Winemaker at Foley Estates since 2010, Leslie Mead Renaud began her career working in forests rather than vineyards. She graduated from the University of Michigan with a bachelor’s degree in natural resources with an emphasis in aquatic resource management. After school she worked for several years for the Forest Service in Oregon, hooting for spotted owls in the forests of Mt. Hood. Next she relocated to California, where she worked as an urban forester with PG&E.

Arriving at Wine

Leslie’s career path took a significant turn when she applied for a position as a lab technician at Ironstone Vineyards. Committing to a career in winemaking, Leslie moved to Sonoma County to be in the heart of the wine country. There she worked at Clos du Bois, Sonoma Creek Winery, and Hans Fahden Vineyards. She later moved to Santa Cruz and became the production manager at Bonny Doon Winery. In 2005 she joined Talley Vineyards and was promoted to winemaker in 2007. She joined the Foley Wine Group as winemaker in 2010.