40th Anniversary
Forty Years and Four Generations
January 2026
It was forty years ago that my parents, Don and Rosemary Talley, produced the inaugural vintage of Talley Vineyards wines. At the same time, our fourth generation is playing an increasing leadership role in our family businesses (both Talley Farms and Talley Vineyards) and I’d like to share just a few of the key contributions of each generation as we head into 2026.
The foundation for Talley Vineyards was laid by my grandfather, Oliver Talley, when he began farming in the Arroyo Grande Valley in 1948. It was during those early years that he and my grandmother, Hazel, established many of the foundational values that continue to serve us to this day: a commitment to hard work; treatment of everyone in our community (employees, vendors, customers, neighbors and friends) with dignity and respect; and a commitment to excellence in farming and in all of our business dealings. To honor his contribution, we named our first vineyard planted in the Edna Valley after my grandfather in 1991. Oliver’s Vineyard Chardonnay became his house wine later in life.
Founding Talley Vineyards was just one of many calculated risks that my parents took between the 1960s and early 2000s when both were active leaders in our family business. From purchasing our first farmland in 1966, planting our iconic Rincon, Rosemary’s and Oliver’s Vineyards between 1982 and 1991, to constructing our wine production facilities between 1991 and 2001; they provided so much of the vision and the commitment to convert the promise of Talley Vineyards into the reality of a thriving business. Though my father passed away in 2006, my mother continues to play a very active role at Talley Farms, and keeps a watchful eye over Rosemary’s Vineyard, which surrounds her house.
I still find it shocking that they appointed me to become General Manager of this fledgling business in 1991 when I was 26 years old. I was blessed to work alongside my wife Johnine and some remarkable employees as we built upon the solid foundation created by the two preceding generations. So many remarkable things have happened during my tenure, from having our wines served at the White House, to being recognized as the top California Chardonnay in the 30th Anniversary Judgment of Paris Tasting, to establishing the Fund for Vineyard and Farm Workers; this has been a time of growth and adaptation as the wine business has evolved. I’m especially proud to be joined by my daughter Elizabeth, along with a great group of younger employees who show up with the passion that it takes to succeed in the wine business in 2026.
This year marks my daughter Elizabeth’s third year with Talley Vineyards and she’s already having a remarkable impact. Elizabeth is the fourth member of our forth generation to join our family business. In her role leading our marketing effort, as well as increasingly being the face of Talley Vineyards, she’s engaging a new audience that appreciates both the authenticity of sustainably produced wines along with the energy of a zillennial who connects with them on TikTok and Instagram. If you don’t already follow us on one of these platforms, you should.
I want to assure you that we have lots of cool ways to connect in 2026 as we travel the country tasting and sharing our wines.
– Brian Talley
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Generations in the Making
For nearly 80 years the Talley family has farmed on the San Luis Obispo Coast, a tradition that began in 1948 when Oliver Talley founded Talley Farms. Discover Talley Vineyards.
