In the heart of Napa Valley, California, lies ZD Wines, a sustainable winery with a mission to give back to the community.
Founded in 1969 by friends—and aerospace engineers—Norman deLeuze and Gino Sappione, the winery’s name is a nod to the duo’s early careers at Aerojet, where they helped build some of America’s first rocket engines. Industry lingo for “Zero Defects,” ZD was a philosophy the pair also applied to winemaking.
Now headed by Norman’s son, Robert deLeuze, ZD has two locations where they grow Cabernet Sauvignon grapes and cultivate Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.
Not only are ZD’s Rutherford and Carneros Estates certified organic, the winery and vineyards use solar energy, biofuels, composting, cover cropping, recycling, electric vehicles and more.
The deLeuze family also is dedicated to giving back to the community both locally and nationwide. To date, ZD Wines and the deLeuze Family Charitable Foundation have raised more than $1 million to support research led by Dr. Joseph Tuscano at the University of California-Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center. In addition to fundraising events, each week the deLeuze family and ZD team deliver healthy snacks to the Napa Valley Boys & Girls Club Teen Center. The deLeuze family also provides an annual $500 grant to each employee to give to local charities of their choosing.
Editor’s note: This article appeared in Beyond the Meeting Room, ALHI’s award-winning luxury lifestyle magazine focused on sharing compelling, inspirational and educational stories from beyond the four walls of a meeting room.