Sheldon started life in west Texas where his geologist father, Jim, searched for oil and gas. By the time Sheldon was 12, his father’s search took the family to Alberta. In his early 20s, when his parents moved back to Texas, Sheldon chose to stay in Canada to pursue...
The founders of Paloma Vineyard, Barbara and Jim Richards, dreamt of building a vineyard focused on sustainable farming that would highlight the grapes and terroir of their favorite region. This dream was realized in 1983 when a friend, Dan Duckhorn, called and told them about the property now known as Paloma Vineyard. Over the next 25 years, Jim and Barbara worked to clear, plant, and cultivate the 7500 Merlot, Syrah, and Cabernet Sauvignon vines. Barbara’s devotion to the vines was abundantly evident having once claimed, “I can name all 7,500 of my children.” In 1991, some of the grapes they harvested were sold to Pride to be blended into their Cabernet Sauvignon. In 1993, when Carolyn and Jim Pride released the 1991 Merlot, it was a huge hit! So, Jim worked and learned enology alongside legendary winemaker, Pride’s very own, Bob Foley. In 1996, Paloma released their first-ever vintage, the 1994 Merlot–all 575 cases of it. Paloma’s first commercial Syrah was released in 1998. In 2000, things really started to propel forward as Paloma built the estate winery. It was barely finished by harvest, but Jim and Barbara were able to crush their own fruit that year for the very first time. Their son, Sheldon, joined the business in August of 2003, just in time for harvest and for the release of the award-winning 2001 Paloma Merlot. In 2003, out of over 15,000 wines, Wine Spectator named the 2001 Paloma Merlot “Wine of the Year”. As a small family winery, Paloma was hardly prepared for the avalanche of calls, faxes, and general attention, but Jim and Barbara took it in stride. They were incredibly proud of their hard work and humbled by the outpour of support. Both the 2002 and 2006 vintages also graced the Wine Spectator’s Top 100 at 54 and 65, respectively. The 2001 Cabernet Sauvignon and the 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon (Sheldon’s first solo vintage), received high praise from James Laube of Wine Spectator in two separate articles written in 2007 and 2009. After their passing in 2009 and 2016, Jim and Barbara’s legacy has left its mark on Spring Mountain and in the Napa Valley.
The Wine Spectator placed our wine in the top 100 again; the 2002 Paloma Merlot was 54th of over 12,000 wines tasted this year. Another exceptional honor! This year, the Merlot blooms suffered severe damage from “shatter”, which resulted in half the normal crop. Shatter is caused by excessive moisture during bloom; the blossom does not pollinate and the fruit does not set. It is common with Merlot, which is more susceptible to shatter than other varietals, but we had never been effected so adversely. We pulled our small block of Syrah, which produced about 150 cases of wine per year and replaced it with Cabernet Sauvignon. There were many disappointed, loyal Paloma Syrah fans. https://www.winespectator.com/issues/top-100-2004-12-31
Our son Sheldon, who had been living in Canada for 35 years, joined our business in August, just in time for harvest. Fortunately, he was here when The Wine Spectator magazine named our 2001 Paloma Merlot their “Wine of the Year” for 2003. We were pleased with the honor, but hardly prepared for the avalanche of calls, faxes and emails requesting wine or just to be on next year’s mailing list. We sold out of wine in very short order. We don’t like to be out so early, but it was a “good” problem to have. Our grandson, Caston, didn’t realize that when he had helped with harvest in 2001, he would e contributing to such an award winning wine. https://www.winespectator.com/articles/wine-spectator-names-top-10-wines-of-2003-21841
