GROWING A LEGACY

HOW TWO WANDERING WINEMAKING SISTERS FINALLY FOUND THEIR VINEYARD

- OSET BABÜR-WINTER

Often, real estate is about budget, timing, and-in California wine country-connections. Predestination isn't usually part of the equation, but for winemakers Robin McBride and Andréa McBride John, it was hard to think of the estate they found in Carneros as anything but an act of divine intervention. It's a theme that the half sisters are quite familiar with: They didn't know each other growing up, but when they connected when Andréa was a teenager and Robin was in her 20s, they found they both shared a passion for winemaking. "We saw this enormous bronze letter M propped up against these eucalyptus trees," Robin tells me, pointing to a weathered 50-foot sculpture that almost blends in with the overgrowth behind the estate's tennis court. "That just kind of sealed the deal for us."

Purchasing the 12-acre ranch is about finally building a home base for McBride Sisters Wine Company, the business the sisters cofounded in 2005. Robin grew up just a two-hour drive away in Monterey and gravitates more toward the operational side of the business. Andréa is a vocal promoter of the beautiful wines from New Zealand, where she was raised. In person, their chemistry and respect for one another is obvious with every conversation, whether it's about sparkling wine, fashion, or interior design, making it impossible to overlook that this is, first and foremost, a business rooted in family.