[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 134 (Tuesday, August 8, 2023)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E762-E763]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  HONORING PAUL EAGAN       DOLAN, III

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. JARED HUFFMAN

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, August 8, 2023

  Mr. HUFFMAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today with Congressman Mike Thompson 
to honor the memory of highly regarded, fourth-generation wine grower 
Paul Eagan Dolan, III, who passed away on June 26, 2023.
  Born in Oakland, California in 1950, Paul spent his childhood summers 
at his family's Asti Villa in Sonoma County. His mother's family 
heritage includes Pietro Carlo Rossi, the Italian immigrant who founded 
the Italian Swiss Colony Winery. Paul's summers in Asti inspired his 
passion for winemaking.
  Paul graduated from Bishop O'Dowd High School in 1968. He earned a 
Bachelor of Arts degree from Santa Clara University while also serving 
in the Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC). After three years of 
military service, Paul moved to Fresno, CA, where he earned a Masters 
in Enology at California State University in 1977.
  Upon graduation, Paul started his first winemaking job with Fetzer 
Vineyards, where he worked for 27 years, eventually serving as 
President. The business flourished under his leadership. In 1991 Fetzer 
was rebranded as Bonterra Wines, the first national brand made from 100 
percent organically grown grapes. Paul's notable achievements included 
being named Winemaker of the Year by the LA Times in 1991. During this 
period, he also founded a small distribution of wine under the Dolan 
Vineyards brand.
  Paul passionately believed business could be a force for good, and 
throughout his life, he demonstrated beneficial practices for 
sustainable wine production. In 2002, he held the first biodynamic 
symposium in the United States, which was joined by winegrowers from 
across the globe. After helping to establish the Wine Institute's 
Sustainable Winegrowers Alliance, and becoming its first chairman, he 
helped introduce the Code of Sustainable Wine Growing. In 2003 he 
memorialized his theory for business as a positive force in his 
watershed book titled ``True to Your Roots: Fermenting a Business 
Revolution.''
  Paul continued to share his commitment to organic, biodynamic, and 
regenerative farming as he became Chairman of the Wine Institute in 
2006. Paul would go on to serve as Chairman of the Demeter USA board, 
where his influence on winegrowing expanded to international audiences 
through the International Biodynamic Wine Conference. He was the first 
wine industry representative on the Regenerative Organic Alliance.
  Paul's legacy includes powerful demonstrations of the benefits of 
biodynamic principles, including the transformation of a run-down 156-
acre hillside property in rural Mendocino County into the vibrant, 
lush, and sustainably farmed Dark Horse Ranch; and the more recent 
creation of Truett-Hurst Winery, home to

[[Page E763]]

26 acres of biodynamic certified estate vines, set amid a remarkable 
backdrop of a restored creek and riparian areas, home to fish, fowl, 
and wildlife.
  Mr. Speaker, Paul's passion for biodynamic and organic farming was 
rooted in his deep respect for natural cycles, his reverence for the 
land, and his belief that agricultural business has responsibility 
beyond generating profit to preserving and restoring land. We 
respectfully ask that you join us in extending deep condolences to 
Paul's family and many friends, and in expressing our strong 
appreciation for Paul's decades of leadership in responsible winemaking 
and sustainability.

                          ____________________