A teacher of mine once described wine as liquid music, and spoke passionately about how it has the power to touch your soul and inspire you. I’m undoubtedly enjoying a love affair with pinot, but what inspires me isn’t the just the wine, it’s the people behind the glass I’m drinking.

One of the major inspirations for us has been the Robledo family. Partners with them since we first planted Rebecca’s Vineyard in 1997, we’ve been fortunate to be able to watch as they realized a lifelong dream in 2000 when they released their first vintage. (If you haven’t tried their reserve pinot from their Carneros estate vineyards, you should really give one a try.) Their wines are excellent to be sure, but what really makes a good wine great, in my opinion, is an understanding of the story that went into making it, and what motivated their desire to make fine wines.

If you haven’t yet read or heard the Robledo story, prepare to be delighted because it’s a great one. I’ve collected some snippets and excerpts from a NY Times article that ran last October. I think it captures the essence of their journey.

Mr. Robledo came to the Napa Valley in 1968 as a migrant worker, living in a transient labor camp set up at the Christian Brothers Winery. Typically the migrants would work their way up the West Coast, following the harvest of grapes, pears, plums, cherries and apples before returning to their families in Mexico.

He worked long hours on his own time, he said, to learn every aspect of the wine business: matching budding vine to rootstock, making thousands of grafts that will thrive, pruning so the vines get just the right amount of sun, determining the proper number of grape bunches per vine, and any number of other small but important skills.

In the 1970′s he bought a house, which he sold in 1984 to pay for his first vineyard. The Robledos now own 200 acres, 160 of which are planted with vines.

Mr. Robledo so much wanted his nine children to work in the wine industry that he decided to start his own business so that each would have a place.

“All seven of my brothers are involved in the farming,” said Vanessa Robledo, a daughter, who is the president of the Robledo Family Winery. The ninth child, Lorena, has contributed in another way. Her husband, Rolando Herrera – himself the son of migrant workers – is the Robledo winemaker. Mr. Herrera, too, makes his own wine, which he bottles under the label Mi Sueño, which means “my dream.”

The Robledos produce about 5,200 cases of sauvignon blanc, chardonnay, pinot noir, cabernet sauvignon and syrah. They also run a well-regarded vineyard management company.

Just as important as moving into winemaking, Vanessa Robledo says, is elevating the status of those who remain in the field.

"One of my main goals is to promote what the farmers do," she said, "because it’s their labor that helps to produces these fine wines. A lot of times it’s called unskilled labor, but it’s very highly skilled labor, and that’s why I’m proud to say that my father was a migrant worker."

I told you it was a great story (and I hear rumors that Hollywood has come calling). All the more so for us since our clan relates completely with the importance of family and relationships.

A glass of wine can move me, but it’s the Robledos of the world that inspire. That’s why they’re our model for winemaking success.