Lobo Hills

While honeymooning in Napa Valley, Tony and Diana Dollar decided they would like to open a winery there someday. Had Tony, an avid biker, not been struck by a car thirty years later, their dream may never have become a reality. While recuperating from multiple injuries, the couple reevaluated their priorities and seized the opportunity to change their trajectory and invest in Lobo Hills, a Woodenville, Washington winery.

Lobo Hills, named after Tony’s childhood rescue dog, takes a minimalist approach to winemaking, most closely resembling the French tradition. They use no additives or chemical intervention, minimize sulfates, the wines are unfined and unfiltered and they use the grape’s natural acidity as much as possible.

Tony is not new to the wine business. He attended the Northwest Wine Academy, focusing on wine making. But his wine roots go back further than his college days when he ran tours out of one of California’s first wineries, Almaden Vineyards in San Jose, California. From there, he traveled to Sweden, Denmark, England, Scotland and the Netherlands, before returning to San Jose and J. Lohr Winery. There, he ran the tasting room and served as Hospitality Director. Eventually, he found his way to Seattle and Diana.

Rather than growing up with winemaking around her, Diana came from the world of nonprofits. Historically, in most businesses, the number of women at the top has been depressingly low. The wine industry is no different. Diana has met this challenge and used her skills to develop strong relationships with guests and employees based on honesty, business savvy and has become a strong leader in winery management. She’s become an example for women in wine.

It’s true, what they say about near-death experiences. Priorities shift. It changes your life. It certainly has changed Tony and Diana Dollar’s lives. That random bike accident on a sunny day in April helped them realize their dream in Lobo Hills and altered their focus on to things like faith, family, community and sharing a glass of wine.