Michaela Rodeno, CEO, St. Supéry Vineyards and Winery

Michaela Rodeno, St. Supéry's dynamic CEO, is responsible for managing all the winery's activities, from strategic planning, grape growing and wine production, to finance, new product development and marketing and sales. As one of the leading women in the California wine industry and a passionate advocate of California wine issues, Michaela is often invited to speak at domestic and international conferences.

Born a Navy officer’s daughter in Lakehurst, New Jersey, Michaela and her family moved countless times before settling in California when she was 12. Michaela earned a B.A. and M.A. in French Literature at University of California, at Davis where she also met her husband who was a law student. “Gregory wanted to be a country lawyer so in 1972 we moved to the Napa Valley where a friend of his was working for the D.A” recalls Michaela. The young lawyer’s wife wound up working three part-time jobs, two at Napa Valley College where she oversaw the publication of its catalog and taught French, and one at Beaulieu Vineyards as the winery’s first female tour guide.

In 1973, six months after Michaela arrived in Napa, the Valley was abuzz with the news of Moët-Hennessey’s (now LVMH) plans to invest $8 million in building a new winery in the county… Domaine Chandon. “Moët-Hennessey was the first French company to invest in California and it sent a message to the industry that Napa Valley was an important wine region,” says Michaela. “With my fluent French and desire to learn more about wine, I knew that I had to get involved with this venture.” Through persistence and a mutual acquaintance, Michaela was introduced to John Wright, Domaine Chandon’s president who was impressed with her drive and willingness to learn and hired her to be his assistant and employee number two at the new winery. Michaela learned important lessons from him that inform her successful management style today. “John didn’t believe in hierarchy and maintained a flat, door-less organization,” says Michaela, “At St. Supéry there are no ‘doors.’ I encourage open discussion and the free exchange of ideas – anything is possible if you have the desire to do it.”

Michaela was with Domaine Chandon for more than 15 years. Her successful marketing efforts quickly established the winery as the quality leader in California sparkling wine and she rose to the position of vice president of marketing. While working at the winery, she earned her M.B.A. in 1980 from the University of California, at Berkeley. At the time, Michaela was one of Napa Valley’s only fluent French speakers, so she met all the major French winemakers and winery proprietors who came to Domaine Chandon to see what was going on. One of those individuals was Robert Skalli who was captivated by the Napa Valley and became determined to open a winery there. Convinced that Michaela’s business savvy, knowledge of the wine industry and successful track record was what he needed, Robert offered her the position of C.E.O. of his new winery St. Supéry. “I was ready for a new challenge,” recalls Michaela. “The chance to join another startup, this time as C.E.O., was too tempting to pass up.”

During her tenure, Michaela has carefully guided the winery onto the market and through a period of explosive growth. St. Supéry’s Napa Valley estate Sauvignon Blanc, Cabernet Sauvignon, and meritage blends Élu and Virtú have earned critical acclaim and many awards for the winery, which is still growing into its planned capacity of 120,000 cases by 2010. The single vineyard Cabernets and small production lot varietals, which are made primarily for the wine clubs and visitors, show St. Supéry’s ability to make collectible wines as well. Known for its innovations in winemaking and commitment to consumer education, St. Supéry Vineyards & Winery is acknowledged as a must see winery for visitors to the Napa Valley. While the U.S., where it has a strong presence in top hotels and restaurants, accounts for 95% of sales, St. Supéry is enjoying notable success in the U.K., France, Switzerland, Canada and Japan.

Michaela's life is as wine-focused as her career. As co-founder of Women for WineSense, a national organization promoting wine as part of a healthy, balanced lifestyle, Michaela continues a long history of involvement in industry-wide issues. She served on the boards of California’s Wine Institute and the Napa Valley Vintners’ Association in the early ‘90s and in 1994 she chaired the marketing committee that governs 85% of the NVVA’s activity. She is a founding director and former chair of the Wine Market Council, an initiative to create a national generic marketing campaign for wine, and she chaired the 1998 Napa Valley Wine Auction, the nation’s largest charity wine auction, which raised a record $3.8 million for local health care organizations. In 2005 she co-chaired the 25th anniversary Auction Napa Valley. In 1999 Michaela was elected chairman of the Meritage Association and served through 2005. She has been a director of Silicon Valley Bank since 2001, where she has served on the Audit, Finance and Directors Loan committees, and currently chairs the Compensation committee.

She lives on her family’s 25-acre vineyard near the town of Oakville in the Napa Valley with her attorney husband Gregory; their daughter Kate (22) recently graduated from SDSU and is job hunting, and son John (20) is a student at USD. The family also owns 40 acres in Pope Valley in the Napa Valley appellation. Although most of the family grapes are sold to Napa wineries, the Rodenos produce a tiny amount of Sangiovese (about 150 cases annually) under their own Villa Ragazzi label.