Feingold Vineyards

About Us

The Story Of The Feingold Vineyards

A Perfect Pair is more than the name of a wine that is the ideal blend of Syrah and Merlot grapes. The name is more than a reflection of the marriage of the Feingold Vineyards' dedication to earth friendly, organic farming and the Coturri Winery's "Just Grapes" approach to winemaking. A Perfect Pair is more than an a nod to the art and agronomy required to produce a merlot that Robert Parker's 1993 review called, "amazingly full bodied and unctuous, with low acidity and magnificent fruit and richness..." It is more that the relationship between Stan and Roz. It is who we are.

At its heart, A Perfect Pair is a story of the dedication to a dream that vineyard founder Stanley A. Feingold first imagined as a college senior majoring in philosophy in the early 1950s. Stan dreamed of living off the land, of honoring the natural cycle; of paying homage to the seasons by practicing a time to sow... a time to grow ... a time to harvest. Big business and big government were not for him.

Seeing the grape vines grow strong and hardy on Stan's vineyards, it is hard to imagine that his dream was deferred for more than 30 years.

Today, the Syrah and Merlot varietals flourish in the volcanic soil, protected temperate climate on the north slope of Sonoma Mountain above the tiny town of Glen Ellen, California. The vines thrive on the sustainable vita cultural practices Stan employs; the wine blossoms from the partnership Feingold Vineyards and Coturri Winery enjoy.

While it wasn't until 1989 that Stan acquired the land for Feingold Vineyards, his philosophy, tenacity and the skills he developed over a lifetime made him uniquely suited to develop the vineyard that he now calls "my piece of heaven on earth."

Stan graduated from Colorado State University in 1957 with a bachelor's degree in civil engineering. After many years in the profession, he became a hands-on forensic engineer ... And then a lawyer, a lawyer who could accomplish things with engineering efficiency as he likes to say.

After graduating from University of California's Hastings College of Law in 1970, he practiced both law and engineering. Ultimately, he chose to specialize in complex construction-defect litigation and assisted the courts in handling these cases efficiently.

Similarly, because of a devastating custody battle, he knew that there needed to be a better way for couples to deal with marital difficulties. He devoted part of his practice to family law mediation and was the first attorney/family law mediator in California.

Yet, he never forgot his dream of farming in a way that respects and honors nature. So, finally, in 1980, he started searching for the "farm." It took nine years to find a property for himself and that also appealed to his then wife, now deceased. In 1990, he started to develop the east vineyard, 5 acres of Merlot under the mentorship of organic farmer Phil Coturri.  Even as Stan continued his practice of law, he oversaw the vineyard development, building and remodeling on the farm. 

When Stan's daughter, Elisa, (a practicing psychiatrist) visited him and advised him that he shouldn't live on the farm alone, she took it upon herself to write his bio and send it to an internet dating service ....  with the admonition that "You might want to check into that sight once in a while" when she left.  As the world turns Elisa is a very gifted writer and it didn't take long for Roz, the controller of a fair-sized Beverly Hills law firm, to "hit" on him.  Some months later Stan met her in San Francisco for lunch.  It wasn't long before they were a committed couple.  Roz gave up her busy southern California life for the rural peace of the country.  Roz is a talented "controller" of all things in her purview.  She labors in vineyards and vegetable garden; tends her rose garden and keeps Stan's business affairs in order.  Roz also labors in the kitchen for numerous family get togethers, sometimes in large numbers. 

By 2005, he had planted the Syrah vineyards and completed "new barn," a building with a roof designed to optimize the 10 kilowatts of electric solar panels installed on the roof.  All of this in concert with his motto "Live lightly on the planet."