The Portrait

Two guys, a dog named Gent (R.I.P.), and a winery called PONDL. It is testament to what happens when an innocent hobby gets out of control!

We both are passionate about wine. It not only tastes good, it intrigues us. Having taken classes at UC Davis to better analyze wine, we began making our own wine... baby steps at first. Kits from the wine hobby store; a friend with a stray zinfandel vine; a former colleague with a small vineyard; a network of growers calling from early August to late October offering grapes. Twelve years later, we had more wine than we knew what to do with.

Living and working in the Silicon Valley for a number of years, our weekend ventures took us to the more rural parts of the state – Russian River, Sonoma Valley, the Santa Cruz Mountains. After nearly forty years in the tech industry, Pat was ready for retirement. And while David had dabbled in the real estate industry – both were ready for a change!

The decision to start our own winery led us to search for a new place to call home for our new venture into winemaking. Our search led us to the "discovery" of the beautiful town of Lodi. We love it here. Pat enjoying retirement, and David enjoying a new career – both pursuing our dream. So please join us at PONDL Winery and share the journey!