Okapi

As a young lawyer Dan met Dick Arrowood, then the winemaker for Chateau St. Jean, while handling a legal matter. After the trial, Dick invited Dan to visit the winery, and that fateful introduction to wine and wine country living led to a desire to – eventually – make Napa Valley his home. Dan found a kindred spirit in Kim. She was first drawn to the wine business as a college student, and then again when a hotel industry job brought her to Napa Valley to learn about dining trends from wine country chefs.

Together they transformed an overgrown walnut orchard into a vineyard in 2006. With the help of neighbors and new friends, they learned about technical essentials like rootstocks, clones and trellising as they went along. Each season and vintage that followed challenged them to keep learning. For people who are used to making things happen in the corporate and legal worlds, allowing nature to take control has been a profound lesson in patience and adaptability – one worthy of lengthy exploration over a glass of fine wine.