In 1987, Bill and Brenda Murphy planted a vineyard in their backyard. What began as a hillside stabilization project for erosion control, turned into a way of life for the Silicon Valley couple. Before they knew it, the Murphy’s were in the wine business, producing fine bottlings under their Clos LaChance label. With the experience they gained in farming and viticulture the Murphy’s set up a vineyard company called CK Vines. The goal of the company was to provide sustainable, income-producing, view enhancing landscaping for some of their friends and neighbors.
CK Vines—named after Cheryl and Kristin, the Murphy’s two daughters—is a subsidiary of Clos LaChance Wines. The company provides installation and maintenance of small-scale vineyards. Once a vineyard begins to produce adequate fruit, the grapes are purchased from the client for use in Clos LaChance’s premium wines. The partnership between CK Vines’ clients and Clos LaChance Wines offers numerous benefits to both parties.
Clos LaChance Wines greatly benefits from the CK Vines relationship. It is hard to find large plots of land in the Santa Cruz Mountains suitable for Chardonnay and Pinot Noir vineyards—the mountainous terrain, plus skyrocketing land values in the Silicon Valley, has made the purchase of larger parcels difficult. By establishing these boutique vineyards, Clos LaChance has access to grapes from the unique microclimates and soils of this cool coastal region.
CK Vines’ viticulturists maintain the vineyards to ensure the quality of the fruit .
CK Vines is not a landscaping company. Premium wine-producing grapevines require special care. Aspects such as pruning and trellising have special techniques that take years to master. Surprisingly, seemingly insignificant alterations in vine maintenance can affect the characteristics of the fruit. Because Clos LaChance Wines purchases the fruit produced by CK Vines’ vineyards, the winery is highly motivated to take the best possible care of clients’ vines and fruit.
CK Vines has been successful working with over 25 vineyards in the Santa Cruz Mountains region, resulting in happy clients and top quality fruit for Clos LaChance. The first vineyard designate bottling from a CK Vines Vineyard was released in 2005.
BILL MURPHY, Co-founder and CEO
He has been interested in the wine business since his formative years, when he worked at a restaurant called Bishops in Lawrence, MA. Faced with the decision of how to landscape his newly acquired 1 1/4 of an acre in Saratoga, CA, he thought a backyard vineyard would be a great addition. Little did he know that 10 years later, a full-fledged business would result.
Bill graduated from Tufts University outside of Boston and received a degree in electrical engineering. He received his masters in business from San Diego State University several years later. After a brief stint at GE, Bill worked with Hewlett-Packard in several different capacities since the 70s. He retired in 2000 as the director of Internet marketing and has a passion for surfing the Web for good wine, golf clubs and skis. Bill is a father of two and thoroughly enjoys his wife’s cooking, especially with a good Zin. He is an avid skier and golfer, and enjoys fishing and traveling as well. In 2001, Bill accomplished a lifetime goal…and was caricatured on the front page of the Wall Street Journal on December 11, 2000. While overseeing the operations of the winery, Bill also sits on the boards of several small technology companies.
BRENDA MURPHY, Co-founder and President
Brenda’s maiden name (LaChance) was the inspiration for naming the family winery. Brenda graduated from Rivier College in with a degree in education. After teaching for nearly 7 years, Brenda raised her two children, Cheryl and Kristin. She is now directing Clos LaChance’s daily operations, including managing the staff, processing orders, managing the shipping department, equipment maintenance and just about anything else you can think of. Brenda is also a gourmet cook, and contributes to the quarterly newsletter with recipies; each one paired carefully with Clos LaChance’s wines.
KRISTIN MURPHY, CK Vines Customer Relations Director
Kristin Murphy, Bill and Brenda’s youngest daughter, manages the additional Clos LaChance Business Units, including CK Vines, Weddings and Corporate Events, and Bay Area Bottling. Having built the wineries successful event business from scratch, Kristin has recently taken over management of the new bottling business, Bay Area Bottling. Her customer service skills and attention to detail have been a considerable asset in managing these high-touch pieces of the Clos LaChance “empire.” Kristin also enjoys spending time in the market calling on accounts and pouring wine at tastings.
MATT PARTRIDGE, CK Vines Vineyard Manager
Matt came to CK Vines armed with a degree in Viticulture from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo. His passion for the vines and the concept of terrior is deeply rooted—his family has owned a vineyard in Italy for over 25 years. As Vineyard Manager, Matt interfaces directly with CK Vines vineyard owners to determine their viticultural goals. Matt is responsible for working with the Vineyard Manager to develop and implement a plan to meet those goals. He is also the lead manager for all of CK Vines’ new vineyard installations. Having spent time on the wine making team at Meridian Vineyards, Matt’s palate is well developed—and he is well-educated on what a winemaker likes delivered in terms of quality wine grapes.