Jacques Pierre Schlumberger
Acknowledging these Wine Creek Canyon vineyards and winery overlooking Dry Creek Valley as one of the premier wine producing properties in the world, Jacques Schlumberger in 1993 increased investment from minority to majority partner in the Wine Estate of Michel-Schlumberger. While influenced by his family's four hundred years of grape growing and winemaking at Domaines Viticoles Schlumberger of Guebwiller in Alsace, Jacques has independently committed himself to developing and expressing the potential of this extraordinary vineyard and winery in Healdsburg, California. Since July of 1993, he has provided leadership as President. His design for Michel-Schlumberger is the production of small lots of rare quality, estate wines which express the distinct flavors of the benchland, upland, and mountain vineyards. Jacques Schlumberger settled in Sonoma County in 1971. His interest in the California wine industry developed as he grew grapes and farmed on a ranch in the Sonoma Mountain area. Soon he was managing a six-acre vineyard and selling grapes to August Sebastiani. As happens naturally, the passionate winegrower becomes a winemaker, and in 1972 Jacques Schlumberger established a winery, Sonoma Mountain Vineyards, producing primarily cabernet sauvignon.
Schlumberger's notable interest in art and music and his continuing support of the arts complement his dedication to fine wine. In past years he marketed in California the works of American, Russian and French artists. Owner and caretaker of two museum-quality instruments from the eighteenth century, a violin and a cello, Schlumberger has currently loaned both to performing musicians. Since 1992 he has promoted classical music in Sonoma County as a director on the board of the Santa Rosa Symphony. In 1999, Jacques and his wife Barbara made a significant contribution to the construction of the Green Music Center at Sonoma State University, their alma mater, and they continue to donate their time and energy to this effort. During the summer months the Michel-Schlumberger Wine Estate hosts several musical events in the winery's courtyard.
Jacques Schlumberger continues to lead the twenty-three-year-old wine estate into a promising future guided by his profound respect for people and his intelligent regard for business. He summarizes: "Michel-Schlumberger has all the ingredients: an extremely talented winemaker - Michael Brunson; accomplished cellar and vineyard people; soil, climate, clones, and topography. Our goal is to maximize in quality, not in quantity, the yield from our vineyards while maintaining a balance in the cellar between innovation and traditional techniques." Michel-Schlumberger produces small lots of estate wines which express the unique terroir of its niche overlooking Dry Creek Valley.