Trail lawyer Theodora Lee has been the owner of her very own wine vineyard, “Theopolis Vineyards,” since 2003, located in California’s luxurious Yorkville Highlands of the Anderson Valley.
In an interview with Shoppe Black, Lee was asked about her introduction to the life of wine-making. She told her interviewer that as a lawyer new to California in the 80’s, she was introduced to wine as a causal dinner drink and was fascinated by vineyards that she visited which led to her eventually buying one.
Lee was asked how she began to manufacture wine. She said, “In 2012, an ill-timed rain fell during harvest, and I rushed to pick my grapes at 23 Brix. The buyer at that time (no longer Carlisle) had contracted for grapes at 25 Brix, so they rejected the entire lot. Faced with no one willing to purchase fruit at a lower Brix level at the last minute, I decided to have my fruit custom-crushed.”
“I then bartered to get the wine produced. Specifically, I gave the winemaker half of my harvest for free if, in turn, he would process the other half and make my wines. So, that 2012 vintage was bottled in 2014. Fortunately, my 2012 Petite Sirah received a gold medal from Sunset Magazine, and soon after that, Theopolis Vineyards was underway. Since then, we have consistently produced 90 + point, Best in Class, Double Gold and Gold Medal wines,” Lee said.
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Lee mentioned that it wasn’t all smooth sailing for her. Although she is a lawyer, property and land in California are pricey, and Lee struggled to find a location that would render grape harvesting.
Lee said, “My law firm and vineyard mentor suggested that I look at Mendocino County. So, in 2001, I took the equity out of my home and purchased 20 acres in the Yorkville Highlands of Anderson Valley in Mendocino County and began developing my vineyard. That process was intensive, as I had to do soil digs, clear the land, conduct land analysis to ensure the land was suitable for grape growing.”
“Finally, in 2003, I planted my vineyard, adopted my Greek name, from pledging Delta Sigma Theta Sorority at Spelman College, and established Theopolis Vineyards. So, my dream of being a grape farmer came to reality in 2003 when I planted 5 acres of Petite Sirah grapes,” Lee said.
Finally, Lee advised those who may be afraid to pursue their dreams in the face of adversity.
She said, “Pursue your passion, educate yourself, work extremely hard, be persistent and be very patient. Never give up and keep climbing, and success is yours for the taking.”
Lee is also a charter member of the Association of African American Vintners, Delta Sigma Theta, a senior partner and trial lawyer at Littler Mendelson P.C.
