Donald & Maureen Green
After discovering a true love of all things Californian, Donald and Maureen moved to Sonoma County in 1987. They became interested in participating in the agricultural life of the area and purchased the land that is now the Kite's Rest vineyard in 1995. Known as the "Father of Telecom Valley", Donald is an engineer turned businessman. He founded three telecommunications companies in the North Bay and invented the Digital Loop Carrier. He's also an avid ornithologist. A true animal lover as well, Maureen volunteers with the Sonoma County Humane Society. Both Donald and Maureen are active supporters of the local arts and provided the foundational grant for the Green Music Center, located on the campus of Sonoma State University. Donald and Maureen are active in all areas of winery operations and are personally committed to producing Black Kite Cellars wines of only the highest quality.

Rebecca Green Birdsall and Tom Birdsall
Rebecca (Donald and Maureen's daughter), a graduate of U.C. Berkeley and the Amos Tuck School of Business Administration at Dartmouth College, is very happy to be combining her extensive business management and non-profit leadership experiences with a passion for producing the highest quality wine. She oversees the grape growing, winemaking and overall business operations for Black Kite. Her husband, Tom, shares her passion for producing (and enjoying) excellent wine, and lends his hand, particularly when it comes to wine tasting. The Birdsall family splits their time between San Francisco and Glen Ellen.

Victoria Green Comfort
Victoria Green Comfort (Donald and Maureen's daughter) graduated from the California Culinary Academy in San Francisco. While at school, she apprenticed with Chef Hubert Keller at Fleur de Lyse, and has held chef positions at the Ritz Carlton's Laguna Nigel, San Francisco and Marina Del Rey properties. As Garde Manger Chef at the Ritz Carlton, she had the opportunity to participate in many special events, including Merci Julia, a two day event to celebrate Julia Child's 80th birthday. Victoria left the Ritz Carlton company to take on several private chef positions in Beverly Hills. She has also worked in catering and food styling for video and print advertising and enjoys donating her time and abilities to raise money for various charitable organizations. Victoria is Black Kite's chef and is enjoying the opportunity to develop recipes to pair with the wines.

Michael Green
A graduate of Saint Mary's College, Michael Green (Donald and Maureen's grandson) is also involved in all aspects of the winery. Growing up, Michael spent a lot of his time on the property and has a special link to the land. It was, in fact, Michael's other grandfather who sold Donald and Maureen the Kite's Rest vineyard land in 1995.

Winemaker Jeff Gaffner
A second-generation California winemaker and 25-year veteran of the industry, Jeff is both a grower and winemaker. His career as a winemaker was launched in 1981 at Chateau St. Jean under the guidance of renowned vintner Richard Arrowood. At Chateau St Jean, Jeff was part of the winemaking team responsible for the winery's celebrated 1996 Cinq Cepages, named Wine of the Year by Wine Spectator Magazine. In 1997, Jeff launched his own wine label, Saxon Brown. The winery gained instant recognition for its flagship "old vine" Zinfandel from the family's Casa Santinamaria Vineyard, one of only a few remaining classic and Italian field-blended wines. In addition to Black Kite, Jeff consults with a small number of high-end Sonoma and Napa Valley wineries.