation for fine wine and food. She moved to the Bay Area, eager to have America's top culinary and wine treasures within easy reach. In September 2003, she was named Director of Communications for Bouchaine Vineyards.
A native of New York, Wendy graduated from the University of Southern California in L.A. with a degree in Business Administration/Marketing. During her summers, she worked in events planning at USC's School of Cinema-Television, and at Grove's/McMillan Publishing in NYC.
Kenny McDonald's Artist Corner
One of our most talented team members is Ken McDonald who brings to Bouchaine the knowledge of facility management and equipment repair that makes him an essential component in our operation. But we love Ken even more for his incredible imagination and his ability to transform wood into art.
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Ken's walking sticks adorn our tasting room and are available for purchase at the winery. His sculptures made from barrels and other pieces of wood he finds while hiking, are incredibly imaginative and often functional too! Drop by Bouchaine's tasting room and ask to see this magnificent collection.
“Earl”, Bouchaine Mascot
Earl, Bouchaine Vineyard’s ever present good will advisor has become an important figure at the winery, attending company meetings and delighting visitors with his charm. Part Rotweiller, German Sheppard, he has a degree in “Whine Making” but his most important role is as a tenacious gopher hunter.
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Earl is featured in the recently released book, “Winery Dogs of Napa Valley” Jacoby, Zundel & Riordan and is again a featured pup in Wine Dogs USA – due out in 2007.
A bit on the pudgy side, he is required to be at his master, Bill Murray’s side as Bill trains for triathlons.
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