NAPA VALLEY, CALIFORNIA - A Private Interview with Michael Polenske, the proprietor of Ma(i)sonry and Blackbird Vineyards. In his 20 years of investment management experience, Michael Polenske served as CEO of Chase Manhattan Bank and Trust Co., N.A. in the Western US, Head of Private Banking at JP Morgan in the West Coast. Throughout his career, he observed the fact that many of his clients preferred investments that reflect their personal interests. Applying the same principle to himself, he displayed an impressive sensitivity to the prevailing zeitgeist. He became a founding investor of New York’s storied SoHo House, the private club and hotel, which was prominently featured in the TV show, “Sex and the City“.
Born in Bermuda to a father who worked as a hurricane hunter and later worked in the Presidential Support Squadron responsible for piloting Air Force One under President Nixon, he was first exposed to wine during family trips to California’s wine country. Philanthropically active, he is a board member of the Russian National Orchestra and of Festival Del Sole Napa Valley, a sister festival to the Tuscan Sun Festival in Cortona, Italy.
Left: Michael Polenske in front of Ma(i)sonry, a 10,000 sq foot tasting gallery that provides clients with a variety of private tasting rooms, both inside and outside, in a landmark historic stone building. Monthly events and Sunday Salons feature unique artists, designers and vintners.
Nathalie Delrue-McGuire: Mr. Polenske, your acquisition of Blackbird Vineyards and the development of Ma(i)sonry may be regarded as investments, but there seems to be much more to it. On the one hand, the Pomerol-inspired Blackbird wines and on the other hand, Ma(i)sonry Napa Valley, the stylish living gallery-tasting room - Is your vision for Ma(i)sonry the next evolution of wine tasting? What are your goals?
Michael Polenske: I am not sure if it is the next generation, but it is the direction that we are focused on. I have spent a career building relationships with wealthy clients. Ma(i)sonry is the result of a lot of thought I have given to the experience that clients have, when they taste wine in Napa Valley. My sense was that most of what is currently available is at odds with the type of experience that our client is interested in. I wanted to provide an environment that is a bit more intimate than the traditional tasting room stand-up bar or the cliché tasting room furniture made from barrels. We wanted it to be equally inspirational, educational and comfortable. 100% of our experience is focused on the tasting environment.
To read the entire article, visit: http://www.theposhreport.com/2009/07/20/a-private-interview-with-michael-polenske-in-napa-valley-california/
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