Evening Land Vineyards (ELV) Appoints Greg Ralston Chief Executive Officer

NAPA, Calif., Jan. 12, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Evening Land Vineyards (ELV) announces the appointment of Greg Ralston as CEO, effective January 23, 2012.

In his new role, Ralston will be responsible for working in partnership with the Board Executive Committee to transition the company from its startup phase into positioning for new growth and stability. Ralston will manage and develop a collection of world-class Pinot Noir and Chardonnay vineyards and winemaking operations in Oregon's Willamette Valley, Occidental in Sonoma County, Santa Barbara County's Santa Rita Hills and in Burgundy, France.

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"Evening Land is fortunate to be gaining the insight and experience of such a well-respected veteran wine industry executive and leader," said Evening Land Chairman Steven Webster. "Greg will play an integral role in enhancing and executing many of the company's critical long-term strategic initiatives." Founder Mark Tarlov, who has been acting as CEO through the startup phase, said "Handing the reigns to Greg, such an accomplished executive with his passion for terroir-based winemaking and broad-based expertise in the wine industry, positions ELV to continue its growth and achieve sustained commercial success."

"The team has a passion for excellence that is second to none and ownership has made the commitment to produce wines at the very highest level," said Ralston. "Evening Land is poised to achieve great success in the world of fine wine and I look forward to taking the lead in pursuit of that goal. I could not be more enthusiastic about joining a company with such promise and aspirations."

Prior to joining Evening Land, Ralston was Senior Vice-President at Wilson Daniels, the renowned importer and national marketing company. Prior to that Ralston spent more than 20 years with one of the most acclaimed wineries in the Napa Valley, Chateau Montelena, the last 10 years as Managing Director.

The Cypress Group of St. Helena successfully completed the search to fill this role.  www.cypress-grp.com

About Evening Land Vineyard

Evening Land Vineyards is an ambitious and unique wine project intent on making exceptional Pinot Noirs and Chardonnays from the finest terroirs in the Western U.S. and France. ELV has invested in a compelling collection of acclaimed vineyard sites including Occidental Vineyards in the Sonoma Coast appellation, Evening Land Vineyard in Santa Rita Hills, and Seven Springs Vineyards in Oregon's Willamette Valley. ELV also produces wines in Burgundy from Premier Cru and Grand Cru vineyards in the Cote d'Or. Since 2007 legendary Burgundian producer Dominique Lafon of Domaine des Comtes Lafon has been consulting for ELV on its Seven Springs project in Oregon. 

SOURCE Evening Land Vineyards