STEVE TONELLA OF S. R. TONELLA CELLARS
S. R. Tonella Cellars is the culmination of over 100 continuous years in the wine business in Rutherford, Napa Valley. It all started with an earthquake. In 1906 after the great San Francisco earthquake, a huge demand for workers to rebuild the city brought Joseph Ponti, Steve’s great uncle, from Italy to San Francisco. Shortly thereafter, Ponti became the superintendent and initial winemaker at the iconic Beaulieu Vineyards in Rutherford, where he stayed for 43 years. Ponti’s nephew, Steve’s grandfather, Louis Tonella, joined his uncle at Beaulieu when he was just 17 and worked there for several years. Louis inherited from Ponti vineyards located in the Rutherford viticulture region and passed them on to his son Raymond Tonella, Steve’s father. Over the years, Raymond purchased additional vineyard acreage, as well as managing other Rutherford vineyards. Grape growing and wine production have been a part of Steve’s life and family history.Bringing us to the present, we endeavor to continue this heritage and spirit with
S. R. Tonella Cellars. Our purpose is simply to make history by crafting the best premium Cabernet Sauvignon that represents the best of Rutherford and Napa Valley. A lot of historical events have been written down after-the-fact on the pages of books; but in truth, living history is made every day with family, friends, co-workers and casual coincidental encounters both near and far. It’s those relationships, the real events in our own histories, which have a meaningful impact on our lives. S. R. Tonella Cellar’s aspiration is that our wine is shared to create some small but memorable piece of history with everyone who crosses paths with us. And so it begins.
BIO:
Steve Tonella was born in Napa Valley and grew up living in Sonoma and Rutherford. From an early age he worked in the vineyards with his father and grandfather. Enjoying the hot sun and helping in the vineyard by suckering vines (removing unwanted shoots) tying, training, and irrigating formed his early encounters in vineyards. He says he is amazed to have survived as the mode of transportation was the infamous 3-wheeler motorcycles that were accident prone and tipped easily.
Fast forward to the turn of the century when Steve began making wine and produced small quantities of Cabernet Sauvignon. College took him to Cal Poly San Luis Obispo where he earned a degree in Business Administration. After college, Steve entered the high-tech industry and quickly moved into sales leadership positions that took him around the world. Fluent in both Italian and Spanish, he’s lived and worked in Rome, Italy, and Barcelona, Spain, besides stints in England and Japan. During all his travels, the dream of cultivating Rutherford wine never left. After working across three continents, the time had come to resurrect the dream of producing Rutherford Cabernet Sauvignon into a reality: The 2010 is the ‘first’ of many vintages to come.
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