Click here to read his obituary in the Press Democrat.

Don was one of those charming wine industry characters who truly inspired me. I first met him many years ago when I actually interviewed for a job at Bernardus and he left quite an impression on me — it was a day I will never forget. He had already worked there for quite awhile and was the major force behind establishing Bernardus’ reputation and wine style. I ended up spending 5 hours at the winery that day talking mostly with him. It was one of those very hot Cachagua afternoons, and in spite of that we spent a good amount of time walking and talking outside in the vineyard. I found that he was one of those people who had so many interests that it was hard to really keep up with him. At one moment, we were discussing his absolute demands on the fastidiousness of the cellar — the barrels in his view shouldn’t ever have a stain or a mark because, he said, they were very expensive and valuable and should be maintained properly. (He was probably more fastidious than any winemaker I have ever known before or since.) Then, he shared with me all of his hands-on research on ridding the vineyard of gophers (many of them included incendiary methods employing gasoline or propane). After that we discussed his interests in ballet and his myriad philosophies about how classical music influenced the wines, his philosophies on the universe, on why we humans existed…..I just couldn’t keep up. He was brilliant, and had a huge, enthusiastic, arms-open embrace of the world and at the same time incredible attention to detail. I’m sure his spirit will be missed by many.