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march 2010 / the tasting panel / 71 Joseph Phelps Vineyards Kathleen "K. K." Dirickson has a long track record in wine sales. Although she has been with Napa- based Joseph Phelps Vineyards for 15 years, her history in the busi- ness goes back two decades. She recognizes distributor strength and has been working with Southern throughout the years. Southern not only represents the Joseph Phelps Vineyards portfolio but now adds Freestone Vineyards, Phelps' new Sonoma Coast property, to their illustrious book of California wines. Freestone is an upscale pro- ducer of Burgundian varieties (see my review on page 59). "Joseph Phelps Vineyards and SW&S are both family-owned busi- nesses that share many of the same core competencies," says Dirickson, who manages distributor sales with SW&S in 11 states. "It was a natural partnership from the very beginning. The dedication to customer service and tenacity in the sales arena have earned them the respect of their cus- tomers and supplier partners. They strive for 200% in every aspect of their business, and they succeed. We are honored and proud to be part of the SW&S family." Vine Cliff Winery "The wine business was a second career for me," Rob Sweeney admits. Because his father was in the hospi- tality business, they moved often and finally landed in Napa when Swee- ney, now 50, was in high school. "We became very connected in the Valley," he states, "and eventually, in 1985, bought the property in Oakville on the Silverado Trail." Sweeney was inspired enough to take viticulture classes and spent five years educat- ing himself by working at other wineries. The first Vine Cliff vintage was 1990. It was about ten years ago that Sweeney decided to utilize a distribu- tor. "Even though our production was a bit smaller, we were still grow- ing, and we first went with a small distributor. But the timing on pay- ments was poor so we knew we had to move to a larger, more effi- cient distributor. I met Steve Slater and Patrick Dahl, who were run- ning the fine wine division (American W&S of CA) in the south and north, re- spectively. They did a great job immedi- ately for us, so now we are with them in just about every one of their states." It was a trip to Miami that really solidified Sweeney's feelings. "I flew across the country and was scheduled for a full week of ride-withs [working with the South- ern sales teams]. I came down with the flu and had to excuse myself. I was packing my suitcase to fly back home when I get a phone call from a doctor. Someone from Southern had him call and arrange to take me to the emergency room. That's when my relationship with Southern became personal. They really have my back." Ron Sedia, VP/GM of Transatlantic, Southern's fine wine division in Florida, with K. K. Dirickson of Joseph Phelps Winery. Rob Sweeney of Vine Cliff.