and that we lived in town ,” Lisa says during a recent visit to the farmhouse . “ Now I realize how lucky we were to have this place to grow up in . I look out that window now and see my kids playing in the same place I was playing .”
Lisa ’ s parents , Steve and Linda Tenbrink , moved to California in the early 1980s and , with no farming experience , started Tenbrink Farm and operated the Pioneer Fruit Stand ( which is now home to the Pioneer Tap Room ). Lisa and her three younger siblings grew up working the farm , but Lisa wasn ’ t certain farming would be her career .
She went to Cal Poly San Luis Obispo to study engineering and landed a job in Arizona , building irrigation systems for farmers . She and Cliff , a police officer , had their first child there . It was a great life , Lisa says , but her husband urged the eventual return to her roots in California . “ I fought him tooth and nail ,” Lisa says . “ I was like , ‘ You ’ re crazy , you didn ’ t grow up on a farm , and I know it looks glamorous and special and fun , but it ’ s hard work , and there ’ s no time off .’”
They returned to the burgeoning Suisun Valley wine scene in 2013 , purchasing a 55-acre farm sight unseen — now Howard Vineyards , which grows grapes mostly for nearby Caymus Winery — and built a house there , not far from where her parents had moved and grew grapes for the Tenbrink Vineyards label they launched in 2006 .
The property where Lisa grew up has stayed in the family and houses the Tolenas label , named because their grapes are grown on the slopes of Rancho Tolenas , a 13,316-acre Mexican land grant from 1840 . The Tolenas brand focuses on hosting family-friendly events , and the Howards now include Jake , 8 , Katie , 6 , and Amy , 4 , who all help out on the property , as Lisa and her siblings did .
The Tolenas label , which produced 100 cases its first year , made 1,400 cases in 2020 , Cliff says , selling exclusively direct-to-consumer . Last year was particularly challenging , Lisa says . In addition to the restrictions on gatherings due to COVID-19 , August fires in Solano County led to a weeklong evacuation . Then the winery lost power during the production of the Tolenas Red Blend , forcing the use of lanterns and an RV generator . Dry ice purchased nearby kept the grapes from fermenting prematurely . But the winery stayed afloat , and Lisa is looking toward a successful 2021 .
Meanwhile , the Howards are converting her childhood home into an Airbnb rental , she says . “ It ’ s funny to come back into that space and realize that things come full circle ,” she says . “ All the hard work that my parents put in building a foundation of a business … and then to carry on that legacy . It ’ s very special .”
Steve Martarano was at the Sacramento Union for 10 years before working in public affairs for both state and federal agencies in Sacramento . He is currently a freelance writer and photographer for Comstock ’ s and other publications . On Twitter @ MartArchives .
“ I fought him tooth and nail . I was like , ‘ You ’ re crazy , you didn ’ t grow up on a farm , and I know it looks glamorous and special and fun , but it ’ s hard work , and there ’ s no time off .’”
Lisa Howard , co-owner , Tolenas Winery
Lisa and Cliff Howard ’ s Tolenas Winery produced 1,400 cases of wine last year . The winery bottles a variety of wines , including Eclipse , an award-winning white pinot noir .
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