G B H Vineyard

G B H Vineyard
Woodside, California
USA CA
http://www.gbhvineyard.com/

Contact: Paul & Robin Smith
Email: [email protected]

Paul Smith of Woodside describes himself as a man who, looking forlove, found much more — “an entirely new life.” That’s hard todispute.Born in England, he has lived in this country since attending business school at MIT in the mid-1980s. Although he considered himself a “social drinker” in the past, his taste for good wine didn’t approach that of the aficionados he would meet after moving to California in the late 1990s.

Now, the former New York advertising executive not only has a deep appreciation for refined wine, he is making it, “garagiste” style. He makes pinot noir from the grapes he and his wife, Robin — whom he met after moving West, and yes, that’s the love connection — planted on four lots at their Phillip Road property about 10 years ago, two years after they bought the land and built their home. Last year, the Smiths began selling their
wine under the label GBH Vineyard, named for the great blue heron “who assists us with gopher management from time to time,” Mr. Smith notes. The wine, a 2007 pinotnoir, is sold only in Woodside, he says, inkeeping with “garagiste” practice.

“Robin and I had traveled through France, Spain, and Italy, and were always impressed with the ‘garagiste’ winemakers we found small family-owned wineries (that)
farmed their estate-grown varietals and sold primarily in their local towns,” he explains.

“The wines were very affordable, and the communities supported the winemakers in their region. We liked the family aspects of winemaking, and hence the idea to do it
ourselves in Woodside.” Mr. Smith says the wine can be found at the Little Store, the Woodside Bakery, and Buck’s restaurants, and at Roberts market (Woodside only).

The Smiths may have been new to Woodside when they were ready to plant their vines, but they were already familiar enough with the community to know whom to
turn to for help. “Bob Mullen (founder and
then-owner of Woodside Vineyards) got us started,” Mr. Smith says. The terroir — soil,location, climate — was thought to be “terrific for pinot noir,” he says.
Mr. Mullen planted the vines and did some initial maintenance, “but after some training and vineyard work, I felt very comfortable doing it myself,” Mr.Smith says, adding that the personal,“hands-on” approach to working the vines greatly appealed to him.

Winemaker: Paul Smith

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