PEOPLE

Sera Bybee, Daughter, Assistant Winegrower / VideoBlog Editor and our inspiration, is a student at Summerfield Waldorf High School & Farm where her curriculum has included hands-on coursework on biodynamic farming and gardening since kindergarten. She keeps a flock of 20 chickens that produces organic eggs for the family and manure for the garden compost. She is head puppy trainer and kitty wrangler. Sera worked her first harvest in 2006 and is an expert cluster sorter. She has a knack for editing the videoblogs on her Mac. She helps the rest of the B people see the project through the eyes of the next generation and remember why we put sustainability and the environment above all else. Our proprietor's blend SERA Pinot Noir is named in honor of her essence and beauty and she was named with the Italian word for eve.

Jose Lorenzo, Property Manager & Foreman is a naturalized U.S. citizen from Mexico City. He is a 20-year resident of Sonoma County living with his wife and four children in Santa Rosa. Jose has over 30 years experience working on agricultural properties, caring for equipment, infrastructure, animals, crops and the land. He has been employed with the Bybees for over 10 years and has a dedicated work ethic and an attention to detail. Jose takes pride in organized and efficiently completed tasks and oversees the day-to-day hands-on implementation of the organic and biodynamic practices on the B estate.

Gerald Bybee, CEO, Winegrower, manages the vineyards, habitat, water resources and infrastructure at B. He also oversees the promotion and online marketing efforts. Gerald is an award-winning advertising photographer, digital imager and fine-artist. With a degree and background in communications, public relations and advertising Gerald brings to B over 30 years of experience producing commercial imagery and photographic campaigns for such clients as Intel, HP, Adobe, Levis, Sutter Home, Mondavi, and Gallo. Gerald also works as a visual marketing and digital imaging consultant and photographic forensic expert witness.

Shaun Bybee, CFO & director of winemaking ~ Passionate for a healthy environment, and an avid supporter of local small-scale organic farming, Shaun personally directed the transition to organic and biodynamic practices on the Bybee estate. She is blessed with a naturally green thumb and a sensitivity to the health of the land, wild life, and all living things around her. She co-ordinates and directs the crews, consultants and winemakers at B. Her intuition and keen palette directly influence the winemaking that occurs both in the field and in the cellar at B. Shaun studied business at the University of Utah, is a former model, beauty stylist for Diego Dalla Palma Makeup Studio in Milan, CEO of Make-up Studio U.S.A., and producer for Bybee Studios in San Francisco. She has served as treasurer of the San Francisco Creative Alliance, a non-profit arts association. and President of the board at Summerfield Waldorf School in Santa Rosa. She is CFO, director of winemaking at B, and mother extraordinaire to daughter Sera.

Greg Adams, Consulting Viticulturist, is a Sonoma County native and resident of Freestone, with degrees in Agricultural Engineering and Viticulture. He has vast experience developing vineyards in Sonoma County at Flowers Winery, in Napa Valley at Stag’s Leap Cellars, and in Argentina for Kendall-Jackson. He has performed clonal research and sourcing, traveling to Europe and South Africa. His passion, knowledge, and ongoing research of organic and biodynamic farming practices are indispensable to our “it-is-made-in-the-vineyard” winemaking philosophy. Greg specializes in the cultivation of cool-climate Pinot Noir and Chardonnay in West Sonoma County. But beyond his technical expertise, Greg brings an understanding of people, workers and crews, and the importance of sharing local community resources. He is patient and unselfish in sharing his knowledge and experience fluently in both English and Spanish and by example, with workers, suppliers, consultants, winemakers, proprietors and pretty much anyone who will listen.

Hugh Chappelle, Consulting Winemaker brings more than 15 years of winemaking experience in Napa, Sonoma the Sierra Foothills, and most recently Green Valley, to his work as consulting winemaker for Bybee Vineyards and Habitat. Chappelle's wines are known for their balance and expression of terroir; two qualities which are important to our winemaking philosophy. Hugh purchased some of the first fruit produced at B as director of winemaking at the nearby Lynmar Estate. He has been a supporter and advocate of our organic and biodynamic efforts. Hugh was head winemaker for Flowers Vineyard and Winery, a Pinot Noir specialist in the Sonoma Coast appellation. Under his direction Flowers received considerable acclaim from Wine Advocate, Wine Spectator, and Decanter, as well as receiving Wine & Spirits Magazine's Artisan Winery of the Year distinction. Prior to Flowers, Chappelle was winemaker at Madroña Vineyards in the El Dorado County appellation. Chappelle holds a Bachelors of Science in Chemistry from the University of California, Santa Cruz and has done extensive graduate studies in viticulture and enology at University of California, Davis, from 1989 to 1992.

Tobias James Bybee, Security Specialist is of Rhodesian decent, a pedigreed ridgeback bred by Sebastopol local Dianne Jacobson of Calico Ridge Kennels. Tobias helps monitor the habitat assuring that wild critters honor their territory and domestic pets, fowl, and other residents are kept safe and sound. Ridgebacks, bred in South Africa to assist in hunting lions, command respect from bobcats, cougar, fox, and the like,(with the possible exception of our two farm cats, Romeo, and Nino that won't put up with his playful games of chase the kitties). He awakes and makes sure we pay attention to the frost alarms, monitors the chicken coop to assure the hens have not missed any table scraps, and keeps the raccoons away from pet doors and kitty food. He can keep pace with a jack rabbit 'till it pivots and he loves to race the ATV through the vineyard rows while we make our evening gate security rounds.