Out standing in his field: Kimball Lacey, of Lacey Estates Vineyards and Winery
The Apprentice
After working at other wineries, Kimball Lacey sets out on his own
Kimball Lacey might be stretched thin, but you’d never know it from his eager eyes. In addition to opening Lacey Estates Vineyards and Winery last year, he’s still working hard in his fourth year with Closson Chase, just across the road.
This is a guy who has worked under pretty much everybody who’s anybody in the County – from his start with Mike Peddlesden at Peddlesden Wines, to four years with Norm Hardie at Carmela Estate and Norman Hardie Winery, Lacey was educated by the region’s best.
“After working with Norm for the first vintage, it kind of dawned on me. I can do this,” he said about the mentoring and advancement he credits to his success. “Deb (Paskus of Closson Chase) and Norm have opened my eyes to a lot of things.”
When it came to choosing which vines to plant, both mentors played a huge role in influencing what vines went in the ground. There was Pinot Noir for Hardie and Chardonnay for Paskus. But after that, Lacey says he kept it in the family.
“We planted the varieties that we liked to drink ourselves,” he said about the eight acres of plantings that currently produce 500 cases, with ability to turn out triple that by 2012.
Lacey Estates is a true family affair; everybody is involved, including his father as CEO and his wife as secretary and tasting room boss. The roots don’t stop there, as the family had a literal hand in planting the vines, a memory that Lacey remembers fondly.
He believes Lacey Estates’ success is interconnected with hard work and passion. “We’re all in this together.”
Whether he means together with his family or his mentors in the County, he’s absolutely right.
Click below to listen to Kimball Lacey about the Hillier limestone soils and what they add to his wines.
Flash is required to listen to audio file
