Bob and Jim Varner are twin brothers behind the wines of Varner, Neely and Foxglove. Jim Varner studied oenology at UC Davis in the 1970s and went on to work at Chateau Souvrain after graduation. Seeking a cool climate site to establish his own vineyard he found a beautiful plot 15 km from the sea in the Portola valley in the northern part of the Santa Cruz Mountains AVA.  In 1980 he and his brother Bob, who took academic leave from a PhD program in genetics, planted the Spring Ridge Vineyard with Chardonnay and later Pinot Noir.  The two brothers have been working together ever since.