Tom Klein
Proprietor
Tom Klein is a third generation California farmer. His family has been farming in the San Joaquin Valley for almost a hundred years. In the 1880s, his maternal grandparents came to California from Massachusetts by covered wagon. They settled near Stockton, where Tom was born and raised. As a teenager, he worked on the family ranches in all aspects of the farming business, from picking tomatoes to driving a water truck. Tom went on to graduate from Stanford University in 1973 with a degree in political science before continuing on to graduate from Stanford Graduate School of Business in 1979. Tom spent several years as a management consultant at McKinsey & Company, where he received an assignment for Rodney Strong Vineyards, affording him the opportunity to meet and become acquainted with Rod Strong and winemaker Rick Sayre. In 1984 Tom returned to the family business to run Klein Brothers International, an agricultural products trading company. During that time, he traveled extensively around the world, researching the wine industry and developing his palate. In 1989 Tom and his family purchased Rodney Strong Vineyards.
Under the guidance of the Klein family, the winery has become one of the most respected operations in Sonoma County, producing wines from the nearly 1000 acres it owns in four Sonoma appellations; Russian River Valley, Chalk Hill, Alexander Valley, and Sonoma Coast. The family has invested over $90,000,000 in vineyard purchases and development as well as state-of-the-art production facilities, barrels, and barrel storage at the winery.
“We are committed to quality in every aspect at Rodney Strong Vineyards; in top-flight wines we continually strive to produce, in Sonoma County lifestyle, and in the people we employ,” Tom explains. “And we are always seeking ways to fulfill this commitment.”
Tom and his family live in San Francisco where his wife Kate Kelly is a television news anchor for CBS. The family enjoys sports, most notably golf, baseball and skiing. Tom also enjoys cooking with his family; one of their favorite meals is wild duck, which Tom brings home from his occasional hunting trips. Kate and Tom are active as philanthropists in their community, assisting a number of causes including The Boys & Girls Club, The California Academy of Sciences, The First Tee of San Francisco and Sacred Dying Foundation. They are also collectors of early California ‘plein air’ painters. Tom makes time to serve the business community as a Board member of the Wine Institute and as a member of World Presidents Organization (where YPO members go after age 50), on the Board of the California Travel & Tourism Commission, and on the Trustee California Academy of Sciences in Golden Gate Park. In May of 2006 Tom received an honorary Doctor of Oenology Degree from Johnson & Wales University. Tom is a staunch supporter of Stanford University’s athletic programs; he founded and chaired the Stanford Rugby Foundation and served on the Stanford Athletic Board. Tom is a devoted and passionate golfer, having played many courses in the U.S. and the U.K. “Great golf courses and great vineyards have much in common. They are beautiful, challenging and stimulating to the senses. Capturing the opportunity they present takes skill, patience and dedication.” he says.
Place Matters. Sonoma County, California.