From Monty Becton, Club Manager
Jimmy Walker approached me earlier this year and suggested that we invite Shirley Roy to do a wine dinner here at The Club. I told Jimmy that my wife and I had actually toured Roy Estate and participated in a tasting at their home, so I enthusiastically agreed to start working on the details.
I hadn’t had time to contact Shirley Roy prior to Jimmy winning the Texas Open, so as he was raising the Trophy across town at the TPC, I was on the phone with Shirley asking if she would personalize a large format bottle of her wine and send it to us so we could present it to Jimmy that week. She was delighted to participate in the victory celebration and also agreed to host a dinner here which is scheduled for Thursday, October 1st.
Please RSVP to our receptionist at 830.336.9000 in order to meet Shirley and attend this very special dinner.
From Shirley Roy
ROY Estate is an exclusive, family-owned and operated, Napa Valley Estate Grown, small production, ultra-premium winery.
How did the husband and wife team (the late Charles Roy, civil engineer and architect and Shirley Roy, accountant), owners/operators of 14 HQ Business Centers in New Jersey become vintners of world class wines? A love for the Napa Valley, an industry rollup buyout by a REIT, and a “retirement project” that quickly evolved into a vision of its own.
Serendipity brought the Roys to Johnny Miller’s Double Eagle Ranch in 1999 where they embarked upon planting a vineyard to produce the best possible wine from this special property, once the home to the Pomo Indians.
ROY Estate’s magical 17-acre vineyard is nestled in its own tiny valley in the foothills of the Vaca Mountains south of Stags Leap in Napa Valley. Renowned winemaker Helen Turley designed the vineyard in 2001 with Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Petit Verdot. Piña Vineyard Management planted the vineyard and farms it today. Philippe Melka joined the team as winemaker in 2005 and continues to craft beautiful wines. As both a winemaker and viticulturist, Philippe’s philosophy is to let the vineyard speak through the wine. We discovered that this vineyard has two “voices,” resulting in two extraordinary wines from our estate grown fruit. Charles’ untimely passing in 2010 and Shirley’s relentless hard work, dedication and passion have made the vision for ROY Estate a reality.
How did I meet Jimmy Walker? In 2012, I was invited to pour the only Cabernet Sauvignon presented at the inaugural Salon hosted by Clint Eastwood for the Professionals & Amateurs at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. Jimmy came over to taste our wines and told us that he enjoyed them and had them in his cellar. He’d been introduced to ROY by a friend who worked in the wine industry and was a big ROY fan. ROY has become a fixture at that event in Pebble Beach and we’re now entertained by the likes of Darius Rucker, Huey Lewis, Charles Kelley, Bill Murray and Clint Eastwood.
Jimmy and Erin joined me for dinner in my home last year when they were in Napa for the Frys.com at Silverado CC. I’m just 1.3 miles as the crow flies from Silverado…. or 2.6 miles if you must get in a car. I hope they enjoyed my cooking! We sure had a ball having them visit.
“This vineyard continues to go from strength to strength and the wines are a tribute to Shirley Roy who has carried on so impressively in the absence of her husband.”
— Robert Parker, The Wine Advocate, October 2013
“I think of ROY Estate with romance and passion. I believe I am both honored and blessed to be where I am.”
– Shirley Roy
“Shirley is an amazing woman who has serious passion for her home and wines. I’ve enjoyed getting to know her and hope you all will, too.”
– Jimmy Walker
