Londer Vineyards is a dream come true. We were both originally from Denver, and after school
and residency we moved to Albuquerque, NM where we lived for 27 years. Larry practiced
ophthalmology and Shirlee ran the optical shops. Our interest in wine dates back many years and
we talked of one day being able to plant a vineyard and start a winery of our own.
The search for property began in 1997. After visiting the Anderson Valley, we decided this was the
place for us. It was just the right climate for growing Pinot Noir and Gewurztraminer (Larry's choice
of the grapes to grow), and it was one of the most beautiful areas we had ever visited.
Larry's decision to partially retire from medicine and move to Northern California was viewed by
family and friends as, "bold, brave, gutsy, and just plain nuts". No one could figure out what we were
going to do in the middle of nowhere, with the nearest traffic light forty-five minutes away. All we can
say to that is that the move has proved to be a success. Our adventure with country life has been
exciting, enriching, and with something new occurring every day.
Both Larry and Shirlee easily moved into their second careers. Shirlee is currently our sales
manager and works with our brokers and distributors throughout the U.S. Shirlee has developed
a bountiful garden that produces raspberries, strawberries, and blackberries for her prize-winning
jams, along with olives, plums, and way too many tomatoes.
Larry is the general business manager and is also in charge of overseeing the vineyard management
and the winemaking. He is the glue that holds this business together. Larry learned most of what he
knows about the vineyard and winemaking from Greg LaFollette who was our first winemaker.
Greg was a former winemaker at Flowers and left there in 2000 to start his own winery - Tandem - and
his own custom crush facility. We met him at that time and Greg agreed to work with us to get us
started. It was a very successful partnership and it was with Greg?s help that Londer Vineyards was
able to grow and flourish.
In 2005 Greg's status was changed to consulting winemaker. We were fortunate to obtain the services
of Rick Davis who has worked with Greg for many years. Rick has worked production in the
wine industry since 1988. He worked with many of the top producers on the Sonoma Coast. He
became the assistant winemaker at Flowers in 1997 and then assisted Greg at Tandem Winery. Rick
also has his own wine label, Calstar. He specializes in cool climate varietals like Pinot Noir and
Chardonnay. In addition to winemaking he has a second career as a leather artisan.
Joe Webb joined Londer Vineyards in September of 2007. Joe manages our wine club and is
in charge of direct sales. He is a graduate of the Sonoma State Wine Business program, and came to
us from Joseph Swan Vineyards in the Russian River Valley, where he worked both as the direct sales
manager and assistant winemaker. Joe has experience in many aspects of the wine industry, from
winemaking to marketing and sales, and has worked at other well-known wineries such as Sebastiani
and Landmark Vineyards.
