OUR STAFF
We have attracted an outstanding team to Long Meadow Ranch. In every area we have sought outstanding persons with distinctive knowledge and experience. Not surprisingly, many members of our team also work in their own operations and/or for other clients. In this way, we can capture the greatest specialized expertise and stay close to the state-of-the art.. For example, we happily share Ashley, Frank, and Les. We also make use of other important advisors such as Organic Ag Advisor, Amigo Bob Cantisano, beef marketer, Mark Keller, and sales & marketing consultant, John Skupny.

	Ashley Heisey, Winemaker		Devonna Smith Manager of Administration & Controller
	Frank Leeds, Vineyard Manager		Chris Hall, National Sales Manager
	Todd Renner, Ranch Manager		Lydia Damian, Director of Hospitality & LMR General Store Manager
	Porfirio ("Pilo") Sanchez, Crew Leader		Les Denend, Vice Chairman & Chief Financial Officer
	Jason Moulton, Cellarmaster & Asst. Olive Oil Maker		Monty Sander, Director of Public Relations
	Courtney Delello, Farm Production Manager		Jaimee Taylor , Staff Accountant
	Sarah Bertoli, Trainer & Stable Manager		Open , Customer Service & Sales Support Manager

Ashley Heisey, Winemaker

Accomplished winemaker, Ashley Heisey, joined the Long Meadow Ranch winemaking team as Associate Winemaker in August 2003 and became our principal Winemaker in time for the 2004 vintage. Ashley followed in the footsteps of our long-standing winemaker, Cathy Corison, in making the distinctive wines from Long Meadow Ranch's organically farmed estate vineyards located high in the Mayacamas Mountains above Rutherford.

Heisey was winemaker for the Napa Valley wineries, Far Niente, and the affiliated Dolce, from 1997 to 2001 and she previously served as enologist from 1993 to 1997 for the same properties. A graduate of University of California at Davis (MS in Enology) and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Ashley has enjoyed a wide range of winemaking experiences. She has worked in various capacities at several of Napa Valley's finest wineries, including Opus One, Robert Mondavi Winery, and Schramsberg Vineyards.

Ashley has worked as an intern in Germany's Rheingau and France's Bordeaux regions. And, recognizing that one only has a finite number of opportunities to make wine in a lifetime, she participated in two harvests a year by traveling to the Southern Hemisphere in each year from 1997 to 2000 with stints in Argentina, South Africa, New Zealand, and Chile.

While guiding with the Long Meadow Ranch production, Ashley will also make wines under her own label in the winery's facility. With husband, Alan Tenscher, who is also in the wine business, and her own brand, Ashley is "immersed" in wine. Her very limited production Syrah was released under the Heisey brand, Marelle, in 2004. Proving that she is not all business, Ashley can often be found with sons, Seth and Miles, exploring in the barns and at the hen house on the ranch.
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Frank Leeds,

Vineyard Manager

Born in San Francisco, vineyard manager and neighbor Frank Leeds attended Lincoln and Lowell High Schools before gaining his degree in History and Aircraft Technology at the City College of San Francisco. Pursuing his passion for exotic technology, Frank was a master mechanic for American Airlines for ten years before retiring to explore his growing interest in the intricacies of farming.

At the knee of one of Napa valley’s true originals, "Uncle Roy" Chavez, Frank began farming the ranch owned by Roy with his sister, Mabel Leeds (Frank’s mother), in 1984. Roy Chavez first began farming along Whitehall Lane in 1926 in valley floor vineyards about 800 feet below Long Meadow Ranch. With Uncle Roy’s deep understanding of how to work the soil and with guidance from contemporary organic experts like Amigo Bob Cantisano, Frank soon emerged as one of the true pioneers of organic farming in the Napa Valley.

In 1987 Frank met another passionate organic advocate, John Williams of Frog’s Leap, who further encouraged Frank to develop his approach, which now includes the use of modern trellis systems, foliar fertilizers, and beneficial insect management. In 1990 Frank began selling grapes to Frog’s Leap and in 1992 assumed responsibility for managing their vineyards.

In 1998 Frank began managing the vineyards at Long Meadow Ranch extending the close relationship between owners, Hall of Long Meadow Ranch and Williams of Frog’s Leap. A respected industry leader, Frank has served as the president of the Napa Valley Grape Growers and he now serves on several industry committees including the Napa County Glassy-winged Sharpshooter Task Force.

Still an occasional sailor on San Francisco Bay, Frank lives on the Leeds Ranch with his wife, artist Beth Leeds, and their daughters, Lauren and Ali. On his days "off," Frank is frequently found with a wrench in his hand working on a treasured tractor or classic car.
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Jason Moulton,

Cellarmaster and Asst. Olive Oil Maker

Hailing from the state of Illinois, Jason Moulton has come to us with a range of diverse winemaking experiences.  As our Cellarmaster, Jason is responsible for all cellar duties under the direction of our winemaker Ashley Heisey.  He brings with him a great deal of experience with Sauvignon Blanc and Cabernet Sauvignon.  As Assistant Olive Oil Maker, he is in charge of the milling and production activities for our Napa Valley Select and Prato Lungo extra virgin olive oils. 

Jason began his career with wine in 2002 in his home state of Illinois.  While obtaining two degrees at Southern Illinois University in Hospitality and Spanish, he interned at a local winery that specialized in American varietals and French Hybrids.  His internship there planted the seeds for his desire to undertake a career in the wine industry.  After graduation, he moved to the Okanagan Valley in British Columbia to study and work in winemaking.  In 2004, he relocated to the Russian River to work as a lab technician with Korbel.  From California, he flew to Christchurch, New Zealand to undertake the Post Graduate Diploma in Viticulture and Enology program at Lincoln University.  His main focus while there was studying the famous Marlborough Sauvignon blanc region.  While in Marlborough, he worked at Wither Hills Vineyards, operating the crush pad for Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay. 

In 2006, Jason traveled to the Graves region of Bordeaux to study, live, and work at a Chateau.  While there, he picked up French and studied the Bordeaux-style wines.  Sauvignon Blanc/Semillon and Cabernet/Merlot blends were the main wines that he focused on during his tenure in Bordeaux.  After Bordeaux, Jason underwent another reverse harvest in South Africa.  While in South Africa, he worked with Sauvignon Blanc, Cabernet/Merlot, Shiraz, and Pinotage.  From South Africa, he flew immediately to work in his favorite region once again, Bordeaux.  After falling in love with Bordeaux and its wine styles, he was convinced this was what he wanted to work with in the United States…specifically, Napa Valley. 

As a new resident of Napa Valley, Jason is just beginning to explore what the region has to offer.  When Jason is not at the winery, he prefers to be outside hiking or on the beach, playing soccer or Frisbee, and winetasting around the valley.
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Devonna Smith ,
Manager of Administration & Controller

 

 

 

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Open,

Customer Service
& Sales Support Manager

 

 

 

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Sarah Bertoli ,
Trainer and Stable Manager

Sarah joined us on June 16, 2008. Her biography will appear here shortly.

 

 

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Monty Sander,

Director of Public Relations

Born in Oklahoma, Monty Sander has had as many careers as Long Meadow Ranch has crops. As our Director of Public Relations, Monty has responsibility for all media relations and consumer communications. He also brings expertise to the design of our advertising and collateral materials and creativity and style to the planning of our special events. Drawing on a fascinatingly diverse portfolio of experiences, Monty can uniquely relate the story of Long Meadow Ranch to an unusually wide range of publications (e.g., travel, wine, food, interior design, architecture, entertainment) and people.

Monty began his career at the University of Oklahoma as a music major (in classical keyboards and organ) before moving to the School of Architecture where he majored in environmental design. After a stint at the Ice House in San Francisco where he sold wholesale home furnishings, Monty moved to Los Angeles where he learned to cook with several top catering companies. Taken by this new experience in the food world, Monty moved to the Napa Valley first to join Oakville Grocery and then to become pastry chef at Auberge du Soleil. After this rarefied exploration of the art of cooking, he next honed his writing skills by becoming a paralegal with a Napa Valley law firm - ultimately assuming the role of the 17-attorney firm's overall administrator.

In 1995 Monty finally put it all together by joining a local Napa public relations agency. Convinced of his own capability and of his unique background to serve the wine, food, and hospitality clientele of the Napa Valley, he left in 1997 to form his own firm, Monty J. Sander Communications, where he continues today.

Simultaneously with the release of our first wines, Monty began at Long Meadow Ranch in the fall of 1999. He has been the guiding hand that built our international reputation through print, radio, and television exposure and he has helped bring style and class to our special events.
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Les Denend,

Vice Chairman & Chief Financial Officer
( See press release.)

A highly accomplished former CEO, Les was owner Ted's original amateur winemaking partner in 1971 when both were graduate students at Stanford University. From that start in Les' garage in Santa Clara, Long Meadow Ranch has grown from a hazy dream to a diversified agricultural reality. As our valued senior advisor and "consigliari," Les' job is to help us wisely manage the "five balls" we always seem to be juggling at Long Meadow Ranch. He is our coach, mentor, and strategic discussion partner.

A decorated F-4 Phantom combat pilot, Les was born in Hayward, California and attended the US Air Force Academy before serving in Viet Nam. Following his combat duty, Les received MBA and Ph.D. degrees from Stanford University's Graduate School of Business and taught economics at the Air Force Academy. While still in the Air Force, Les was named a White House Fellow and he subsequently served in the White House under Presidents Ford, Carter, Reagan, and Bush.

After a stint as a partner at consulting firm McKinsey & Company in Washington and San Francisco, Les went on to a highly successful career as a top executive in technology companies, ultimately becoming CEO of Network General in Santa Clara. A former resident of Palo Alto, he has served on the boards of a variety of public technology companies and not-for-profit organizations.

Les and his wife, Judy, live - and now Les works - on the ranch. In the mid '90s we sold them a 30-acre portion of the ranch where they have built a home and planted an olive orchard. The Denends' Mission olives provide a spicy component to the ranch's Napa Valley Select Extra Virgin Olive Oil and olives from their Italian trees will soon contribute to our newest olive oil. And, as a reminder of our shared roots, a bottle of 1971 "Denend-Hall" amateur red wine proudly graces the entry of the winery - with the motto "Fine Wine Since 1971" boldly on the label.
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Lydia Damian,

Director of Hospitality & LMR General Store Manager

Born in Michigan, Lydia has long experience in the food and beverage industry. She began when just eighteen years old as a caterer creating private dining experiences in her hometown. Her catering expertise and abiding interest in fine food ultimately took her to Chicago where she became a manager for Levy Restaurants, a 10-restaurant group that also manages the food concessions for the luxury suites in Chicago's most prominent sports venues. Lydia eventually graduated to become an operations manager for Wolfgang Puck where, among other assignments, Lydia opened Puck's restaurant in the Museum of Contemporary Art.

Armed with broad managerial experience in demanding environments, Lydia next joined the team that opened the Las Vegas venue of New Orleans' famous Commander's Palace Restaurant. Located in the Aladdin Casino, Lydia was the opening restaurant manager, a challenging task typically reserved for the industry's most capable professionals.

After a successful launch in Las Vegas, Lydia was attracted to wine country by the opportunity to assume overall responsibility for the Meadowood Resort's fine dining room. There she gained a reputation for her upbeat demeanor and for outstanding service quality in the dining room.  When the Restaurant at Meadowood closed for a lengthy renovation, Long Meadow Ranch was lucky to capture Lydia’s imagination.

Lydia is responsible for the overall hospitality and visitor program at Long Meadow Ranch.  She designs, develops, and implements programs for trade, club, and paid visitors to experience the ranch's large and diverse operations.  She is a gracious hostess and has created wonderful opportunities for visitors to learn about our organic, sustainable farming practices - and to also experience the bounty of Long Meadow Ranch with creative wine and food pairings.  

When not busy with a visitor or a special event, Lydia is dreaming up new ways for consumers to take something home from the ranch.  She designs our creatively packaged gift baskets and selects LMR-branded apparel and accessories.  She can often be found gathering horse shoes and other ranch artifacts to include in her latest inventions.As proof of her abundant energy and long hours, her colleagues at LMR often receive e-mail from Lydia that originates well after midnight.
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Chris Hall,

National Sales Manager
(See Chris' family biography)

Born in San Francisco, Chris has been an entrepreneur since he was ten years old. His first business was a dog walking service in San Francisco's Pacific Heights. From the very beginning, Chris has been a driving force in the development

of the diversified farming activities at Long Meadow Ranch .

With the establishment of his first egg laying poultry flock in 1991, Chris began selling eggs to neighbors and friends. This venture was quickly augmented with the first production of vegetables from a garden he planted with his brother, Timothy. In the summer of 1991, Chris and Tim made their first appearance at the Napa Valley Farmers' Market in nearby St. Helena and Chris has been active in the business of the ranch ever since.

A graduate of San Francisco's University High School where he excelled in soccer, Chris attended the University of Colorado majoring in geology and fire science. Upon his return to the ranch in 2003, Chris worked in a variety of assignments across the full range of our businesses, including Production Manager for Rutherford Gardens and On-Premise Sales Manager. He now serves as our National Sales Manager.

As the National Sales Manager, Chris is creating and executing sales programs directed at achieving our goals for serving the nation's top restaurants. In the Napa Valley, he is directly responsible for wine, beef, olive oil and vegetable sales to restaurant accounts and provides a single integrated point of contact for our highly valued Napa Valley customers. For the rest of the country, Chris is responsible for devising programs and making customer calls with the sales representatives of our brokers and distributors. Especially in the fall and winter when the garden is relatively dormant, Chris can be found across the country attending trade tastings, making presentations about Long Meadow Ranch, and conducting special events (e.g., winemaker's dinners, special beef promotions, etc.).

Chris has also has an advisory role for the vegetable production at LMR Rutherford Gardens, as he was the original architect of our organic vegetable program. Chris is a licensed Emergency Medical Technician and currently serves as member of the local Rutherford Volunteer Fire Department. A budding amateur winemaker, Chris lives on the ranch in the historic "Winery House", which was once the Hassenmeyer Winery.
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Porfirio ("Pilo") Villanueva Sanchez,
Crew Leader

Born in San Marcos, Oaxaca, Mexico, Pilo is one of ten children in a family of four boys and six girls. Somewhat like the recent years at Long Meadow Ranch, the economy in Pilo's hometown is dominated by construction and agriculture (corn, chile peppers, onions, garlic,and tomatoes).

Coming to the Napa Valley in 1989 with two of his brothers, Pilo joined Dalla Valle Vineyards with the help of a friend who also worked there. Pilo originally worked as the gardener, tending the rose garden, maintaining the landscape, and cleaning the pool. He moved into a vineyard position first doing general vineyard work and harvesting and later undertaking the skilled tasks of pruning, vine training, and thinning. He continued his development by working in the estate's winery where he was involved in crushing, pressing, racking, and topping.

While occasionally doing extra work at Frog's Leap where older brother Gilberto is thecrew leader, Pilo caught vineyard manager Frank Leed's eye through his skilled work, strong work ethic, and intense desire to learn. Pilo's roots in agricultural Oaxaca and his diverse work experience in the Napa Valley made him ideally suited to the diversified agriculture we practice at Long Meadow Ranch. Just 26-years old when he joined in 1998, Frank felt that Pilo was ready to "have his own ranch" and be a crew leader. Today Pilo is the respected leader of our vineyard and orchard crew where his skill and attention to detail are major contributors to the quality of our grapes and olives.
When he is not working, Pilo enjoys playing soccer. With Pilo as a key part of the defense, his team plays every Sunday and practice is held two to three times a week. Pilo and his wife, Lilianna, have a young son and they live near a sister and brother and theirlarge extended family in the city of Napa.
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Jaimee Taylor ,

Staff Accountant

Jaimee will join us on July 1, 2008. Her biography will appear here shortly.

 

 

 

 

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Todd Renner,

Ranch Manager
Born and raised on his family’s organic ranch in Ferndale, CA, Todd joins us with many years of dairy and beef cattle experience. Milking, branding and herding were some of the many tasks Todd had as a young man. Todd was also active in 4-H raising dairy replacement heifers for his family farm. During high school he was a star of the Ferndale High foot ball team and was an active participant in his school’s FFA program.

A recent graduate of Cal Poly San Luis Obispo with a BS in Agricultural Systems Management, Todd’s background perfectly suits the diverse operations at Long Meadow Ranch. After graduation Todd was a student ranch manager for a commercial cow-calf enterprise project for a year, gaining additional hands on experience. He also worked as a mechanic working on many different types of ranch related equipment. Upon moving to the area, Todd worked as heavy equipment operator then a salesman for a livestock equipment company.

Todd is the official jack-of-all-trades at Long Meadow Ranch. Fixing tractors, moving cattle, dispatching labor and watching over our Red Wattle pigs are just a few of his daily tasks. He often travels with owner Ted Hall to ranches in Tomales and Ferndale to move cattle or to conduct round ups.

Todd lives on the ranch with his wife Julie and Labrador puppy, Kate. In his free time he enjoys spending time hunting, fishing, and spending time with family and friends.
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Courtney Delello

Farm Production Manager
Agriculture teacher and experienced garden manager, Courtney Delello has a unique skill set that is ideal for her position as Farm Production Manager. Born in Fremont, CA and raised on a farm in Washington, Courtney is no stranger to organic farming. She even teaches classes on how to do it.

With her B.S. in Ecology and Systematic Biology and her M.A. in Social Sciences: Environment and Community, Courtney is well prepared for the farming and educating aspects of her position. With experience as a farm manager at Canvas Ranch, a farmers’ market manager, a naturalist at the Woodleaf Outdoor School, and, most recently, a faculty member in the Agriculture/Natural Sciences Department at Santa Rosa Junior College, Courtney is a perfect match for Long Meadow Ranch.

As Farm Production Manager, Courtney is responsible for all aspects of farming at LMR Rutherford Gardens. Planting, watering, weeding, transplanting, pruning, and harvesting are among the many tasks she and her team perform. Courtney also leads the educational program at the gardens which creates opportunities for local schools and agriculture groups to come to the gardens and learn about the organic, sustainable practices we use at LMR.

When she’s not working in her own garden Courtney enjoys riding her Arabian/Morgan horse Boo, spending time with her dog, Amica, hiking in the Sierra Nevada and camping with her family in Fort Bragg. She also enjoys “feeding people” using fresh products and recipes she creates on her own.
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