Consumer >> CEO Interviews >> June 11, 2001
THOMAS B. SELFRIDGE, as President and Chief Executive Officer of Chalone
Wine Group, oversees all aspects of the company, from winegrowing and
marketing/sales to management and administration. With more than 30
years in the wine business, he has the diverse skills necessary to
manage and lead Chalone Wine Group and its prized wine estates. Mr.
Selfridge began his career in the wine industry in 1972, working as a
cellarman at Napa's historic Beaulieu Vineyard and studying under the
world-renowned winemaker, Andre Tchelistcheff. he quickly proved his
skill and dedication and became enologist and viticulturist within one
year. Four years later, he was appointed as winemaker, a post he filled
for three years before being promoted again to become Vice President and
General Manager, and finally, President. Mr. Selfridge served as
President of BV from 1983 until 1990. While at BV, he directed the
introduction of a new Sauvignon Blanc program for the winery, as well as
a new Pinot Noir program, making BV the first winery in the state of
California to use Carneros on the label as a designated appellation. He
also developed the Beautour program, an entirely new line of wines for
BV, which was recently replaced by the BV Coastal line. Under his
leadership, BV achieved record profits, sales and wine quality levels.
In 1990 he joined Kendall-Jackson Winery as Vice President of
Production, where he oversaw winemaking, grower management, quality
control, bottling and warehouse operations. He was promoted in 1995 to
manage all marketing and public relations programs for the company.
While with Kendall-Jackson, Mr. Selfridge directed the roll-out of a new
Merlot program for the winery, and brought that product from zero to
200,000 cases in seven years. Under his direction, overall production
increased five-fold while wine quality steadily increased, and record
profits were achieved each year. Mr. Selfridge worked closely with owner
Jess Jackson, helping to coordinate all aspects of the company. In 1998
he came to Chalone Wine Group to serve as President. Since he joined
Chalone, he has directed the introduction of six new wineries: Echelon
Vineyards, Sagelands Vineyard, Jade Mountain, Provenance Vineyards,
Hewitt Vineyard and Orogeny Vineyards. His vision for the company is to
continue growth into new areas while continuously looking for new ways
to keep Chalone Wine Group and its estates on the cutting edge of
quality. Together with his management team, he will continue to
strategically grow the company in the most profitable price points. Mr.
Selfridge holds a BA in Economics from UC Berkeley (1966), an MA in
Economics from SF State (1968) and MS in Enology and Viticulture from UC
Davis (1973). He also studied in the doctoral program at University of
Pennsylvania's Wharton School of Business. He is a member of the Wine
Institute's Board of Directors. Profile
Chalone Wine Group?
Mr. Selfridge: We are a collection of small, super premium and luxury
wineries. The least expensive wine
