Meet Some of the Team
John & Danielle Cleary
John, and his wife Danielle, have three beautiful daughters, Christina, Jessica, and Nicole. San Francisco native John Cleary has practiced magic for over forty years - at least the kind that makes Pinot Noir bottles disappear during dinner. His experience at the Ranch spans decades, including the nearly forty acre expansion of the ranch in 1983 as well as the transition from cattle ranch to vineyards in the late 1990s. When he's away from the ranch, John is heavily involved in the community, serving on the board of directors for several nonprofit organizations and youth groups. In college, he studied Business and Biological Science and since has been working in San Francisco for over thirty years. He has also competed as an equestrian throughout California and Colorado and enjoys hobbies such as piano and photography. John finds tremendous inspiration from visualizing, designing, and catalyzing new projects. His incredible passion for the past, present, and future of the Cleary Ranch is reflected in every bottle of Pinot Noir.
Dan Darcy — Sales & Marketing
As a child, Dan spent countless summers and weekends with his cousins at the Cleary Ranch doing everything from feeding cows to shearing sheep...all of which he considers some of his fondest memories. Growing up in San Francisco, he occasionally had the opportunity to sip chardonnay at family dinners, inspiring his passion for the art of winemaking. The Clearys' conversion of the ranch to vineyards was truly a dream come true for Dan. Since earning a BS in Commerce for Marketing at Santa Clara University, Dan has spent several years in high-tech marketing while learning about fine wine and the ins and outs of the wine business. Some say Dan exhibits several qualities of the Pinot Noir grape... likes to hang out in cooler regions, temperamental, and needs constant care and attention. In his spare time, you can find Dan at an SF Giants game, wine tasting, or at the vineyard playing bocce ball.
Chris Nelson — Winemaker
With a undergraduate Chemistry Degree from Vanderbilt and a Master's Degree in Enology from Fresno State, Chris Nelson was uniquely prepared for a future in winemaking. Upon relocating to the West Coast in 2000, Chris turned his love of science in winemaking into a career by training with outstanding winemakers from Lynmar Winery in Russian River, Dry River Winery in Martinborough New Zealand, and Araujo Wines in Calistoga. He currently leads the Pinot Noir program at Crushpad, a state of the art winemaking facility in San Francisco - continuing the excellence of this fantastic grape.
Arturo Robledo — Vineyard Manager
Arturo is no newcomer to the Freestone/Russian River Valley. With over 35 years of vineyard management expertise, he is among the top talent of the wine country, building his reputation over a 24-year tenure at Sonoma-Cutrer Winery, then founding his own vineyard management company. Prior to Cleary Ranch, Arturo accepted the invitation from premium Sonoma Coast vintner, Flowers Winery, to be their head viticulturist. However, he found the excitement and challenge of working with up and coming grape-growing ventures more enticing. The family's wine industry legacy also extends to Arturo's brother Reynaldo who, after a long viticultural career, founded the first Hispanic-owned winery in Sonoma County, Robledo Family Winery. Arturo is also mentoring his son in practical vineyard management techniques while Arturo Jr. completes his studies at UC Davis. Arturo's deep viticultural knowledge, unwavering attention to detail, and understanding of the Russian River climate and terroir are what makes him particularly adept at nurturing the finicky Pinot Noir grapes that comprise the Cleary Ranch Vineyards.
Cynthia M. Cleary-Jahnke — Wine Educator
Our resident wine-educator, Cynthia M. Cleary-Jahnke, was born, raised, and educated in San Francisco. After graduation from The University of San Francisco, Cynthia began a 33 year nursing career mostly in critical care. Weekends off and vacations were spent at the ranch. In 1998, Cynthia formalized her passion for wine grape growing and winemaking at Santa Rosa Junior College, earning a Viticulture Management Certificate - the same year she broke ground for a Pinot Noir vineyard of her own with brothers, John, Mike, Tom and Kevin. In 2006, Cynthia advanced her career in the wine industry by becoming a wine educator for Joseph Phelps Vineyards in St. Helena, California and Freestone Vineyards Guest Center in Freestone, California. In 2007 she retired from critical care, worked the crush at Freestone Winery and traveled to Australia to visit family and experience winemaking down under. Cynthia now enjoys nursing per diem at the University of California, San Francisco while continuing to educate those she meets about the wines, food pairings and lush beauty of our Sonoma County wildlife and vineyards.