Napa-Based Pine Ridge Winery Names New President and CEO

George Scheppler, formerly with Baron Philippe de Rothschild and Opus One, will head Pine Ridge in Napa and Archery Summit in Oregon.

Dana Nigro
Posted: January 30, 2002

Napa Valley—based Pine Ridge Winery LLC has appointed George Scheppler as its new president and CEO, as of Feb. 22. The company owns Pine Ridge Winery in Napa Valley's Stags Leap District and Archery Summit Winery in Oregon's Red Hills.

Scheppler began his wine-industry career in 1975 working for Bordeaux-based Baron Philippe de Rothschild in the United States. Since 1991, he has been the president of Baron Philippe de Rothschild's California operations and co-CEO of Opus One, the firm's joint venture in Oakville, Calif., with Robert Mondavi Corp.

Pine Ridge, founded in 1978 by Gary and Nancy Andrus, is well-respected for its Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay and Merlot. In the past decade, many of its wines have attained "outstanding" ratings. The winery produces an average of about 85,000 cases a year and farms more than 225 acres of vineyards in Napa's Carneros, Howell Mountain, Oakville, Rutherford and Stags Leap appellations.

Archery Summit's vineyard-designated Pinot Noirs have ranked among the best in Oregon in the past several vintages; its 1999 Arcus Estate ($75 on release) bottling recently received the highest rating ever from Wine Spectator for an Oregon Pinot Noir -- 95 points. Its wines are also among the most expensive in Oregon. The winery makes one white wine, a blend called Vireton, which relies on Pinot Gris and Viognier for its character. Archery Summit produces about 12,000 cases a year from the 100 acres of estate vineyards it currently farms.

The wineries had been put up for sale in 2000, but their owner, New York—based Leucadia International, pulled them off the market last year. Gary Andrus, who had been the winery's CEO, retired last fall, but Nancy Andrus is staying on as executive vice president of marketing. Winemaker Stacy Clark also remains on board.

Check our recent ratings of Pine Ridge and Archery Summit wines.

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