The Catalyst
Owning a winery has always been a shared passion within our family, but we never anticipated it becoming a realistic future until the year 2014, when fate stepped in and gave us a little nudge.
We’d been contentedly working the traditional 9-5 grind, and keeping winemaking to just a hobby, when several less than ideal events occurred in a short period of time. The big one — The Carlton Complex Wildfires, which took our home and everything in it.
Where others saw a tragedy, we found a renewed enthusiasm to start an exciting new adventure. It was time to adjust our goals and refocus on what mattered the most — The love for our growing family, a desire to live a more balanced life, and a passion for great wine. We were ready to pursue our big dream and begin our own legacy.
It was Serendipity
Sometimes things are just meant to be. Over the years prior to the fire, we had often gone wine tasting in the Chelan Valley and had already fallen in love with the area. We set up our new winery a short distance from Erica’s family summer house, looking out at Lake Chelan and the towering snow-capped mountain range. It was the perfect spot for our new life adventure.
Becoming Award-Winning Winemakers
Brock, whose process and precision skills had helped him build bridges for years, began using his talents to fine-tune the winemaking process. Together, with our two daughters, and amazing AVA selection to choose from, we began selling Succession Wine.
The Succession Name
We chose our name as a testament to our humble beginnings and as a reminder that amazing things can happen when you treat adversity as an opportunity. Just a few short years after the fire, our winery dream has not only been realized, it’s thriving—and we’re just getting started.