Rudd Estate was born in 1996 from a vision by the Rudd Family to realize the full potential of the land through site-driven, estate wines. We match skills and purpose with passion. We celebrate value creation, innovation, continuous improvement, hard work, integrity and results. We are experts in our fields yet are open-minded, encouraging team members to challenge assumptions and generate new knowledge through unlikely collaborations. We are blessed to be stewards of this land and work tirelessly to fulfill our generational promise to do better than the preceding generation.
Leslie’s journey into the food and beverage industry began when he joined his father’s alcoholic beverage wholesale distribution business in Wichita, Kansas. Due to his leadership, Standard Beverage Corporation grew to be the state’s largest alcoholic beverage wholesaler and represents most of the world’s premium wine, beer and spirits brands.
Intent on furthering his experience, Leslie expanded into the specialty foods space successfully launching and investing in several national restaurants as well as adding the iconic Dean & DeLuca to his portfolio, which he owned until 2014. In 2005, Leslie desired to cast a new vision on the steakhouse concept and take inspiration from the famed L’Ami Louis of Paris in creating PRESS Restaurant, a modern steakhouse located in St. Helena, California. Leslie’s passion for bridging the gap between the past and present is further evident in the 2012 renovation of Oakville Grocery, which he purchased in 2007, to make sure that it would remain open as one of the oldest groceries in the country. Each of these ventures share a commitment to excellence and appreciation of artisan products by blending the traditions of the past while instilling a modern twist. Before his passing in 2018, Leslie handed over the reins to his daughter Samantha.
Today, the Rudd Estate winegrowing journey continues under the stewardship of Chanel whose portfolio of wines include St. Supéry Estate in Napa Valley, and the Bordeaux wineries Château Rauzan-Ségla, Château Canon, Château Berliquet, and Domaine de l’Ile on the island of Porquerolles.
