Grower Spotlight: Fore Family Vineyard

Photo credit: Karen Pavone

Winegrower Jim Fore’s passion for grape growing and winemaking began as a hobby, rooted in his early days as a home winemaker. While his professional career was spent as a designer working on submarines at a Bay Area shipyard, it was the creativity and hands-on nature of winemaking that truly captivated him.

“I started off gleaning grapes from growers in the Napa Valley to get the best fruit I could to work with,” he remembers fondly. “Along the way, I made some great connections in the wine business.”

When the shipyard announced it was ceasing operations, Jim and his wife, Diane, a kindergarten teacher, found themselves at a crossroads. Neither wanted to relocate out of state for another design project. That’s when he seriously began to consider a pivot to growing winegrapes.

“True story,” he says with a chuckle. “I came home one day and said to Diane, ‘I guess we’re gonna become farmers.’ And she says, ‘Farm what?!’”

With a new plan in mind, Jim set out to put the pieces in place. He pitched a partnership to his friend, grower Doug Hill, owner of Hill Family Estate in Yountville. “I didn’t know anything about grape growing,” he says, “and Doug was a big-time viticulturist in Napa Valley who was a manager for Jaeger Vineyards/Rutherford Hill at that time.” Doug agreed and took Jim under his wing as an apprentice in 1995 to learn the ropes of vineyard management full-time.

It wasn’t long before Jim and Diane began looking for vineyard property of their own to develop, which led them over the hill to Lake County.

“Lake County was one of the few places where you could still buy affordable land,” Jim recalls. In 2000, they found and purchased a 100-acre property on Cobb Mountain in the Red Hills AVA. “We’re growing at 3,000 feet, so our vineyard is one of the highest in the region,” he says. “It can be a struggle in the spring because we sometimes get a cold air inversion, and we’re right at that tipping point.”

Today, the Fores have 14 acres under cultivation in Cabernet Sauvignon, Mourvèdre, Albariño, Grenache, Grenache Blanc, Syrah, and Zinfandel.

“The winegrapes love the cooler temperatures up here,” Jim says, gesturing toward the vineyard, which climbs the eastern slope of the mountain and benefits from early morning sun and reduced exposure to the afternoon sun. The site’s unique geography helps moderate temperatures. “The vineyard is surrounded by forest, so we get thermal currents through the timber, which cool the air before it reaches the vines. It’s typically 10 degrees cooler up here, which is good for fruit quality.”

“One thing I’ve learned is that canopy management up here is different. We use a wire raking system to open the canopy and maximize sunlight on the fruit. We don’t get that harsh afternoon sun because our ridge blocks it.”

The Fores try to grow as simply and sustainably as possible, with minimal use of chemicals. “We try to grow as naturally as we can, using organic-approved sulfur for pest control.” Walking through the well-drained volcanic soils, Jim notes that the terrain is made up of small to medium pebbles, slippery underfoot and tricky to navigate, but ideal for grapevines.

In 2016, Fore Family Vineyards opened a tasting room in downtown Kelseyville, managed by their son, Eric, who also handles the brand’s social media, and designs all their bottle labels. The couple’s daughter, who married a Napa vintner, is involved in her own winery business with her husband.

Looking ahead, the Fores remain optimistic about the future of Lake County’s wine industry. They continue to focus on quality farming and meaningful connections with their customers.

“Appreciate your wine consumers and wine club members,” Jim advises. “Be good neighbors, and do everything you can.” He adds, “We’re fortunate to have strong community support behind our tasting room in downtown Kelseyville, and we’re proud to be part of a region with so much potential.”

Photo credit: Karen Pavone