At Frank Family Vineyards, the welcome is warm, and the spirit of hospitality is unmistakable. Much of that spirit comes from Leslie Frank. Alongside her husband, Rich, a former Hollywood studio executive turned vintner, Leslie has helped shape a winery that is as celebrated for its people as well as its wines. The Franks have built something that feels refreshingly personal: a place where guests are treated like family and every bottle tells a story.
We sat down with Leslie to talk about the joy of making wine, the art of hosting, and what it really takes to build a legacy in Napa Valley, one glass at a time.
Pursuitist: How did you decide to buy the property? Were you looking for a winery?
Leslie Frank: Rich’s background was in the entertainment business. He was president of Disney Studios and prior to that he was the president of Paramount.
So his world involved making TV shows, animated shows at Disney and movies under the Touchstone label at Disney. As an executive of a studio, he had to ensure he had some successes because the world doesn’t like it when you make movies that don’t do well. So anyway, it was a very high-pressure position, he traveled a lot around the world, and he was at Disney at the time that they were working on Disney Paris.
And so he spent a lot of time in France drinking amazing wines, particularly Burgundies and Bordeaux, and gaining exposure to different parts of the world. He developed a real interest in Bordeaux, so buying a place in Napa was really kind of a no-brainer- it was easy for him to get away to Napa on a long weekend, which is a lot easier than France.
Pursuitist: What was the most surprising thing coming from being a consumer to owning a winery?
Leslie Frank: Really learning the business of wine. I think that people have this romanticized idea of what it’s like to be in the wine business. I do believe everybody wants to be in the wine business, but it takes a lot of dedication and if you don’t want to devote the time and the effort and the financial commitment, it can be challenging. When you think about buying a vineyard, for example, if you have to replant that vineyard, you are not seeing those grapes for three years, and then when you get those grapes, the first vintage may not be as good, but it will get better and better.
Pursuitist: How many of your family members are involved?
Pursuitist: How did that collaboration come with Jonathan Simkai?
Pursuitist: What next?
Leslie Frank: In October, Jonathan is bringing the runway to Frank Family Vineyards, and we’re hosting a fashion show and lunch at the winery, where we’ll unveil the packaging. All the proceeds from that event and the limited-edition wine bottle will go to Dress for Success.
