Steve Cousins: the next Robert Mondavi?

Wines & Vines, Jan, 1993 by Richard Paul Hinkle

If we were prone towards the sensational, we would have entitled this piece "THE NEXT ROBERT MONDAVI?" But that's an unfair expectation. Nobody deserves to have the weight of such a burden dropped on them like a 300-pound defensive lineman smothering a place-kicker. Not even Mike. Or Tim.

Still, the question needs be raised. Who will be the beacon of light, the fount of moral suasion, the stalwart knight to fight neo-dry dragons into the next century? In the last century there was Charles Krug. In this we have Robert Mondavi. Who will take tomorrow's mantle?

Barney Fetzer's kids possess the moral suasion, but have retreated into family and farm for the remainder of the decade. Marcus Moller-Racke would be a candidate if only for Vintage 2000, but he has been called home and pushed upstairs. Zelma Long certainly has the stature, earned by effort and performance. The young Gallos have the platform, but seem reluctant to use it. A trio of Wentes and a pair of Martinis show potential, the Benzigers are emerging leaders, and of course, there are Mike and Tim Mondavi, who carry a monster burden of inherited expectation.

There is one other prime candidate. Though he did not grow up in the wine business like most of the others--all but Zelma are at least second generation wine folk--he has earned his position of leadership by dint of hard work, an altruistic sense of the industry as a whole, and a keen, analytical, insightful intelligence.

Steve Cousins is, at 40, the president of Buena Vista Carneros Estate. On the job only two years, he has already exerted great influence on Buena Vista. But of far greater importance, in the long run, he has shown the willingness, indeed the passion for iconoclastically tilting at winedom's sacred windmills, paper structures that litter the landscape and prevent large numbers of consumers from even approaching wine, much less getting to know its many benefits.

"Look what happened with white Zinfandel," he says in mock wonder. "It was an accident, for heaven's sake. In spite of the fact that it has a cork in it, it remains a wine that people can get cozy with. It's got a nice color, and it's not a sexist comment to note that the color is attractive to female consumers. We've never been very good, in this business, at taking a closer look at what our customers want, male or female.

"The wine also tastes good, which ought to be one of our primary concerns. It's sweet and fruity, and is best served, chilled. Those are definitely part of 'The American Palate,' which winedom has seldom catered to. I think it also helped that there was some sophistication to it, in its varietal labeling, in its cork-finished package. I'm not for throwing out the romance of wine, just for putting it in its proper perspective. And, of course, the pricing was very attractive. When white Zinfandel was first introduced, it was, what, $4.50 as against Chardonnay at $12. That's a pretty good place to be."

Born in San Jose, Cousins grew up in Santa Clara. Well over six feet tall, he played basketball at Santa Clara university. He also graduated summa cum laude, with a 4.0 GPA in his marketing/finance major. Upon finishing school, he signed on with San Martin Winery, there, developing a close relationship with Terry Clancy, with whom he still talks on a regular basis.

"Terry was my mentor," says Cousins, who would love to have played basketball professionally. "I worked with him for years. I also talk a lot with Pat Roney. (President at St. Jean until moving to Kunde last September. Roney calls Cousins "a real visionary who understands the issues on both large and small scale.") And Marcus is a great source of global perspective, which is increasingly needed in our business today. Marcus gives me a more competitive knowledge of what's happening outside our borders.

"There's a real glut of wine, for example, in Australia and South America today. That never existed before. But their economies have suffered, and their consumers are not buying their own premium wines. I never had to worry about competing with them in Europe, or in Japan. But now we do. And that's a problem, because when our industry entered the Japanese market, we did it selling roses and plonk. We did it the wrong way, and now that's their impression of California wines. That's a big hurdle to get past.

Cousins spent ten years with Somerset, and was national sales manager for San Martin, Alexis Lichine Selections, and a few other small California and Oregon brands. In '83 he went to work for Glenmore Distillers, developing the plan that transformed an over-developed and unstable Lawrence Winery into the sound success of Corbett Canyon Vineyards.

Before signing on with Buena Vista, Cousins spent time on the food side, with Sagas restaurant group, Spectrum Foods, and KIMCO. With KIMCO he was responsible for the operation and marketing of their restaurants, which included PosTrio, Splendido's and Masa's. Not surprisingly, he sees the importance of strengthening the link between wine and food as a means of appealing to those who presently shun or ignore wine. Buena Vista has had great success with a line called Bistro Gourmet, which features wine-marinated smoked meats and fishes--Coho Salmon marinated in Buena Vista Chardonnay, Duck Breast in Pinot noir, Flank Steak in Cabernet.