PATRICK J. GARVEY, Partner, Vineyard Director

In 1978, Pat Garvey traded his Master’s Degree in Psychology and Counseling from the University of Santa Clara for a tractor—and the opportunity to launch a world-class Napa Valley winery with his wife, Julie Garvey, and his brother-in-law John Komes. While Flora Springs started as a fledgling family business nearly three decades ago, today the Komes-Garvey families own and manage more vineyard acres—650 in all—than most family-owned and managed vineyard holders in the Napa Valley. As Vineyard Director for all of Flora Springs’ vineyards since its inception, Pat has not only taken the responsibility to remain an innovator with meticulous farming practices to create world-class wines; he has done so with the overarching premise of stewardship and family values: all of Flora Springs’ vineyards are 100% sustainable.

Under Garvey’s watch, Flora Springs has been on the cutting edge of new vineyard practices, from trellising systems to canopy management, to clonal selection and hand-harvesting grapes at night. Pat notes that while at one point universities were largely responsible for making discoveries and dictating what was best in viticulture, the responsibility now lies with individual wineries as well. In one example, he and his team spent seven years testing the performance of 15 different rootstocks throughout the vineyards.

In addition, Pat received organic certification in 2008 from the California Certified Organic Farmers for 20% (120 acres) of Flora Springs’ vineyards. An additional 240 acres will be certified in 2009. Sustainable practices include using manures from local chicken and turkey ranches, seasoned in the weather and then incorporated into the vineyards; planting cover crops that enrich the soil and provide habitat for beneficial bugs rather than spraying to eradicate troublesome bugs; and controlling water absorption by planting competing crops to absorb excess water in wetter soils.

In the late 1980s and early 1990s, Pat was instrumental in establishing the Oakville and Rutherford appellations. He’s currently on the committee to establish Pope Valley as its own appellation, and notes that it is one of the last vineyard areas of Napa Valley to be recognized for its own unique soils and climate. “Establishing an appellation enables us to turn over the pebbles and stones in our vineyards and study their history, geography and soils. We already know Pope Valley can produce extremely good wines, as we make our single-vineyard Wild Boar from there, but now we can explore it further,” he says.

Today, grapes grown in the 10 distinct Napa Valley vineyards owned by the Flora Springs family are in high demand, with approximately 80% of these grapes selling to other top wineries. “With 10 different vineyards in six appellations, the ability to develop character in the grapes through careful rootstock selection, clones and vineyard practices, and a dedicated, consistent staff over the past several years, our grapes receive the kind of attention and consistency that can’t be duplicated,” he adds.

Pat has served as President of the Napa Valley Grape Grower’s Association and continues as a member. He also is on the Board of Directors for American Ag Credit. He counts Jim Lider, one of the foremost authorities in viticulture and the former Agricultural Commissioner for the Napa Valley, as his mentor. Now that Pat’s son Sean is Communications and Production Director at the winery, Pat finds himself wearing mentor’s shoes as well. “It’s flattering to know Sean made the choice to work with us,” he says.

Pat and his wife, Julie Komes-Garvey, live in St. Helena. Their other son, Joe, recently graduated from Whittier College with a degree in Journalism and Latin American Studies.