David

Born and raised in Greenville, North Carolina, David Hardee first graduated from Washington and Lee University with a BS degree, and subsequently from Duke University Law School with a JD degree. He practiced law for ten years in Charlotte and another ten in Washington DC, before retiring from law practice and moving to California to pursue entrepreneurial activities.

Click here to read a profile of David in Duke Law Magazine.

David began his wine odyssey while still in college. As soon as he became a practicing attorney, he built a wine cellar and started his life long love of collecting and drinking wines from around the world. On various vacations, when not sailing or skiing, David makes sure to visit wine regions of the world, including Burgundy, Bordeaux, the Northern and Southern Rhône Valleys, Alsace, Germany, Austria, Italy, Sardinia, various regions of Spain, and of course the many wine regions of the United States.

When he moved to Santa Barbara in 1996, David became quite active in the wine community and with local wine tasting groups. Having been exposed to many of the great wines of the world, he quickly realized that with certain grape varietals, Santa Barbara and the Central Coast could provide the climate and soil to produce world class wines. The Rhône varietals were always among his favorite wines, so when he met Joey Tensley and tasted his wines, he knew Joey was a world class Rhône winemaker. One thing led to another and he and Joey decided to team up to start Carina Cellars in 2001.

He chose the name Carina, since it was the name of his 54 foot Alden sailboat, on which he had sailed all over the East Coast of North America - and she had always brought him good fortune and wonderful experiences.

The rest is, as they say, history. . .