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1 2 th A N N U A L napa valey p e o ple & pla c e s Contributors Kari R uel L owel D owney Jana Waldin g er Steve F ery Dave R o bert s on T eri Stevens FROM THE COVER JASON COURT Winemaker, actor, adventurer J ason Court started out very young in the modeling and film industries modeling baby clothes, then doing commercials. He acted in his first film at age sixteen. In the 1980s and ’90s he appeared in several ▲ films and TV series, including his memorable A Night in the Life of Jimmy Reardon with the late River Phoenix. For gamers, he is best known for his lead character role, Kyle Katarn in the Star Wars game Dark Forces II: Jedi Knight. Raised by a father who managed recording greats like Janis Joplin and Bob Dylan, Court attended Woodstock at age five. That began a lifetime of colorful adventures and intriguing experiences. Most recently he traveled to the Antarctic and the Amazon River in Peru to work on a travel series for Planet A-Z. Life changed for Court in 2002 when he contacted local winemaker and former college roommate Chris Carpenter about doing a documentary on winemaking. Carpenter invited Court to work that harvest, and Court said for the first time he felt energized with the sunrise in Napa. “I was just doing, not being before,” said Court. “There was no fulfillment in acting. L.A. never felt like home. I found Napa and it made sense to me.” Court continuously finds new adventures, but his main desire is to hone his winemaking skills and expand his label, Evidence wines. He says his greatest joy besides his five-year-old daughter is sharing his experiences and encouraging others, especially the young, to reach outward and be adventurous. Court in Antartica— the directional sign for his wines was added later by computer. JANUARY / F E B R UARY 2 0 1 4 13


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