Remi Cohen, COO Lede Family Vineyards

She gave me my first shot in the Napa Valley. It was my white whale, being a Cal Poly SLO grad with an Ag Biz degree with a minor in wine and viticulture. I was 24, it was pre-2008 recession. I had a little wine blog, MoodyWine.com and I had been had some experience in direct to consumer sales and she gave me a job.

Fast forward over 10 years and I have this Moody Wine revival idea, so who’s my first call? REMI! I’ve followed her career on LinkedIn and other wine news resources. Needless to say, when she agreed to meet with me to be my first Trailblazer in the industry, I felt like she gave me my “White Whale” all over again.

Now, let’s talk about her. Right off the bat, I must say that she’s one of the smartest, most humble, and strong women I’ve had the privilege of knowing. She moved to California from New Jersey with plans to go to medical school. She started with a degree in Molecular Biology at Cal Berkley (NBD). During her studies, she wasn’t connecting to the material or her peers, so she focused on plant biology in her coursework and lab job.

During her studies, she had the opportunity to experience a Saintsbury tasting of reserve Pinot Noir. She had NEVER experienced wine like this. The flavors, the discussions…it was love and that love affair grew the more she learned about the industry. She had an opportunity to work at Saintsbury for her first harvest and found her “true home in the vineyards.” Shortly thereafter, Bouchaine Vineyards, located in the Carneros growing region, went out on a limb and gave her her shot at the young age of 24 (coincidence!) to become the vineyard manager, where she worked under her mentor Michael Richmond.

While working at Bouchaine, she began pursuing her MBA in finance. Her already hectic schedule would only allow for one class at a time, but she hung in there and completed her masters, while working at Merryvale Vineyards, as the VP of Operations and Hospitality.

Still need proof of her brains and wit? As a direct result of her out-of-the-box thinking and willingness to try new things, she managed 40% growth of revenue of their wine club at the peak of the recession. BAM! I’d go out on a limb and say there isn’t a single winery that can say that.

She’s currently hanging her hat at Lede Family Wines, where has the title of Chief Operating Officer. In this role, she directs the Cliff Lede winemaking process from the vineyard to the bottle and is responsible for the marketing and sales of all wines in hospitality and throughout all markets, domestic and international. NBD.

She attributes her success to a couple things. First off, she has ALWAYS and will ALWAYS look for opportunities to help, even if it’s outside the scope of her job. She has countless stories of learnings she had while volunteering to help in some way or another. As a result, she also learned all aspects of the business. That kind of rounded knowledge has proven to be incredibly valuable in her different roles, whether it be in the vineyard or tasting room.

Lastly, she says, “It’s critical to be your own advocate. You must know your worth and ask for it.” No one is going to go to bat for you, if you won’t go to bat for yourself.

In a nut shell, this badass has gotten to where she is by not shying away from hard work, being smart, putting in the hours and getting the job done. We can all learn a little something from her.