2021

P. Harrell

Rose

P. Harrell "P.J." Rose

Featured on March 22, 2023

Who: Paula Harrell caught the entrepreneurial spark at an early age—inspired by her parents, who’d ascended their working-class roots to launch a thriving Bay Area real estate business. After earning an MBA from San Francisco State University, Paula set out to run the family business, a venture that soon unfolded into a fruitful career in investing and finance. Through it all, she couldn’t shake the winemaking dream that had dawned on her during a trip to Spain. After years of working and planning, she launched P. Harrell Wines in 2015.

Where: Fruit for P.J. Rose comes from Lodi, California.
Not familiar with this burgeoning central California appellation? With its 100-year history of viticulture, the place has been ailed by wine writer Jim Gordon as a “standout” region that’s “challenging the status quo”. Historically known for Zinfandel, Lodi is home to an ideal Mediterranean climate and knowledgable community of growers that have made it a place where farmers can experiment with a wide range of grape varieties. 
Although the fruit for this wine is grown in Lodi, Paula makes her base in Oakland, also home to the popular Black Vines Festival, where curious wine lovers gather annually to taste a range of offerings from Black vintners., including Paula
How: This wine is a blend of 45% Cabernet Sauvignon, 45% Grenache, and 10% Pinot Noir.
 

Why: The wine is super tasty, for starters. Expect a mouthful of ripe strawberries and rhubarb with hints of orange blossom and rose petals, along with a fine acidity that makes for easy drinking.

What’s more, the wine is made by a seriously respectable entrepreneur. Unfamiliar with the impact of Black women in the business community?Let’s review some statistics: From 1997 to 2017, the rate of business ownership for Black women grew 518%. Later, from 2014 to 2019 grew 43% from 2014 to 2019, the number of Black women entrepreneurs grew by 50%. While the pandemic has negatively affected this growth,  through it all, Paula Harrell continues to serve and inspire her community. In 2019, she was named a Chase Center Taste Maker. Cheers to powerful role models!

Buy P.J. Rose directly from the winery>