Mike & Treva Harris
We came to Napa Valley in March of 1997, purchasing 48 acres of steep wooded property in Calistoga. We found the property on the internet, an old private boys school that had fallen into disrepair. We made an offer, prayed we would get it and then "oh no!' We got it. Everything needed repair, especially the water system encased not in pvc or iron pipe, but some obscure polyethylene rubber that produced ongoing leaks that would drain our holding tank leaving us without water till fixed. We called it a project. Our friends called us crazy. "You must be out of your mind" the guys told me. "You're so brave" Treva's girl friends sympathized.
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I'm a third generation San Franciscan, whose dad Tommy Harris was a famous entertainer, restaurant owner and acknowledged city character. He and my mom were married as teens, running away to Reno with 50 dollars borrowed from Meridth Wilson who produced the Radio Show "The Happy Go Lucky Gang" in San Francisco. He would later strike it rich with his musical "The Music Man." These were the days when radio was king. The 1930's with big bands, stage shows and intimate night clubs, was an exciting time to be alive. World War Two was on the horizon and Vegas was still a sand box.
Treva grew up in Columbus, Ohio. A midwest girl with values and sensibilities from our country's heartland that would help her survive "the project." We met at a 49er game in 1973. There are many different versions of who fell in love first, but regardless, after 36 years of marriage it's still a love affair. I spent lots of time when I was growing up, in Napa Valley. My dad loved the hot springs in Calistoga and our family had a country home in Glen Ellen over on the Sonoma side during the war. Food and wine were always topics of conversation in our house, and we spent a lot of time with our dad at his night club "The House of Harris," when we could talk him into taking us. Treva came to California in 1970, an Ohio State Buckeye who loved the weather and lifestyle so much she never went back. By the time we met she had already developed a taste for fine wine and gourmet cooking while raising two children.
I retired in 2005 after 32 years as a pediatric dentist in Silicon Valley. I always said that after 32 years of beating up little kids anyone could use a great glass of wine. I never thought we would be the ones making it. Making wine was never part of our original plan, but after having our soils tested we were told we had to plant vines because the soils were so outstanding. We decided to plant three separate vineyards with french clone cabernet sauvignon. With the help of our vineyard manager Michael Black, and Paul Hobbs purchasing our first available crop, we knew we were on the right track.
We are now nearing our tenth vintage and we can sit back and reflect on what a ride it has been. We have made so many friends and lots of raving fans. Our wines are being served in great restaurants and lovely homes across the country. Each new vintage continues to express the unique characteristics of our estate grown terroir driven wines. Thanks for sharing our dreams with us. We love all the emails and letters we receive telling us how much you love our wines. We promise our best is yet to come.
Cheers and thank you,
Mike and Treva Harris
Winemaker
Thomas Brown was born in Sumter, South Carolina in 1972, a marginal vintage for wine, but a great year for humans. He developed an interest in wine while majoring in English and Economics at the University of Virginia. Later, he expanded his knowledge of wines from all of the world’s great regions while working at All Seasons Wine Shop in Calistoga at the northern end of the Napa Valley.
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He worked the 1997 harvest for Kent Rasmussen before becoming an assistant winemaker for Ehren Jordan, winemaker at Turley Wine Cellars and consultant to a number of other high profile California wineries. Today, Thomas consults for Outpost, Maybach, Schrader, and Revana in addition to his own Pinot Noir project, Rivers-Marie. Beyond California, Thomas is a fan of Burgundy, Piedmont and the southern Rhone. When asked how he defines great wine, he responds, “I can’t really define it, but I know it when I taste it.”
Vineyard Manager
Joshua T. Clark was born in Marysville, California, the heart and/or soul of Yuba County. His parents Thomas and Laurie Clark moved to Napa Valley in 1976. Happily, they brought the two-year old Joshua with them. In 1989, the Clark Family purchased 117 acres developing 20 into a high quality Cabernet Sauvignon vineyard. Like his parents Joshua attended Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, graduating with a BS in Agricultural Engineering Technology and a Minor in Ag Business.
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After school he worked for Hames Valley Vineyards and Vineyard Professional Services in Paso Robles, CA. After managing development, maintenance and harvest for VPS during the ’97 and ’98 vintages, Joshua moved back up the Napa Valley to take over his father’s vineyard management company Clark Vineyard Management, specializes in small, high quality vineyards and currently manages a number of vineyards and also grows top quality fruit for some of the Valley’s more established producers. In 1993, the family produced their first vintage under the Clark-Claudon Vineyards label.
General Manager
Brigid Bailie is taking over the very busy job of Harris Estate’s General Manager. She will personally see that all of our wonderful fans are treated as family friends and she will never run out of our great Cabernets. She is also charged with the difficult task of seeing that Mike, Treva, and especially Jake remember where they are supposed to go and what to do on a daily basis.
Brigid is a Bay Area native and Wine Country fanatic. From a young age, Brigid would visit both Napa and Sonoma Valleys with her family and spend summer days at a relative’s home in the town of Sonoma.
While studying Wine Business at Sonoma State University, Brigid began working in the Napa Valley at a small Cabernet Sauvignon producer in 2006. It was in 2008 when Brigid decided to take the leap, follow her dream, and move to the Napa Valley permanently and work her first harvest on the crush pad. After a few years of working in sales and marketing, Brigid had the pleasure of meeting Mike, Treva and Jake through a mutual friend. They stayed in touch and Brigid joined the team at Harris Estate Vineyards in 2011. She is living her dream working on a beautiful wine estate and drinking great wines with Bubba, her black Labrador, by her side.
Director of Hospitality
Jake Junior or JJ to his close friends, was born at Lanka's Labs in Kansas on May 28, 2007. His father a beautiful white lab named Jake and his mom an equally beautiful black lab named Ebony. Jake moved to Calistoga to take over the important post of director of hospitality at the young age of 6 months and immediately made an impact. He greets all our visitors always with a smile and a "high five". He has continued to grow into some really big paws and is tipping the scale at a sleek 108 pounds. Jake especially likes to baby sit if any children are around and is always happy to accompany our visitors on a tour of the vineyards.
