Meet The Team

James A. D’Andrea, KC, Co-Owner & Chairman

Jim is Co-Owner and Chairman of Noble Ridge Vineyard & Winery LLP and has held that position since 2001. He is also President of the Rolling Hills Road Irrigation District, a Co-Founder and Director of the Vaseux Lake Stewardship Association, and a founding Director of the Okanagan Falls Community Association. Jim currently serves as President of the Fairview Mountain Golf Course Board of Directors and as the RDOS Alternate Director for Area D. He sits on the Steering Committee for the establishment of a BC Wine Centre of Excellence, and chaired the committee that established the Okanagan Falls Sub-GI wine appellation in 2018.

From 1982 to 2016, Jim was a partner at Bennett Jones LLP, where he headed the firm’s national employment and labour law practice. His experience spans virtually all aspects of labour and employment law, and he has appeared before a broad range of provincial and federal courts, councils, labour arbitration panels, commissions, appeal boards, and tribunals, including the Alberta Court of Queen’s Bench, the Alberta Court of Appeal, the British Columbia Supreme Court, the British Columbia Court of Appeal, the Federal Court of Appeal, the Alberta Human Rights Commission, the Alberta Labour Relations Board, and the Canadian International Trade Tribunal. He also served as an adjudicator under the Canada Labour Code.

Jim is the author and current editor of Employee Obligations in Canada (Canada Law Book, 2003), co-author and current editor of Illness and Disability in the Workplace: How to Navigate Through the Legal Minefield (Canada Law Book, 1995), and past editor of the Annotated Alberta Labour Relations Code: Practitioner’s Manual (Legal Education Society of Alberta, 1999).

Jim was inducted as a Fellow of the College of Labor and Employment Lawyers in 2011 and later served on the College’s Canadian Credentials Committee. He was named by Lexpert as one of Canada’s 500 leading lawyers in 2012, was consistently ranked in Chambers Global: The World’s Leading Lawyers for Business in the employment category, and was appointed Queen’s Counsel in 2014.

Jim and his wife Leslie have three children, Jennifer, Benjamin, and James, and live on their vineyard with their two dogs, Sassicaia (Sassi) and Ornellaia (Nella).

Leslie D’Andrea, Co-Owner & CEO

Leslie grew up in Toronto, earning her Honours Bachelor of Science in Life Sciences from Queen’s University and later a Master’s in Health Sciences, Health Administration from the University of Toronto. For 15 years, she worked in the Alberta healthcare sector in various management roles, including Director of Educational Resources and Information Technology Project Manager for the Human Resources department at Foothills Hospital, a large urban teaching hospital.

In 1993, Leslie founded D’Andrea Health Management Consulting, focused on health promotion and primary care. She ran the business until 2001, when she and her husband Jim purchased the land that would become Noble Ridge Vineyard & Winery LP. By then, the D’Andreas had three children, Jennifer, Ben, and James, and the family commuted between Calgary and Okanagan Falls at every opportunity, initially overseeing the development and planting of their land.

Leslie enrolled in the full-time Viticulture program at Okanagan College in Penticton, earning her certificate in 2002. Building Noble Ridge meant balancing Jim’s demanding legal career, three children immersed in high-level sports (soccer, football, and hockey), their schooling through junior high and high school, and primary operational and development responsibility for the winery.

In 2012, Leslie became CEO of Noble Ridge. Since then, the senior management team has led the business to financial success, along with numerous international awards for its wines and wine experiences.

Leslie has always been active in her community. In Alberta, she served as a Provincial Board member of the Alberta Association of Gerontology, a Board member of the Calgary Alzheimer Society for over 15 years, and Chair of the Parent Council at her children’s school. Since moving to Okanagan Falls full-time, she has served as a Committee member of the Okanagan Falls Governance Study and Chair of the Okanagan Falls | Skaha Lake Winery Association. She currently sits on the Board of the South Skaha Housing Society, is a Member of the BC Hospitality Foundation’s Industry Advisory Council, and a member of the Wine Growers BC Marketing Committee.

Leslie is looking forward to stepping back a little and is currently preparing a strong succession plan for Noble Ridge, working closely with the Noble Ridge team, family members, and external experts.

Benoît Gauthier, Chief Operating Officer & Director of Winemaking and Viticulture

Benoît joined Noble Ridge in 2011, bringing a blend of local and international winemaking and viticulture experience, along with a passion for crafting exceptional wines. With more than 18 years in the British Columbia wine industry, his career has been devoted to exploring and expressing the unique terroir of Okanagan Falls.

As Chief Operating Officer and Director of Winemaking and Viticulture, Benoît oversees Noble Ridge’s operations and production team, with a particular focus on growing and crafting premium Bordeaux, Burgundy, and Champagne varieties. During his tenure as winemaker, his wines have earned recognition on the international stage, including a 99-point score for King’s Ransom Meritage at the New World International Wine Competition, a Gold Medal at Chardonnay du Monde, and two Best Sparkling Wine of the Year titles at the All Canadian Wine Championships.

Benoît’s winemaking philosophy is rooted in a thorough understanding of the soils and microclimates across Noble Ridge’s vineyards. He develops tailored management practices for each individual block, considering soil composition, microclimate, trellis system, varietal, and clone. This meticulous, site-specific approach coaxes the best possible expression from every vine. In the winery, he takes a minimalist approach, letting the character of the fruit and the Okanagan Falls terroir take center stage.

Born in a small town in Northern Québec, Benoît studied Chemistry at the Université de Sherbrooke while travelling extensively through Europe and North America. A visit to California’s Sonoma and Napa Valleys sparked a passion for wine and the realization that winemaking could be the ultimate application of his chemistry degree.

That realization brought him to the Okanagan Valley in 2008, where he began his formal winemaking education. While studying, he developed great chemistry with Maya, the woman who would become his wife. Today, they have two teenage daughters, Lili and Clara, and their hands are full with a Goldendoodle named Fozzie and a Dachshund named Fernando.

Don Prest, Director of Finance

From the age of 6, Don dreamed of becoming a professional accountant, and by 29 he was a partner in a Vancouver public accounting firm, specializing in Canadian and US public company audits and taxation. After building his practice over 24 years, Don developed new aspirations outside public practice. In 2007, he retired to pursue his next goal: helping companies obtain financing and become public entities. Don went on to serve as Financial Controller for a US public beverage company, providing CFO and controller support, including detailed business plans, until 2017. But the lure of the wine business kept calling.

Don’s passion for wine and knowledge of the BC wine industry led him to his ultimate goal of becoming entrenched in the business of wine, guided by his mantra: “Have fun and make an impact.” He earned a Wine Industry Finance & Accounting Certificate and a Wine Business Management Certificate from Sonoma State University in California, rounding out his studies with in-person sessions on campus covering topics like calculating true cost of wine, budgets and forecasting best practices, and financial and managerial accounting for the wine industry.

In 2016, armed with his accounting background and newly acquired winery accounting expertise, Don sent his resume to a few selected wineries and received a call from Noble Ridge. It was a perfect fit at the perfect time, and the rest is history. Don provides key accounting guidance to Noble Ridge, including wine allocation profitability, cash flow management, wine channel and SKU profitability, strategic planning support, and more.

Don resides in Chilliwack with his wife Jeannine and their two Bernedoodles, Roxy and Stevie.

Jennifer Tocher, Director of Sales & Marketing

Jennifer Tocher joined Noble Ridge Vineyard & Winery as Director of Sales & Marketing in 2026, bringing over a decade of experience representing boutique, premium wineries across British Columbia.

Her love of wine began at the table. She’s drawn to the alchemy of a well-matched food and wine pairing, and that passion for hospitality has shaped her career ever since. Jennifer built her path around working closely with quality-focused, family-owned estates, where she can partner directly with passionate owners and winemakers while streamlining the business of getting exceptional wine to the people who’ll appreciate it most.

Having called the Okanagan Valley home for nearly 30 years, Jennifer has a deep appreciation for the region’s distinct sub-GIs and the rhythm of its four seasons, from spring bud break through harvest, and the outdoor life that comes with each. Noble Ridge’s focus on traditional method sparkling wine was a particular draw: a self-described sparkling wine devotee, Jennifer is excited to help tell the story of a producer doing it right in Okanagan Falls.

Jennifer holds a BBA in Hospitality Management and a WSET Diploma, and brings experience hosting educational wine seminars along with a genuine enjoyment of judging at wine competitions. At Noble Ridge, she’s focused on amplifying the winery’s story and accolades, and expanding its reach in both domestic and international markets.

Her philosophy is simple: “Life’s too short for anything less than exceptional food and wine.”

Jennifer Tocher can be contacted at [email protected].

Libby Nixon, Assistant Winemaker and Vineyard Manager

Bio coming soon! 🙂