Selim Zilkha - Owner

Michael Zilkha

Nadia Zilkha Wellisz

Joseph J. Romano - Vice President

Eric Hickey - Winemaker/General Manager

Dave Hickey - Production Manager

Sparkling Winemaker

Angel Vasquez - Cellar Master,

Assistant Winemaker

Wendell Cottle - Chief Financial Officer

Lino Bozzano - Laetitia Vineyard Manager

Craig Winn - Viticulturist

Selim Zilkha - Owner

Selim was born in Baghdad in 1927. He was raised in Beirut, then Cairo and eventually in New York where he attended high school. Selim graduated from Williams College with a BA in 1945 and then served in the US Army. His father founded and owned the leading private bank in the Middle East. Selim and his three brothers worked with their father in international banking. He ran the family's Paris office and in 1955 opened an office in London. After the death of his father, he founded Mothercare, a retail chain specializing in Everything for the Mother to be and her Baby. This was a very successful venture and at the time the company went public in 1972 Mothercare was the largest initial public offering ever on the London Stock Exchange. Selim sold Mothercare in 1982 and returned to the United States. He subsequently invested in oil and gas exploration and was joined by his son Michael in 1986. They were at the forefront of utilizing computers and 3 D Seismic imaging technology for discovering new hydrocarbon accumulations. When it was sold in 1998 Zilkha Energy Company was the largest leaseholder on the continental shelf in the Gulf of Mexico. Selim and Michael then formed Zilkha Renewable Energy and invested in Wind Energy. They decided to invest in the best acreage available. The business grew rapidly and when the company was sold to Goldman Sachs in 2006 they had accumulated 250,000 acres from New York State to the State of Washington.

Selim is also supporting neuroscience and environmental research. He has a personal stake in neurosciences as his mother and eldest brother were afflicted with Alzheimer's. As a result of this he funded the building of the Zilkha Neurogenetics Institute at the University of Southern California. He also founded a biotechnology company, Socratech, at the University of Rochester. Selim gave an Environmental Center to Williams College which is enthusiastically supported by the students and professors. He is also a patron of the Los Angeles Opera, where he donates Laetitia wines to all their functions.

Selim has lived in Los Angeles since 1983 and has always had a great passion for California agriculture. Laetitia Vineyard and Winery was an ideal way to participate. The estate vineyard has the perfect terroir for growing Pinot Noir and Chardonnay grapes. In addition, Selim saw the possibilities of our Cuyama Valley vineyards for Cabernet Sauvignon and other Bordeaux grapes. He is determined to produce wines of outstanding quality and character. He is accomplishing this with his team of totally dedicated people. He encourages his team to stay at the forefront of current wine grape cultivation practices, cellar practices, and always to use new technology whenever available.

His daughter Nadia worked with him at the winery for a period, and has now moved to New York.

Joseph J. Romano - Vice President

Joe has been a Director and Vice President of Laetitia Vineyard & Winery since 1999. Born in Racine, Wisconsin, he earned a BA in economics and political science from the University of Wisconsin in Eau Claire, and an MBA from the University of Northern Illinois. Joe's early work was for the Worldwide Energy Group of the First National Bank of Chicago. He joined Texas International Company in 1982 as Treasurer and Controller, and rose to Chief Financial Officer in 1986.

Joe has now worked with Selim and his son Michael for the past 20 years. He has served as Chief Executive Officer of Zilkha Biomass Energy Company, President and CEO of Zilkha Renewable Energy Company, and Senior VP and CFO of Zilkha Energy Company. He is currently President and CEO of Olympic Energy Partners, and serves as CFO and member of the Boards of Managers of Socratech, ZZ Alztech and ZZ Biotech. Sustainability and renewable energy are always on his mind.

While working for Laetitia Vineyard & Winery with long-time friends Selim and Michael, Joe's Italian heritage has come full-circle. Both of his grandfathers made their own wine when grapes were delivered by railcar to their small town in Wisconsin. Their wine was always served with pasta, and pasta was served almost every night.

Joe looks forward to his monthly trips to the winery to visit with Selim and the team to discuss our wines, our vineyards and our operations. At home in Houston, Texas, Joe enjoys family time with his wife Anne and their three children, Joey, Regina and Natalie. He continues to attempt a successful transition from basketball to golf.

Eric Hickey - General Manager/Winemaker
Eric Hickey has winemaking in his blood. Under the tutelage of his father, Dave Hickey, Eric toiled in the cellar, learning every aspect of the harvest and the subtleties of proper cellar work. In 1994, Eric was promoted to Cellar Master at Maison Deutz and worked alongside French Winemaker Christian Rougenant. He supplemented his hands-on winemaking education with stints at the UC Davis Extension program. He journeyed to France, where he explored, tasted and walked through vineyards in Rhône, Burgundy and Bordeaux.

Eric's leadership and winemaking skills earned him a promotion to head winemaker in 2002 and to General Manager in 2003. His responsibilities cover all aspects of still wine production and vineyard operations. He believes in a strong link between vineyard and winery and feels that ‘terroir' and winemaking are equally important in achieving exceptional wine. Stylistically, Eric's wines exemplify his love of balance, his respect for the vineyard and his sense of adventure. The wines are well-balanced and elegant, while still exhibiting a bright, exciting fruit component.

Eric and his wife, Kim, are the proud parents of two daughters. When he is not in the cellar or vineyard, Eric can be found spending time with his family or surfing in the Pacific Ocean, where he regains much of his calm and focus, two virtues that he consistently brings to his winemaking at Laetitia Vineyard & Winery.

Dave Hickey - Production Manager/Sparkling Winemaker
A native of Ohio and a very independent person, Dave traveled the country working as a Journeyman Electrician. In 1982 he relocated to the Central Coast of California and established a successful janitorial business. Always inquisitive and adventurous, an incredible door of opportunity was opened when he and his firm were hired to work at Maison Deutz.

At the time, Maison Deutz was just getting started, but they would soon become a leading producer of sparkling wine in California. Dave found the making of sparkling wines using Méthode Champenoise techniques fascinating, and the winery staff appreciated Dave's strong work ethic and friendly personality. This led to him being hired on shortly thereafter, managing winery systems operations and assisting in the production of sparkling wine.

To expand his knowledge of the making of sparkling wines, Dave traveled to France to observe, first-hand, the styles and techniques of noted Champagne producers. He returned to work side by side with Maison Deutz winemaker Christian Roguenant, as well as many other esteemed American and French Sparkling Wine and Champagne consultants.

In 1999, Dave was accorded the title of Winemaker for Laetitia's sparkling wine program. While Eric oversees all production of still wines, Dave oversees the sparkling wine production and assists his son in managing cellar operations.

When Dave is not producing a classic family of award-winning sparkling wines, he enjoys photography, snow skiing, and spending time with his wife, Carmen, children, and grandchildren.

Angel Vazquez - Assistant Winemaker
Angel moved to Los Angeles, California from Chihuahua, Mexico when he was 18 years old. He worked first as a bartender and later on a ranch at Casitas in Santa Ynez under Bruce Becket. Angel then moved on to work at Zaca Mesa Winery from 1983-2000.

Angel started part time on the bottling line at Zaca Mesa, and then worked in the cellar for 6 years. It was here that he found his true calling and he was promoted to cellar master in 1993. He was recruited for Laetitia by Bilo Zarif, for whom he made private label wine. He joined Laetitia in 2000 as cellar master.

Angel enjoys making Pinot Noir and looks up to Eric Hickey who gave him the chance to learn and grow his winemaking skills. He loves the diversity he finds at Laetitia in the wines as well as in his fellow staff members. He and his wife, Rosa, met in 1975 and they have a daughter, Vanessa and a son, Victor. In his spare time, Angel enjoys motorcycle riding with Victor.

Wendell Cottle - Chief Financial Officer
Wendell manages all the financial and technical matters of Laetitia, including the website and the wine club.

Wendell began life as a botanist. He received his Bachelor's Degree from Cal State University, Sacramento, Master's Degree from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, and PhD through the Institute of Biological Chemistry at Washington State University. He spent several years as a chemist but gravitated to accounting and finance. When he returned to California, he joined a public accounting firm in the Napa Valley, where he earned his CPA license. Wendell held financial positions at V. Sattui Winery and Sanford Winery and joined Laetitia in 2006.

Wendell's lifelong involvement in agriculture has spanned the spectrum from picking tomatoes as a teenager to performing scientific research on cork biosynthesis, and now to winery and vineyard finances. He serves on the Board of Directors of California Community Forests Foundation, the Wine and Viticulture Program Advisory Council at Cal Poly, and the steering committee for the wine industry's Direct to Consumer Symposium.

Wendell and his wife Barbara live on the east side of Arroyo Grande where they are stewards of a small native live oak forest. In his spare time Wendell enjoys gardening and riding his Ducati motorcycle.

Lino Bozzano - Laetitia Vineyard Manager
Lino Bozzano is a third generation California farmer, and it shows. He is effusive about his love for the soils, micro-climates, and the topography and geography of the vineyards where he works on a daily basis. He can recite the clonal materials, soil types and varietal composition of any given vineyard row. Considering that Lino oversees hundreds of acres of vines between the Laetitia and Barnwood vineyards, this is no small feat.

Lino began his career in viticulture upon his graduation from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo in 1996. He worked at the iconic Bien Nacido Vineyard, and learned early on that every effort made in the vineyard affects the finished wine. Lino farms each vineyard row as if it were a universe unto itself. He can tell you what vineyard block will be harvested later than the rest, when the fog will burn off on a given day and what rock formations are beneath one's feet.

"I love what I do. I love working with the vineyards, and then tasting the wines: the literal fruits of our labors. It's a fascinating process: to grow grapes in a way that will produce wines of distinction."

Lino and his wife, Jeanne, are enjoying the wonders of parenthood with son, Richie and daughter, Leah. As an articulate and passionate vineyard manager, Lino's passion for wines and vineyards is matched only by his love for his family, music and surfing.

Craig Winn - Viticulturist

Craig Winn is the viticulturist for Laetitia and one of the newest members of the vineyard team. Viticulturists are chemists, soil scientists and plant physiologists who work with vineyard managers and winemakers to coax the vines into creating those wonderful aromas and flavors that we seek. They are true wine nerds who delve into the soil to look at the roots of wine.

A California Central Coast native with a Master's degree in plant physiology and a minor in biochemistry, Craig moved away sixteen years ago to grow vines and learn how they respond to different areas around the world. He was a viticulturist for the Department of Agriculture and seized the opportunity to grow high-end wine grapes in Argentina, Australia, New Zealand, Napa and Sonoma.

Early in 2006, Craig struck up a conversation with Laetitia's vineyard manager, Lino, about wine and cool weather grape-growing. Lino needed a viticulturist and wasn't shy about what he wanted - a seasoned, quality-oriented professional with sustainability and true land stewardship in mind. Craig was hooked and couldn't wait to get his fingers into the soils.

When he's not in the vineyard or the lab, Craig, his wife Elizabeth and their two daughters love the active California lifestyle of surfing, tennis and skiing. Craig also enjoys reading chemistry and plant physiology journals, just for fun.