Moonshine to Fine Wine

James Laube

Posted: Thursday, June 03, 2004

When we're young, few of us truly know what we're going to do when we grow up. That wasn't the case for Edward Lee McDonald, or Mac, as most people know him. By the time he was a teenager he was curious about wine, and by the time he graduated from high school he was pretty sure he wanted to be a winemaker. Call it Mac's vision.

McDonald, who is African-American, grew up poor in the rural Texas town of Oakwood, south of Dallas, the son of a moonshiner and hunting guide. Not just any moonshiner, mind you. "My father, Sue, was considered the finest moonshiner in Texas because of the fine grains he used to make his corn whiskey," McDonald says proudly.

His mother, Elbessie, along with her brother and sister, made sweet wine from apples and cherries. But that didn't pique Mac's interest. It was a 1952 red Burgundy that changed his life. When he was a teen, a group of doctors hired his father to take them hunting, and one guest left Mac with that '52 Burgundy. McDonald can't remember the name of the producer or appellation, but he recalls the vintage date and opening the bottle with a knife, first digging into the top of the cork, and then pushing the cork into the bottle. That first sip lasted a lifetime. Those caressing flavors were stored safely in his taste bud memory bank.

Once out of high school, McDonald was even surer about his future in wine, and one of his mentors told him California was where he needed to be. But it was years before he would be able to afford to launch his own wine label. He worked for PG&E, the gas and electric utility, for 35 years before starting Vision Cellars in 1997. His wife, Lil, suggested he name it for his childhood "vision" of becoming a winemaker.

Along the way he acquired a greater appreciation for wine, and by the time we first met, 15 years ago, Mac had become a devout follower of Caymus Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon. And it was Caymus' owners, Charlie and Chuck Wagner, who encouraged him to try his hand at winemaking, which he did.

But Mac's passion was for Pinot Noir, and today he and Lil reside in Windsor in Sonoma County, close to the Russian River Valley, a prime spot for Pinot Noir.

With six vintages under his belt, McDonald, who is a youthful-looking 61, is producing his best wines yet and making headway in the market. He uses purchased grapes to make about 2,000 cases a year in a space at the Caymus cellar. While his earlier wines emphasized higher acidity, which he prefers, the 2002 Pinot from Garys' Vineyard, in Monterey's Santa Lucia Highlands appellation, shows greater depth, balance and complexity. The '02 Garys' (91 points, $45) is a wonderful expression of pure, ripe Pinot Noir, elegantly styled, smooth and delivering a supple core of ripe plum and black cherry fruit that takes on a pretty floral, lavender scent on the finish.

But that's just part of Mac's story. With his outgoing personality and gift of gab, he has become an unofficial ambassador for the wine industry, promoting the pleasurable benefits of wine and hosting tastings for diverse groups: blacks, gays, Harvard MBAs and basketball stars. He is especially proud of the support he's received from the black community and names hoopster Julius Erving, jazz musician Wynton Marsalis, running back Eddie George and lawyer Johnnie Cochran as clients.

He is also the unofficial dean of black winemakers and one of just seven members of the Association of African American Vintners in a state of nearly 1,000 wineries. African-Americans are underrepresented in both winemaking and wine drinking, says McDonald, but that's changing as the association explores new markets. African-Americans simply need more exposure to wine, he says, taking the attitude, "If they taste it, they will buy it." As it is, McDonald says, African-Americans drink less table wine than the national average. Today, he crisscrosses the country, selling his wines, selling wine as a lifestyle and loving every minute of it.

"From where I started -- I didn't know I was poor until I was 20 -- to where I am now, ain't no one done better than I have," McDonald says. One inroad he's made is particularly telling. As a young man he wasn't allowed into one restaurant in Texas because of the color of his skin. Today, he says, that same restaurant has Vision Cellars Pinot Noir on its wine list.

James Laube, Wine Spectator's Napa Valley-based senior editor, has been with the magazine since 1983.

This article appeared in the May 31, 2004, issue of Wine Spectator magazine. (Subscribe today.

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