BEHIND THE WINES: PROTHRO FAMILY WINES
I recently saw a quote from Matthew McConaughey where he said, "Steinbeck says it's a state of mind...In Texas, there is a certain honor of being a Texan that is a measure of doing something the best that you can.” This line seems to capture the spirit of what I have experienced as I met, talked with, and tasted the wines of a few Texans who have ventured into the world of California winemaking.
The world of wine can seem very small sometimes. In the vast ocean of 36 billion bottles of wine produced each year, I love that I can hear about and meet producers who might only make one barrel (about 360 bottles) of a wine in their portfolio. And they might make two to three barrels of a few others. What motivates them? What started it all? I set out to learn the stories behind some Texans, still living in Texas, who decided to make wines in California. How did they create their own California-based wine brands? I had to know.
the story behind PROTHRO FAMILY WINES
I have seen Prothro Family Wines pop up on Instagram now and then. For a long time, I didn’t realize they were Texans. When I saw this, I immediately set out to arrange a visit to taste their Napa Valley wines and listen to their journey. Bruce and Ronda Prothro met shortly after graduating college and had their first date in Napa, California. Bruce, a chemist by education, was fascinated by the chemical reaction that is fermentation. That led to a homemaking wine operation in their garage way back in 1991 when they lived in California. They met and talked with well-known producers. Back in those days, they would randomly be offered a row of vines, so they would rush out to pick the grapes and haul them back home. They used 32-gallon food grade trash cans as their vats. The grape sources varied by location. They took what they could get.
The homemade wines were purely for their own pleasure, but they would hold parties where they would share all their wines with friends. They also met and talked with some of the iconic producers of the day. Bruce continually refined his approach along the way, often incorporating suggestions from those producers. The “labels” at that time consisted of them writing notes with metallic gold magic markers on the bottles. They did this for eight years. It came to a stop when their kids were born, and life’s priorities took over. A move to Texas followed.
Fast forward to 2016 when an opportunity arose for them to rekindle their winemaking dream. Despite all their prior experience, they had to start anew. They slowly built up a new portfolio of wines from some of the top vineyards in Napa Valley. Bruce’s chemist background comes into play because the blending process is key. As they blend each wine, the question is simple: What will the wine be? They do not ask: What is the wine now? They start with the base wine (Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, or Sauvignon Blanc), and from there each part of the blend is meant to enhance a certain aspect of the palate experience.
The goal for the red wines is to have classic structure and longevity, but ensure they are still accessible in their youth. Each wine has a one-word focus. They choose one word to capture the personality of the wine. The Stagecoach Vineyard Cabernet Franc is “Precocious” like their son. The Sauvignon Blanc has “Purpose” – where it’s made by design, not by default. There is no winery. There is no tasting room. The wines are not in stores or restaurants. It is purely a direct-to-consumer approach for wines that are “…exclusive, limited, notable.” As they say, “We are just two people making wine.” And they do it very well indeed.
Visit their website here: Prothro Family Wines
