Grower Spotlight: Kaj Ahlmann
Kaj Ahlmann of Six Sigma Ranch | Photo credit: Karen Pavone
The road that led Six Sigma Ranch & Winery patriarch Kaj Ahlmann to Lake County was circuitous. Viticulture was a far cry from his former 25-year career as a high- level executive at General Electric, a corporate job that demanded extensive world travel.
“I was 50 years old when my boss (GE CEO Jack Welch) asked me to move again, so I decided it was time for a lifestyle change,” says Kaj. “I thought, ‘You’re going to do something that you have a true passion for.’”
He pondered memories of his childhood on his grandfather’s farm in Denmark. “I had my first little piece of land when I was 14,” he recalls fondly, “and I managed to grow enough food for the family.” Tired of the Midwest climate in Kansas City where he was based, he did an about-face in November 1999 and came to California to look for land.
“I had some idea about what I was looking for,” he said, “and I’ve always enjoyed a good glass of wine.”
His initial search took him to Mendocino County and a Russian River property he had his eye on, but the deal fell through. As luck would have it, a realtor mentioned an off-market ranch property in Lake County that might soon be listed. The elderly owner was not quite ready to sell but was warming up to the idea. Intrigued, Kaj followed the lead and found himself driving to a beautiful and remote area of Lake County to meet with Russell Rustici, who had owned his 4,300-acre cattle ranch outside Lower Lake since 1967. The men spent three hours touring the property and talking. Kaj was instantly smitten with the setting.
“We sat in his pickup truck, and he asked me what I thought,” Kaj remembers. “I said, it’s absolutely gorgeous. Let me talk to my wife.” Meanwhile, he asked Russell if he could send out a scientist to do soil samples.
“I knew this place was the real deal,” says Kaj. “When I saw the volcanic soil—the same soil that has made Howell Mountain in Napa Valley a grower’s dream—I was sold. We did our due diligence upfront. We used a backhoe to dig six or seven holes, each five feet deep, to analyze the profile of the soil layers and chemical composition, providing us with detailed information about the site.”
Kaj points to Lake County’s young volcanic soils as a distinction that sets it a cut above. “The soil contributes a minerality to the flavor of the grapes,” he notes, “and it drains well. The vines like water, but they don’t like wet roots. The temperature swings here are perfect; hot during the day, then cooling into the 50sF° at night. These are the reasons we’re here.”
In 2000, with his wife Else’s stamp of approval, Kaj made a deal with Russell on a handshake to purchase the property that would become Six Sigma Ranch & Winery.
“I worked out here by myself at the beginning,” says Kaj, who initially commuted between California and Kansas City because their children were still in high school. Else stayed behind to hold down the fort but came out for holidays and vacation.
Today, Six Sigma Ranch & Vineyard is a family endeavor. “Else has been fantastic,” Kaj says of his wife of 53 years. “She catalogued 159 wildflowers on the property and created a color-coded guide with all the names. She manages our website, too.” Of their four children, his son Christian and daughter-in-law Rachel have come on board as the next generation to carry the legacy forward. “He’s already taking on more and more of the daily responsibilities,” says Kaj.
They grow Cabernet Sauvignon, Tempranillo, Syrah, Merlot, Petit Verdot, and Sauvignon Blanc. Tempranillo is not frequently grown in Lake County, but the vines love the microclimate at Six Sigma.
“I spent a lot of time in Spain,” says Kaj. “I love the Tempranillo grape, so I worked with some of my friends in the wine business over there and compared my result with theirs. It’s been fantastic for us. It does well in this hot/cold climate, and when it gets really hot, the vines take a siesta—then they come back when it cools.”
When asked about the future of the Lake County wine industry, Kaj says, “Six Sigma has had our wine in Michelin-star restaurants in New York for 10 years now, but they still think that everybody in the wine business in California lives in Napa! We have to hang in there and work hard to get people to realize that Lake County is what Napa was a hundred years ago. We have volcanic soil, and our grapes are just as good. We need more facilities to support local wine tasting—like good restaurants that go hand-in-hand with a wine experience. It’s why we built Huttopia Wine Country (*their self-contained, 63-unit glamping resort launched in 2023 with a main lodge, hiking/biking trails, a large swimming pool/playground, and a bistro with a pizza oven). We’re not far from the San Francisco Bay Area, but people need more reasons to come, spend time, and stay in Lake County.”
Now 24 years into this chapter-two life journey, Kaj has no regrets. “We live in paradise here,” he says with a satisfied smile.
As Dorothy famously said, “We’re not in Kansas anymore!”
Kaj Ahlmann of Six Sigma Ranch | Photo credit: Karen Pavone