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Ross and Gillian Stromberg, Vintners
Ross Stromberg has been growing grapes and making wine since 1972.
Ross planted his first vineyard in Lake County in 1972, and was a founding director of the Konocti Winery in 1974. In the 1990's, Ross launched the tongue-in-cheek wine label, Shyster Creek that combined his two career choices, health law and wine. While the label was a minor success, Ross decided to concentrate on creating exceptional wines reflecting regional character and varietal complexity.
In 1998 Ross purchased an extraordinary 120 acres in its own valley in the hills above Dry Creek Valley in Sonoma County. There he personally planted the vineyard with cabernet sauvignon grapes (which thrive in the Dry Creek Valley appellation), built a beautiful Tuscan-style home, and planted an olive orchard. The setting and promise of the ranch invited Ross and his wife Gillian to create Stromberg Vineyards, and make wine showcasing the Stromberg hillside vineyard. Yoakim Bridge Winery was so impressed with the grapes from the Stromberg Vineyard that they created a single-vineyard designated Yoakim Bridge Cabernet Sauvignon. Other wineries using Stromberg Vineyards grapes include Dry Creek Vineyards and Harvest Moon Winery.
Ross and Gillian created their inaugural Stromberg Vineyards 2005 Dry Creek Valley Cabernet Sauvignon with winemaker Bill Knuttel of Dry Creek Vineyards fame, and their new venture was launched.
In late 2009 Ross and Gillian sold the property and relocated to a smaller but equally beautiful nearby Dry Creek hillside estate. "We look forward to continuing making wine from our flagship vineyard as well as exploring other ideal locations in the area." To that point, their new 2009 Dry Creek Sauvignon Blanc, produced from vineyards on the Dry Creek Valley floor, has added a refreshing new white wine to Stromberg Vineyard's offerings, and is quickly gaining favor with top restaurants.
Ross recently retired from Jones Day, where he chaired the firm's national Health Care Practice for more than a decade. He is now affiliated as a healthcare consultant with Pricewaterhouse Coopers LLP. He is a former member of several professional associations including the State Bar of California and the Bar Association of San Francisco, and is a past President of the American Health Lawyers Association.
Ross and Gillian are active members of the Healdsburg and North Bay communities. Among his activities, Ross serves as a board member of Sutter West Bay Hospitals, the Sutter Pacific Medical Foundation and the Pediatric Dental Initiative (which provides dental surgery to underinsured children and the developmentally disabled). Gillian is an active champion and supporter of animal-related charities including Animal Asia Foundation; she is a board member of the Healdsburg Animal Shelter and the Raven Theatre in Healdsburg
Gillian was born and educated in the United Kingdom. Her appreciation of fine food and wine has been reflected throughout her life. While living in Southern California, she owned a shop that sold fine, hand-crafted cheeses imported from around the world that expanded to be an acclaimed restaurant. Gillian is an accomplished chef with an innate sense of wine and food pairings. An avid gardener, Gillian's design sense was showcased in the September 2007 Sunset Magazine cover story.
