[vc_row full_width=”stretch_row_content_no_spaces” css=”.vc_custom_1613059137115{background-image: url(http://nealvineyards.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/20201009-DSC_8588.jpg?id=1541) !important;background-position: center !important;background-repeat: no-repeat !important;background-size: cover !important;}”][vc_column][vc_empty_space height=”400px”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row css=”.vc_custom_1613059206593{padding-top: 50px !important;padding-bottom: 0px !important;}”][vc_column width=”2/3″ css=”.vc_custom_1458555142589{padding-right: 10% !important;padding-left: 10% !important;}”][title_subtitle align=”center” add_subtitle=”use_subtitle” title=”The Neal Family Story” subtitle=”The Legacy”][vc_column_text]Mark Neal grew up during the 60s and 70s in Rutherford and started working on his family’s farm on Mee Lane as a child. His dad, Jack Neal, started Jack Neal Vineyard Management in 1968 (which today is run by Mark and has 420 employees) and enlisted young Mark to help when he was around nine years old. In fact, Mark started driving his dad’s tractor at age nine and saved up to eventually buy it from him at age 14.

The family farm at the time, grew walnuts, prunes, wine grapes and olives. Mark and his father started making wine together when he was 14 and thus began his journey of farming and wine making. The wine they produced then was only for personal consumption, but this would change when Mark bought his first property in Rutherford at 20 years old for $100 an acre.  Mark soon bought a second property on Howell Mountain in 1990.

Mark produced his first wine in 1998, a Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon and produced 360 cases. The next year he built the winery that we see today, by himself.

Mark’s childhood was filled with love, wine, food and big Sunday family dinners prepared by his first-generation Greek mother Athene. Mark grew up with three brothers and was honored to call his dad his best friend. Jack and Athene Neal were married for 34 years before Jack’s passing when he was just 65 years old.[/vc_column_text][blockquote quote=”Great wines are made in the vineyard and from the land. I like to let the vintage speak for itself.” quote_color=”#000000″ author=”Mark Neal” author_color=”#383838″][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_single_image image=”1869″ img_size=”medium”][vc_single_image image=”1868″ img_size=”medium”][vc_single_image image=”1870″ img_size=”medium”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row full_width=”stretch_row_content_no_spaces” equal_height=”yes” content_placement=”middle” css=”.vc_custom_1458558193547{padding-top: 0px !important;padding-bottom: 0px !important;}”][vc_column css=”.vc_custom_1460629135634{margin-top: 0px !important;margin-right: 0px !important;margin-bottom: 0px !important;margin-left: 0px !important;padding-top: 0px !important;padding-right: 0px !important;padding-bottom: 0px !important;padding-left: 0px !important;}” offset=”vc_col-lg-6 vc_col-md-6″][vc_single_image image=”1304″ img_size=”full” css=”.vc_custom_1612794240362{margin-top: 0px !important;margin-right: 0px !important;margin-bottom: 0px !important;margin-left: 0px !important;padding-top: 0px !important;padding-right: 0px !important;padding-bottom: 0px !important;padding-left: 0px !important;}”][/vc_column][vc_column css=”.vc_custom_1613059404049{padding-top: 75px !important;padding-right: 75px !important;padding-bottom: 75px !important;padding-left: 75px !important;}” offset=”vc_col-lg-6 vc_col-md-6″][title_subtitle align=”center” add_subtitle=”use_subtitle” title=”Jack and Athene Neal” subtitle=”The Legacy” margin_bottom=”90″][vc_column_text]Athene was the first in her family to immigrate to the US from Crete. She was one of three siblings and went to strike it out on her own in Napa. Jack and Athene met on a blind date, then Jack went off to serve in the Korean war as a medic. When he returned from the war, he went directly to meet Athene in a hired limo, he proposed, and the rest is history. They were lovebirds their entire marriage.

Athene, the family matriarch, was quite the spitfire and did what all the men did at the time. She farmed, fixed machinery and didn’t have any fingerprints from shelling so many walnuts and almonds and working so hard. She was beloved by many and loved to cook big Greek dinners. Athene passed away in 2017 at XX years of age. To keep her spirit and love of family alive, Mark continues to make Athene’s favorite dishes during Sunday Supper to this day.

Mark watched his parents work tirelessly to preserve the land and home they loved. They instilled in Mark strong family values, a love of the land, and a relentless work ethic. They always put family first and aspired daily to find a quiet moment together.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row full_width=”stretch_row_content_no_spaces” equal_height=”yes” content_placement=”middle” css=”.vc_custom_1458558211443{padding-top: 0px !important;padding-bottom: 0px !important;}”][vc_column css=”.vc_custom_1460629243166{padding-top: 115px !important;padding-right: 115px !important;padding-bottom: 115px !important;padding-left: 115px !important;}” offset=”vc_col-lg-6 vc_col-md-6″][title_subtitle align=”center” add_subtitle=”use_subtitle” title=”The Next Generation” subtitle=”The Legacy”][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1612794313563{margin-bottom: 90px !important;}”]Mark is the proud father of five children: Zachary, Jessica, Demetria, Alexios and Jackson. He recently got engaged to Laura and she brings two more children to the Neal Family table – Tatum and Mattison. The family wouldn’t be complete without Niko, the family dog, who is always by Mark’s side.

Zachary works with Mark at Jack Neal and Son Vineyard Management and Jessica is helping to run the winery. Family is number one to Mark and he is working hard to prepare the winery for the next generation of Neals to carry on the legacy that started with his father decades ago in Napa.[/vc_column_text][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner][blockquote quote=”Family is everything.” author=”Mark Neal”][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][/vc_column][vc_column css=”.vc_custom_1460629254486{margin-top: 0px !important;margin-right: 0px !important;margin-bottom: 0px !important;margin-left: 0px !important;padding-top: 0px !important;padding-right: 0px !important;padding-bottom: 0px !important;padding-left: 0px !important;}” offset=”vc_col-lg-6 vc_col-md-6″][vc_single_image image=”1303″ img_size=”full” css=”.vc_custom_1613161583386{margin-top: 0px !important;margin-right: 0px !important;margin-bottom: 0px !important;margin-left: 0px !important;padding-top: 0px !important;padding-right: 0px !important;padding-bottom: 0px !important;padding-left: 0px !important;}”][/vc_column][/vc_row]