By Tim Seyfert

There’s an old saying among winemakers, “To make a small fortune, you must first have a big fortune.”

In the case of Los Altos residents Jon and Jan Brosseau, owners of Brosseau Vineyards in Monterey County, “big fortune” had less to do with money than with a rich family bond.

“The key to our success was the whole family’s being a part (of the winery),” Jon said. “That’s the reason we’re where we’re at today.”

Spanning more than 160 acres in the Salinas Valley, the family-run outfit produces pinot noirs and chardonnays that get sipped at bars and restaurants throughout Northern California, including Jocco’s in Los Altos and Lavanda in Palo Alto.

Yet, for the Brosseaus, having their own vineyard for the past 25 years has never been so much about selling wine as about escaping the Silicon Valley grind, according to Jon.

“We wanted to have a place to get out of the Bay Area,” he said. “That’s what it still is today. Our ‘grape escape,’ we call it.”

The need for something new is precisely what inspired the longtime Los Altos natives to become winegrowers in the first place. Jon, an engineer at Lockheed since the late 1970s, yearned for a release from the hectic cram of the tech arena. After reading a how-to guide on making wine, he discovered something different, yet familiar, to serve as his retreat.

“Making wine is a lot like engineering,” he said. “It’s a science. A more romantic science, but a science.”

Brosseau Vineyards began in 1978 with an ill-fated attempt at growing vines in the back yard of the family’s Los Altos home. After realizing an oak root fungus in the soil was putting up a roadblock, the Brosseaus decided to set their sights elsewhere.

For a year they toured California, finally settling on Soledad, an area known for its unmatched pinot noir and chardonnay grapes. After purchasing land next to the Chalone Vineyard, the Brosseaus planted their first crop in 1981.

The journey from the vineyard’s first seeds to the acres of grapevines visitors see today can perhaps be attributed largely to family bonding, Jan said.

During the winery’s infancy, the Brosseaus made it routine to pack up the children, dogs and camping gear and spend weekends as grape farmers out on the then-undeveloped acres.

That tradition not only helped the winery get off the ground in the mid 1980s, but also lead the Brosseaus’ son Bill to his vocational calling.

After receiving a degree from the School of Viticulture and Oenology at UC Davis, Bill went on to become a winemaker at Testarossa in Los Gatos, where he works today.

The rest of the family, meanwhile, divide their time between 9-to-5 jobs in Silicon Valley and pitching in at the vineyard.

Despite its continuing success, including the addition of a seven-bedroom bed and breakfast on the property, the vineyard still remains simply “a fun side project,” according to Jon.

“It’s like ‘Falcon Crest,’” he said, referring to the 1980s soap opera involving a family of Napa Valley winemakers. “Only a lot less drama.”

That and, luckily, no Lorenzo Lamas.

For more information about Brosseau wines, logon to www.brosseauvineyards.com.