Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/931490
18 / the tasting panel / january/february 2018 INDUSTRY SPOTLIGHT French American Vintners appoints Rick Bonitati as CEO of St. Francis Winery & Vineyards T he French American Vintners Board of Directors appointed Rick Bonitati as CEO of St. Francis Winery & Vineyards in Sonoma Valley and Senior Vice President for the Western Operations of French American Vintners. Bonitati comes to St. Francis Winery and French American Vintners most recently from Paul Hobbs Wines, where he was Chief Operating Officer. In addition to St. Francis Winery, the Western Operations of French American Vintners includes several highly-recognized wineries, including Sequoia Grove Winery in Napa, Résonance Vineyards in the Willamette Valley of Oregon, and Domaine Carneros (in joint partnership with the Taittinger family) in Carneros. The board also announced that Robert Aldridge has been named Vice President of Finance for the Western Operations French American Vintners, in addition to his current role as COO/CFO of St. Francis Winery. Rhonda Carano Becomes New Senior Executive Officer and Manager of Ferrari-Carano Vineyards and Winery R honda Carano, Co-Founder of Ferrari-Carano Vineyards and Winery alongside her late husband Don Carano, has assumed the position of Senior Executive Officer and Manager for the Ferrari-Carano family of brands after Don passed away on October 3, 2017. Like Don, Rhonda is a second-generation Italian-American and a native of Reno, Nevada. The Caranos first fell in love with Sonoma wine country in the late 1970s while visiting to source wines for their hotel/casino, the Eldorado Resort Casino. Since Ferrari-Carano is the shared vision of Don and Rhonda, who co-managed the company since its inception in 1981, the transition to Rhonda's new role will be seamless. "As a team, Don and I shared a dream," Rhonda says. "His insight and visionary approach in the wine industry back in the early 1980s—particularly his love for acquiring special vineyard sites—is the backbone of Ferrari-Carano's philosophy of creating memorable wines from vine to bottle." Rhonda drives Ferrari-Carano's growth strategies and brings to the role 40 years of experience in business manage- ment, marketing, advertising, and creative design at Eldorado Resorts Inc.; Ferrari-Carano Vineyards and Winery; Lazy Creek Vineyards; Seasons of the Vineyard Tasting Bar and Boutique; Vintners Inn; and John Ash & Co. Restaurant.