A California wine pioneer and global advocate for organic, biodynamic and regenerative viticulture, winemaker and grapegrower Paul Dolan died on June 26, at age 72, after battling cancer.
As a 27-year employee of Fetzer Vineyards, starting as winemaker in 1977 and rising to president in 1992, he helped the Fetzer family (and later Brown-Forman Corp.) grow their brand into a multimillion-case juggernaut and transition the company to organic grapegrowing. Along the way, he helped introduce numerous California growers to organic farming, build a market for wines certified as “Made with organic grapes” and demonstrate that an organic approach could be achieved on a large scale.
With his personable style and ability to combine passionate idealism with the practical mindset of a farmer, he turned an environmentally-friendly approach into a cornerstone of the company’s culture—an evolution he later detailed in his 2003 book True to Our Roots: Fermenting a Business Revolution, showing that companies could be a catalyst for positive change in the world.
“I think one thing Paul Dolan has done really well is marry the approach that one can be successful in business and also a steward of the land,” said Joseph Brinkley, director of regenerative farming at Bonterra Organic Estates (the new name for Fetzer).
Dolan’s influence went far beyond Fetzer. In the early 2000s, he was instrumental in helping to develop and promote the California Code of Sustainable Winegrowing, which eventually led to a statewide certification. In 2006, he became chairman of the Wine Institute, an advocacy group that represents the wine industry on public policy issues.
“The passion he had and the leadership skills were critical. He had a deep knowledge of why [sustainability] was important and how he was practicing it in his organization,” said Allison Jordan, executive director of the California Sustainable Winegrowing Alliance. “He had a way of being kind and understanding and patient while at the same time pushing the envelope.”
In the same decade, he became deeply involved in biodynamic farming, earning certification at Dark Horse Ranch, which he and his sons, Jason and Heath, purchased in Mendocino County in the 1990s. He then served on the board of certifying agency Demeter USA for several years.
After leaving Fetzer, Dolan engaged his entrepreneurial side and continued exploring new aspects of sustainability in projects with partners (some short-lived, some more successful), such as the purchase of Parducci, which became the first U.S. winery to earn a carbon-neutral certification). With friend Phil Hurst, he co-founded Truett-Hurst winery in 2007, whose Sonoma County estate is certified organic and biodynamic, and tried to bring paper wine bottles to the market.
In recent years, he switched his attention to regenerative agriculture, serving on the board of the Regenerative Organic Alliance, a certification initiative that goes beyond USDA Organic requirements to focus more on soil health, animal welfare and fair treatment of workers.
Dolan came from a long wine lineage; one of his maternal great-grandfathers was Italian immigrant Pietro Carlo Rossi, who in the 1880s co-founded Italian Swiss Colony winery in Sonoma County. On his father’s side, his great-grandfather, Irish immigrant James Concannon, launched Concannon in California’s Livermore Valley in 1883. Dolan’s second wife, Diana, is a member of the Fetzer family.
He was mentor to and an influence on many in the wine industry—from fellow growers and winemakers to sommeliers and writers—who followed in adopting more mindful approaches to farming, wine purchasing and educating.
“Paul has been able to get out there and speak to other farmers,” said Brinkley. “Farmers listen to other farmers more than anyone else. That’s where a lot of learning happens. We can trust each other and know we’re facing the same challenges. When we see that it can happen, we’re way more likely to try it ourselves.”
Even as he was battling cancer, Dolan was planning for the future, outlining a new book. “He never stopped. He’s not someone who said OK, I did that and now I’m going to sit back and enjoy my retirement,” said Jordan. “He was always learning and trying to figure out ways he can be a part of the solution.”