Home Sweet Home - Celebrating American Winemakers
The Wine Concierge and team wish you the best the holiday has to offer and wherever you are, may you have a taste of home.
The Winter Collection celebrates the contribution of the American winemaker. All of the Winter Wines are made by American wine producers. Each of these wines reflects something which is an integral part of their foundation and focus; be it, the wines terrior and expression of place, being caretakers of the land, finding ways to make exceptional, budget friendly wines of character for everyday drinking or being a part of a team showcasing the talents of their gender, race or culture. From father to son, mother to daughter, partners who pair up, friends who partner, or siblings and grandchildren who make it a full family affair, each of these wines represent a touchstone, an intent, a memory that brings them home to what they love and why they do it.
Now, let's dig into some roots.....
Une Femme Wines
Umpqua Valley, Oregon
THE CLUB SELECTION - NV Une Femme "The Betty" Sparkling Brut
Central Valley, California
Vineyard and Producer Highlights
WHO WE ARE
We are daughters, dreamers, doers, leaders, creators, and high-achievers. We’re constantly learning, growing, and supporting other women in their journeys.
WHAT WE BELIEVE
That every woman has the power to be the hero of her own amazing story. When we celebrate, support, and inspire one another, glass ceilings shatter and the future brightens. *The Une Femme HALL OF FEMME is a special honorary designation to Women making impact.
HOW WE DO IT
By living our mission everyday, and by putting our money where our mouth is. With every bottle sold, we donate to a charitable organization improving the lives of women.
HOW IT ALL BEGAN
As the founder of The Riddler, the all-women-funded Champagne bars in San Francisco and New York, I served tens of thousands of bottles of Champagne to the most stylish women on both coasts. While there, I realized that every time we put a woman-made wine on the list, it would outsell all others.
I wondered why there wasn’t a modern sparkling wine brand for "women like us": made by women winemakers, giving back to women-centered charities, digitally native, contemporary in style, and available everywhere we ate, drank, shopped, and traveled.
At Une Femme, we are building that brand.
So, whether we’re toasting to a dream job, a first home, or progress towards a better world, Une Femme is raising a glass to women raising the bar.
I hope you’ll join us.
Jen Pelka, Co-Founder and CEO
Slam Dunk Wines
Napa, California
THE CLUB SELECTION -2020 Slam Dunk Red Blend
Vineyard and Producer Highlights
Slam Dunk is not a second label, but a spinoff highlighting quality, entry-level wines. It comes from the parent winery Royal Prince, Here’s the setup… founder David Green has over 30 years of wine industry experience, developing brands and advising a diverse group of wineries, from 100 pt bastion Dana Estates to luxury producer Lede Family to value pioneer Joel Gott. His goal with Royal Prince Wines is to solve the puzzle of producing great California wines that overdeliver in accessibility, quality and price. To achieve his goal, he brought in rock star winemaker Maayan Koschitzky as a partner. Maayan is director of winemaking for Atelier Melka, yes that Philippe Melka.
Slam Dunk shot was taken, Dave and Maayan called in some favors and sourced some ridiculous juice from old vines Petite Sirah and Zinfandel. Slick and sleek packaging and a ridiculous price and you have… yeah. A slam dunk.
Founded in October 2020 by world-class winemaking, brand building and distribution industry leaders, the partners behind SLAM DUNK rely upon unique access and treasured relationships to massively over-deliver at an unprecedented price point. From heritage old-vine vineyards, this opulent, richly textured red blend combines the best of Petite Sirah and Zinfandel and is produced to celebrate both milestone moments and every-day achievements.
At 39 years old, winemaker Maayan Koschitzky was named a “Wine Enthusiast” 40 Under 40 Tastemaker’s of 2019!
*ChapelHillWineCo
Kiona Estate
Red Mountain, Columbia Valley, Washington
THE CLUB SELECTION - 2018 Kiona Estate Grown Red Mountain Merlot
THE PREMIER SELECTION - 2019 Kiona Estate Grown Red Mountain Chenin Blanc Ice Wine
Vineyard and Producer Highlights
The Williams family has deep roots on Red Mountain in southeast Washington, where they planted the first grapes in 1975.
John and Ann Williams moved to Red Mountain in 1983 and constructed Kiona Vineyards’ original tasting room and bottling area in their basement.
Ann is the glue that holds this place together. She is everywhere, and she is nowhere. Always behind the scenes, anticipating needs before they are needs; thoughtful and considerate don’t begin to describe her contributions. She has called Red Mountain home since 1983.
So, making best use of the vast nothing and their space, “We put the ‘tasting room’ in the basement of my parents' house because it seemed ludicrous that people would want to come out to Benton City to drink wine,” said Scott Williams, Kiona’s second generation. “Now, we’re not in the middle of nowhere anymore.”
Today, the road is paved and the region is renowned for producing some of Washington’s finest red wines. Over the years, the family business has grown along with the Red Mountain AVA they co-founded, which now hosts some 50-odd vineyards covering 2,300 acres of former sagebrush slopes just west of Richland.
That sense of place remains integral to how the three generations of the Williams family tell their story. It’s a story of luck, hard work, friendship and how a family business evolves across three generations when it accidentally pioneers a premium wine region.
Left Foot Charley Wines & Cidery
Old Mission Penninsula AVA, Traverse City, Benzie County, Michigan
THE CLUB SELECTION - 2020 Left Foot Charley, Blaufränkisch
Vineyard and Producer Highlights
Throughout Northern Michigan, there are numerous small vineyards owned and farmed by individuals who do not have wineries. The grapes were often sent to giant blends. Many of these viticulturists are excellent farmers and deserve to see their work turned into wine. Left Foot Charley has teamed up with Northern Michigan’s best 18 growers to produce wines that display the range of aroma and flavor found among the glacially tilled hills of our appellations. Lake effect, soil composition, vineyard aspect, and grower mentality shape these flavors individually. Each vineyard sells only to LFC and the commitments go beyond simple cash per ton arrangements. Through mutually established goals, their farms are defining terroir in our appellations. Our goal is to bring their work to the bottle. Left Foot Charley is located in the former Northern Michigan Asylum in Traverse City, Michigan. LFC is a Michigan version of an Austrian Heuriger – a place where aromatic and flavorful wine is an everyday event. Left Foot has a committed focus on red and white wine varietals, hard cider, and sparkling wine.
Klinker Brick Winery
Lodi, Central Valley, California
THE CLUB SELECTION - 2020 Klinker Brick Lodi, Grenache Blanc
Vineyard and Producer Highlights
We are often asked why we named our winery, Klinker Brick. Klinker Bricks are highly prized bricks that grace many of the historical buildings in Lodi, including our home. Chosen by Craftsmen architects in the 1920’s for their distinctive qualities, including unique shapes and dark, rich color, they are denser and heavier in weight than regular bricks. “Klinker” refers to the unusual sound that they make when banged together, because of their density. Rich, deep color, enormous density, unique and distinctive features are the same qualities found in our Old Vine Zinfandel and Farrah Syrah. And, we hope it is a name that you are not likely to forget!
Steve and Lori Felten, fifth generation grape growers in the Lodi region, continue the tradition of cultivating “Old Vine” Zinfandel vineyards that their ancestors planted in the early 1900’s.
Joseph Smith, Winemaker
Joseph joined Klinker Brick in 2008 after starting his career in the nineties as an apprentice with Gnekow Family Wines. From there he worked under Barry Gnekow at Hahn and also Michael David as a cellar master and ultimately our full time winemaker. Joseph has been producing wines of exceptional quality for Klinker Brick.
Part of the extended Felten Family includes their winemaker, Barry Gnekow, who is responsible for crafting the wines from the inaugural vintage. Barry, a Davis graduate with over 25 years of experience of winemaking, has a unique ability to bring the best of the vineyard into the cellar, year after year, producing wines of distinction for Klinker Brick.
Another extended family member is Lynne Whyte Barnard, the President of Klinker Brick Winery. Lynne has brought a wealth of entrepreneurial experience to the winery, having owned her own wholesale company and directing sales and marketing for prestigious wine producers in California. She was instrumental in the development of the Old Ghost wine, label design and has been responsible for selling all of the vintages produced to date, developing national and international distribution.
Okapi Winery
Napa Valley, California
THE PREMIER CLUB SELECTION -
NV Okapi "Alkimmy" Proprietor's Red Blend (and)
NV Okapi "Dan Rouge" Proprietor's Red Blend
Vineyard and Producer Highlights
As a young lawyer Dan met Dick Arrowood, then the winemaker for Chateau St. Jean, while handling a legal matter. Dick invited Dan to visit the winery, and that fateful introduction to wine and wine country living led to a desire to - eventually - make Napa Valley his home.
Dan found a kindred spirit in Kim. She was first drawn to the wine business as a college student, and then again when a hotel industry job brought her to Napa Valley to learn about dining trends from wine country chefs.
Together they transformed an overgrown walnut orchard into a vineyard in 2006.
With the help of neighbors and new friends, they learned about technical essentials like rootstocks, clones and trellising as they went along. Each season and vintage that followed challenged them to keep learning.
For people who are used to making things happen in the corporate and legal worlds, allowing nature to take control has been a profound lesson in patience and adaptability - one worthy of lengthy exploration over a glass of fine wine.
Galen Glen Winery
Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania
THE CLUB SELECTION - 2021 Galen Glen, Lehigh Valley Grüner Veltliner
Vineyard and Producer Highlights
With their wine-growing daughter tending the vineyards, this family is plotting its future.
The idea for the operation stemmed from three things, says winemaker Sarah Troxell, who runs the winery with husband Galen and daughter and winegrower Erin: a trip to Germany’s Württemberg region, a bottle of Hawaiian wine from a friend’s wedding, and Galen’s family’s 200-year-old farm in Andreas, just outside the Lehigh Valley. “We thought we could use the farm in a new way to grow wine,” says Sarah.
Some of the very best land in the United States for winegrowing is located outside the hub of the Lehigh Valley. You will find our farm near the tiny hamlet of Andreas, on the fringes of the Lehigh Valley American Viticultural Area and north of the Blue Mountains. It rests atop a ridge at 1000 ft with a commanding view of deep Pennsylvania’s rugged terrain. Our unique microclimate features limited rainfall, howling winds, and ancient glacially deposited soils.
Owners, Galen and Sarah, established the winery in 1995 when they purchased the Troxell family double century farm from Galen’s father. Galen, a mechanical engineer and 6th generation farmer, and Sarah, a chemist, traded in corporate careers to grow grapes and launch the winery. After more than 25 vintages, the Troxells’ skill sets have undoubtedly found their niches, resulting in wine rock stars.
Galen is an industry leading mechanical wizard and vine whisperer. Sarah is a noted tastemaker and was nationally recognized as best woman winemaker.
“We have a similar climate and soil to Austria and Germany,” says Erin, who earned a degree in viticulture and enology from Cornell and a master’s from Vinifera EuroMaster in Germany and France before joining the family farm in 2017.
House of Brown -Brown Family Estate
Central Valley (Napa Valley, Lodi), California
THE CLUB SELECTION - 2021 HOB Red Blend
Vineyard and Producer Highlights
The House of Brown is the 2nd label to the historic and iconic Brown Estate – the first black-owned and operated winery in Napa Valley, California They focus on winegrowing and winemaking in the Central Valley (Lodi and Napa regions).
Brown Estate originally became known for their award-winning Brown Zinfandel in 2000. The 2nd label was established to create access to the Brown wine
experience. Known for its quality and sustainability, the HOB label is vegan-friendly, palate driven, and certified sustainably grown.
In 1980, parents Bassett Brown (originally from Jamaica) and Marcela Abrahams Brown (originally from Panama)
acquired 450 acres (1.8 km2) in the Chiles Valley AVA of the Napa Valley after being informed by local family friends that the property was for sale. Abandoned for some ten years prior, the land and its two structures — an 1859
stone and redwood barn and an 1885 Queen Anne Victorian home - were derelict. The senior Browns cut roads and brought in plumbing and electricity, ultimately earning an award from the Napa County Historical Society for their restoration of the residence structure.
In 1985 they planted their first vineyard on the property, approximately nine acres of zinfandel. The Chiles Valley
microclimate, characterized by extreme temperature shifts throughout the course of each day, proved perfectly suited to cultivating zinfandel grapes, and the Brown family's fruit soon gained tremendous popularity among zinfandel producers such as Green & Red and T-Vine Cellars, both of whom purchased Brown Estate fruit for many years. The Browns also sold cabernet sauvignon to the famed Mike Grgich. (Grgich Hills)
In 1995 siblings Deneen, David and Coral Brown planted vines on land that their parents had farmed since 1980.
However, the family had long cherished the idea of a more affordable brand which had had diversity and inclusivity at its heart. The brand was to move outside their usual estate-grown offering, and was to be retailed at a more affordable price point.
Deneen Brown had a strong vision for House of Brown: it was to be modern and fashionable, and it needed to portray diversity in a unique and appealing way. Inspired by fashion magazines we wrapped the House of Brown branding around the bottle to create a backdrop to the striking image. Created from a collage of people of different genders and ethnicities, the beautiful yet powerful image is interwoven with fruits and flowers echoing the wine notes.
District 7 Estate Winery - Scheid Family Wines
Monterey County AVA, California
THE CLUB SELECTION - 2018 District 7 Estate Grown Monterey Pinot Noir
Vineyard and Producer Highlights
California is divided into 17 grape crush districts, encompassing a wide range of climate, terrain and soil types. District 7 is Monterey County,home to world-class vineyards and exceptional wines.
District 7, aka Monterey County, has the longest growing season of all of the districts, a result of the chilled marine air from the Monterey Bay thatrushes down the Salinas Valley each day.
District 7 is a part of Scheid Family Wines. We created Scheid Family Wines to encompass all Scheid Vineyards brands in one portfolio, but allow each of their identities to remain unique. With a long history growing in the Monterey AVA, we wanted to create an independent brand that was absolutely unique and true to our origin--District7--but still a part of Scheid Vineyards. All Scheid Family Wines are designated by the branding stip on the back of the bottle.
In 1972, Al Scheid first planted vineyards in the then untapped and unknown Monterey County. What started as a grape growing company that sold 100% of its production to other wineries has now grown into an absolute "premium player in the wine world."
Today they own 12 sustainably cultivated vineyards (inc District 7) with a great diversity of terroir. A total of 1691 hectares owned and divided over 4 different AVA's (American Viticultural Area), planted with 39 different grape varieties. People work 100% sustainably. Combined with a "dream team" of employees and a "state-of-the-art" cellar, they deliver a broad portfolio of wines that are honest, individualistic, elegant and, above all, delicious. Awarded since 1995 with more than 300 ratings above 90 points and many gold medals in international wine tastings.
Approved as an official AVA in 1984, the Monterey region is one of the leading bastions of viticulture with its distinctive cool climate and home to California's most amazing and sought-after Pinot Noirs and Chardonnays.
The District 7 Vineyards are 100% Certified Sustainable and 100% Wind Turbine operated. They believe in being caretakers to the land which gives so much to them.
We became the first GlobalG.A.P. certified vineyard in the USA in November 2015.
SIP Certified (Sustainability in Practice) Scheid Family Wines began working with SIP in 2017 and now has six certified vineyards, totaling over 1,000 certified acres.
Barboursville Vineyards
Monticello AVA, Barboursville, Virginia
THE PREMIER CLUB SELECTION - 2021 Barboursville Vermentino Reserve
Vineyard and Producer Highlights
Historically, Barboursville was a farming estate for sheep. Like many centuries-old farms, it changed hands over time. In 1976 Italian vintner, Gianni Zonin, acquired the estate to create Barboursville Vineyards, the only winery for the Zonin family outside Italy. This was a bold move for the Zonins, whose family dates back seven generations, and it marked a major milestone in then-sleepy Virginia wine history. The Zonins happen to be the largest privately family-run wine company in Italy. By selecting Virginia over locales like Napa and New York’s Finger Lakes to start a U.S. winery, the Zonins made quite a splash in the wine news world.
Luca Paschina has served as general manager and winemaker at Barboursville Vineyards since 1990. Paschina is from a Piemontese winemaking family and is doing some amazing things with Italian varietals in this area of Central Virginia, notably Fiano, Vermentino and Nebbiolo.
Steeped in culture, history and world class care to worth ethic and respect for the land, through challenges of unrest, fires and uncertainty, ahnds in the soil everyday, paved the way of the idea of a dream into reality and brought Barboursville Vineyards , quietly to the forfront of the wine world.
Donkey & Goat Winery
Sierra Nevada, Mendocino County, and Napa Valley, California
THE CLUB SELECTION - 2020 Donkey & Goat The Gadabout White Blend
Vineyard and Producer Highlights
The exterior of Berkeley’s Donkey & Goat Winery is urban in the extreme. Its entrance sits behind steel doors in a concrete tilt-up building on Fourth Street, and the front door looks out on a parking lot. Interstate 80 is less than 1,000 feet away.
But inside, the eight-year old winery is a throwback to another era. There is not a stainless steel or plastic fermentation tank in sight. Instead, stacks of old wooden French barrels rise 15 feet into the air. Two massive 1,600-gallon tanks made from Hungarian wood dominate a corner of the winery.
“We ferment all of our wine in wood — white, red, rosé,” explains Jared Brandt, 40, who started Donkey & Goat in 2003 with his wife, Tracey, 41. “I like the way wood breathes during fermentation. It is a natural insulator.”
The Brandts’ emphasis on natural extends to their wine making. They are part of a new breed of vintners who tinker with their wine as little as possible, preferring that grapes and terroir, rather than designer yeasts and processing, determine a wine’s flavor.
“For us we are interested in letting the wine speak for itself with as little intervention as possible,” said Brandt.
From Salt Lake, Jared Brandt attended Emory and ventured out to California after graduation. Raised in Texas and North Carolina, Tracey Brandt came west at 27. They met while both worked for the gaming company IGN. In 2001, Jared Brandt left his post to jump into winemaking.
Tracey Brandt was raised in Texas and North Carolina, and she came west at age 27. She met her husband and winery co-owner, Jared, while both of them were working for IGN, a gaming company.
In late 2001, as the technology bubble was bursting in Silicon Valley and the Brandts’ “day jobs” were looking less secure, they decided to follow their dream of learning how to make wine. Instead of going to the University of California, Davis to learn the science of winemaking, they went to France to train under Éric Texier, an up-and-coming Rhône winemaker who taught them the art and craft of making wines that speak to the soul about the earth from which they originate.
From their cramped 2,800-square-foot warehouse space in Berkeley, California, the Brandts stick to a mantra of “add nothing, do nothing, besides the bare minimum” to ensure that their 3,000 cases of organic wine are sound. Among other varietals and blends, they produce Syrah and Chardonnay.
With the 2021 vintage Tracey Rogers Brandt began making Donkey & Goat wines on her own and with the 2022 vintage she is joined by Director of Winemaking, Connor Bockman.
Additionally, every vintage includes a rotating and critical supporting cast of passionate creators during harvest. Rogers’ innovation and drive continues and most recently with initiating a dialog around the future of crafting natural, delicious wines in the face of increasing climate impact.
The Brandts, who are the winery’s “donkey and goat,” share their lives with their two children.
Big Cork Vineyards
Washington County, Pleasant Valley, Rohrersville, Maryland
THE CLUB SELECTION - 2021 Big Cork Vidal Ice, Dessert Wine
Vineyard and Producer Highlights
Nestled on 100 rolling acres in Maryland’s Pleasant Valley, Big Cork Vineyards embodies the bold and expressive landscape of our heritage. Crafted by award-winning vintner Dave Collins, our wines will delight enthusiasts with exceptional flavors and finesse. Pour a glass, indulge your palate, stimulate your senses and toast the Big Cork experience.
For Big Cork Vineyard President Randy Thompson, the rolling expanse of crops that once dotted his family farm was truly a field of dreams. Amid the rows of corn and hay, Randy envisioned a vineyard with a grand winery and tasting room.
For many years, Dave Collins our winemaker and co-owner of Big Cork Vineyard had been driving through Pleasant Valley, where the vineyard is located. Dave who had been making wine in VA for over 30 years, noted how similar the terrior was to Virginia. When Randy Thompson, the other owner of Big Cork Vineyard asked him to come and survey the property and offer his opinion, his intuition was correct. The slope, breeze, and soil all provide the perfect growing conditions for vines. After that serendipitous encounter between Randy and local winemaker Dave Collins, BCV broke ground in May 2011. On 24 luscious acres in Pleasant Valley, Md., Dave planted 13 varietals, making Big Cork Vineyard the second largest vineyard in Washington County.
Since then, Big Cork Vineyards has sought to inspire and captivate the local wine community by producing standout wines with a palpable joie de vivre. Slow down, grab a glass, celebrate the best things in life — great wine, music, laughter, love, beauty.
Where encampments of Union and Confederate troops once mustered during the Civil War, bountiful fruit now grows. Big Cork Vinyards’ idyllic microclimate and fertile soil yield smaller grapes with more concentrated fruits, resulting in more flavorful and aromatic wines. As a commitment to sustaining our land, we are mindful of our farming practices. Our sound strategies help improve the fine quality of our wines and create a better place to live and work.
Phifer Pavitt Wine
Calistoga, Silverdao Trail, Napa Valley, California
THE PREMIER CLUB SELECTION - 2017 Pavitt Date Night, Napa Valley Sauvignon Blanc
Vineyard and Producer Highlights
Phifer Pavitt Wines have an inspired story full of passion and tenacity, where resilience illuminates a room and character rises above the tide.
It started in rural Ringgold, Georgia, when Suzanne Phifer left her hometown to embark on a cross-country road trip to California during her sophomore year in college. “The plan was to get a job for the summer. I was originally hired as a typist for Lockheed, where over time, my position grew,” said CEO & Founder of Phifer Pavitt Wines, Suzanne Phifer Pavitt. “Before I knew it, I was in the management program, and I transferred schools. After completing my Bachelors, I opted to stay and attend USC for my Master’s Degree.”
Subsequently, Suzanne took another high-tech position, traveling the world, exposing her to fine food and wine. It was during this period that she caught the ‘wine bug.’ “My mentor was selecting a bottle of wine during a business dinner, and I was so keenly aware of how he elevated the room. That was a skill set I wanted. So from that point on, I became a student of wine,” said Phifer Pavitt.
Fortuitously, Suzanne came across the love of her life, Shane Pavitt. Though both would agree that she shut down his initial advances, one dance would carry them for the next 24 years.
While still traveling extensively, Suzanne and Shane looked forward to their weekly “date night”, which became a place of ingenuity as the couple traveled together. From children, to their passion project of what is now Phifer Pavitt Wines, Suzanne and Shane knitted their love for food and wine into their life story.
In 1999, Suzanne came across a property in the Napa Valley. Boasting 23 acres of potential, the parcel was rich in history. After a “date night” decision, the couple had the original deed in hand and started building. During this time, Suzanne stood by the mantra, “surround yourself with creative and talented people and great things will happen.”
Great things did happen. Starting in 2001 and 2003, The Pavitt’s welcomed two sons, Jackson and Rhett. Then in 2005, they started building their dream home on the property and conducted their first harvest collaborating with Winemaker, Ted Osborne to craft the wines. In 2007, the Pavitt’s released their first wine. Four years later, Shane’s Father, Dr. Gary Warburton joined the team making the Sauvignon Blanc.
Today, Phifer Pavitt Wines embody family, collaboration and authenticity. Producing 2,500 cases of Cabernet Sauvignon, Sauvignon Blanc, micro-production lots and sparkling wine, the “date night” inspired brand crafts premium Napa Valley wines and is 92% direct to consumer.
Affected by the 2020 Fires, the Pavitt’s lost their home, vineyards and a portion of the winery building. Though the loss was catastrophic, the family withstood the storm and persevered. Re-opening their doors on labor day 2021, Phifer Pavitt Wines has proven once again that great things do happen with talented people.
*NapaValleyWineMag
The Withers Winery
Sierra Foothills, Sonoma Coast, California
THE PREMIER CLUB SELECTION - 2018 Withers El Dorado Grenache
Vineyard and Producer Highlights
Withers Winery's genesis was a late night swap between friends Andrew Tow and David Low. Andrew is the founder of Withers Winery and our guest this week. David is an acclaimed winemaker who first made a name for himself at Anthill Farms Winery. An exchange between these two of a fly fishing trip for a couple of barrels of Pinot Noir literally set the wheels in motion for the winery.
It wasn’t until Tow tasted samples from Sonoma’s Anthill Farm Winery that his interest in California wine and winemaking truly piqued; the creator of these wines was another connection he’d have to make.
With the gumption of any good salesman, Tow made a call to Anthill and asked to meet winemaker David Low at the winery. Tow remembers Low being pretty laissez faire about the whole thing, but when the two finally met, they formed an immediate bond — over activities, music, and — of course — wine.
"Withers" refers to the highest part of a horse's back. The height of a horse is measured to the withers. That name reflects the keen interest of Andrew's wife Kathleen in equestrian pursuits. An image of "Mr. Burgess", a much loved family horse, adorns the Withers labels.
What we found really cool about Withers Winery was the devotion of its people to causes, be they equestrian, musical, social, or philanthropic. Andrew, Kathleen, and their team hope to make good wines and help others in the process.
Andrew: All of the wines we make come from personal passions, not business decisions. My shared ethos with our winemaker is that we won't make a wine for the sole purpose of selling it. We want to make wines that we would buy ourselves. We make these wines for the joy of it. We want to share our wines with everyone, irrespective of budget or wine knowledge. So far, we've adhered to that principle, and we have no intention of varying from it.
As for our winemaker, David Low came up through the ranks organically. He began his wine career at Williams-Selyem in the cellar. He formed his own winery, Anthill Farms, in partnership with two other guys in 2004. This was back in the days when wine magazines and a few critics had a lot of influence. They became one of the "it" wineries. They still are.
The Withers Winery produces eight wines of style and distinction, divided equally geographically with four of those wines originating in cool climate Sonoma and Mendocino County coastal vineyards and four originating in cool climate vineyards in El Dorado County in the Sierra Foothills.
Withers Winery is one of only two wineries in the world who are certified as B Corporations with a core mission of giving back to the community philanthropically and championing
environmental and sustainable business practices.
Damsel Cellars
Columbia Valley, Woodinville, Washington
THE PREMIER CLUB SELECTION -
2020 Damsel Stillwater Creek Mourvedre
2019 Damsel Boushey Vineyard Yakima Valley Cabernet Franc
Vineyard and Producer Highlights
Damsel Cellars. The name of the winery might conjure up the historical myth of a woman, seemingly helpless, in need of rescuing. In the case of the woman behind the winery based in Woodinville, Washington and the meaning behind the name, nothing could be further from the truth.
The Damsel is in…
Mari Womack’s path to winemaking was an unorthodox one. She didn’t attend school for it at one of the local enology or viticultural programs, nor did she come from a family already in the wine business. She does have a degree in landscape design and horticulture but that’s not what brought her to winemaking initially. She first fell in love with wine from working in the restaurant business while putting herself through college. There she was exposed to high quality food and wine long before she could afford it.
Over the next 22 years Mari continued working in the restaurant business in various capacities, including restaurant owner, then decided to move to Woodinville and pursue her ultimate goal of making her own wine someday, “We sold our last restaurant in 2009, came out here, and I just started volunteering. I knew I wanted to be involved in wine, I was always very passionate about wine and I would even plan vacations around it.”
Mari in her element.
Mari’s move to Woodinville meant joining a very tight-knit community where introductions were made easily. She started working at Obelisco back when they were only producing their Cabernet Sauvignon. She volunteered in their tasting room on the weekends and not long after was introduced to Leroy Radford, the winemaker at Baer Winery at that time (before he left to start Flying Dreams). She was so determined to learn whatever she could that she regularly showed up during production and harvest and would ask if the team there needed any help. She kept coming back and was exposed to everything from checking on fermentations to helping with crush: “once I saw the production side of wine and that great hands-on process, the feel and the smell of everything, I was hooked. I knew this is what I wanted to do. Forget the sommelier route, forget being a marketing or tasting room manager—production is where I knew I belonged.”
Working at Baer, she met Darby English (winemaker and proprietor of Darby Winery), who was in the same complex. Someone mentioned that he was looking for a tasting room manager, so she went over and introduced herself, “I said to him ‘hi, I’m going to have a winery someday, I hear you need a tasting room manager. I will help manage your tasting room if you teach me how to make wine’.”
The very first day she went to work for him was a sign of things to come. He asked if she knew how to drive a forklift. She didn’t so he tossed her the keys and told her to go practice in the parking lot and come back in a few hours when she felt comfortable, “I spent 2 hours trying to learn how to drive a forklift and soon learned that he applied that same philosophy to everything – this is why we’re doing this, this is why the ferment is going this way, this is why we’re doing this at this time. He was such a great mentor because there wasn’t anything that was off-limits that I couldn’t do. Even today, he continues to be a great sponsor for me.” Mari ended up working her way up to being Darby’s assistant winemaker for 4 years which she describes as the most intensive hands-on learning that you can do when you’re 2 people crushing 85 tons of fruit.
Another benefit of her connections in the community and her hands-on work experience, was the opportunity to develop her own relationships with some of the best vineyards in the region. Boushey and Stillwater Creek, in particular, are renown vineyards that are in big demand by winemakers in the state. Clearly their desire to work with Mari is a testament not only to the personal connection she has with them, but to the respect they have for her winemaking ability as their name also goes on to the bottle.
Tasting through Damsel wines.
Tday she’s currently making 9 wines, at a shockingly good price point given the quality level, “I made a conscious decision early on. A lot of it is that you make money in certain places and then sacrifice money in other places to get your brand going.
Hearing about Mari’s tenacity, focus and passion, it begged the question as to why name the winery “Damsel” noting the obvious connotation to the word. “The more it kicked around in my head the more it really represented the fact that, in my mind, wine is very feminine and being a female winemaker there aren’t a lot of us yet in the Washington State wine industry that are head winemakers and owners. A ton of women are working in the industry, always have been, but not as many out in front. It was important for me to do that little nod to the feminine aspect of winemaking.
“I think there are plenty of people out here where if you are hardworking and make a good product, you’re going to get recognized. I would love it if there were more women visibly out front leading in wine but there are plenty of women in the business; it’s more the visibility factor of actually being seen in those lead roles. Eventually I would love it even more if the qualifier would just go away. No one wants to be known for being a great female winemaker. Just a great winemaker. I’m not in competition with the other women, we’re all competing and cooperating together as an industry. When the qualifier goes away, and it isn’t such a noticeable difference, that will be great.”
Bergevin Lane Vineyards & Winery
Columbia Valley, Washington
THE CLUB SELECTION - 2020 "Linen" Sauvignon Blanc, Columbia Valley
Vineyard and Producer Highlights
Bergevin Lane has been creating critically acclaimed wines for almost two decades. The Bergevin family has been in the Walla Walla Valley since 1864 and has been farming the land where their estate vineyard is located since the early 1900’s.
Bergevin Lane was founded in 2002 by Annette Bergevin, Amber Lane and Gary Bergevin.In founding the winery, Annette wanted to be close to her family and long-time friends, and Amber wanted to take on new challenges and continue her personal path of growth and education. Gary’s almost 30 years of experience in the wine industry was the catalyst to start the winery. He was one of the original founders of Canoe Ridge Vineyards.
Today the winery produces over 8,500 cases including very small lots of Syrah, Malbec, Viognier, Cabernet Sauvignon, Rose' and Merlot. The flagship wine or "work horse" for the winery is the Calico Red along with the wineries second label called "Linen."
Bergevin Lane Vineyards sources from vineyards primarily located in the Walla Walla and Wahluke Slope appellations, including Francisca’s, Les Collines, and Stone Tree Vineyards. Our own 25 acre Estate Vineyard, Bergevin Springs Vineyard was planted in May 2011. This unique site is planted on Bergevin homestead land from 1903.
Annette Bergevin and Amber Lane are a couple of spirited, fun-loving, irreverent cute chics who make great wine. Together with their winemaker Steffan Jorgenson, who brings a world of experience to his craft, Bergevin Lane practice a somewhat restrained style, coaxing extraordinary elegance from their wines.
Annette Bergevin loves the wine business—everything about it. The craft of winemaking. The almost magical way it makes any meal or moment memorable. Good friends to drink it with—and sell it to, too!
A sixth-generation Walla Walla native, co-founding Bergevin Lane Vineyards in 2002 was the fulfillment of a long-time dream, one that started with her father. “In my younger days he would share amazing wines from his collection,” she says. “That’s when I discovered how wonderful the wine world could be.”
“The secret to our success is really pretty simple,” Annette says. “We are making wines we love, and are proud to share.”
Massican Winery
Napa Valley & Sonoma Co., California
THE PREMIER CLUB SELECTION - 2020 Massican "Annia" White, Napa Valley
Vineyard and Producer Highlights
Massican was founded by owner and winemaker Dan Petroski in 2009. Dan grew up in Brooklyn in an American Italian family. Wine for him, as a commercial venture did not happen right away. Dan remembers being attracted to magazines from an early age. He recalls signing up for a subscription to Condé Naste Traveler when was merely 9 years of age (one of their earliest subscribers). He continued his interest in magazines by spending nine years working for Sports Illustrated and Time Magazine.
After deciding to return to school, Dan enrolled in business school through New York University. While there he met a friend whose family was living in rural Italy. To celebrate their graduation they took a trip to Italy where Dan was wowed by the local community’s welcoming attitude and hospitality. He was impressed with Italy’s diversity of culture, food, wine and history. Dan told us that at the age of 23 he was thinking, “I could spend the rest of my life traveling through Italy and never be bored.”
Returning to a sickly job market in New York he headed west where he interned for several Sonoma County wineries before moving to Larkmead Vineyards in Napa (where he oversaw their winemaking until 2021). And leaving Larkmead has been energizing for Massican,
Massican brought together a number of Dan’s talents and interests: his love for north eastern Italy, his business acumen and his new found talents as a winemaker.
His timing for starting Massican was very good in that a rare Napa planting of Ribolla Gialla became available in 2009 and formed part of Massican’s first vintage.
In a valley known for its red wines, the focus of Massican is *extremely unique* by Napa standards – Dan’s entire production is white wines, producing from a number of varieties not often seen in Napa. While Dan does make a Sauvignon Blanc and a Chardonnay, his is also making wine from varieties such as Ribolla Gialla and Tocai Friulano.
Dan ruminates about lifestyle and climate, how no one in California grew many of the Italian white-wine grapes he liked, which may suit the Mediterranean climate, cuisine, and casual way of life better than Cabernet Sauvignon: “The temperature was 83 degrees Fahrenheit in Calistoga in December, not so good for big reds,” he says. “We need a new definition of ‘local’.” That included the idea of 12 percent white wine in Cabernet country that wasn’t Chardonnay, either. He believes consumers want to try different wines: “We all need challenges.”
He then reveals that he’s buying a vineyard in the cool Carneros region, which will double his production to about 15,000 cases by 2025, perhaps using different varieties of grapes, though retaining Massican’s style, food-friendly, wines of community and friendship,
In 2017 Dan was awarded the San Francisco Chronicle’s winemaker of the year and his wines have been listed in Wine Enthusiast Magazine’s top 100 wines on multiple ocassions.
The name Massican was chosen to honor Dan’s heritage in Italy. His great grandfather grew up in the foothills of the Monte Massico mountain range north of Naples in the Campania region. For Dan’s flagship wine Annia, he chose another name that is a tribute to his heritage; it is the name for a DOC (appellation) in Fruili Italy as well the name of an old Roman family. Annia was also his mother’s name.
Gary Farrell Estate Vineyards & Winery
Russian River AV, Santa Barbara & Sonoma Co., California
THE PREMIER CLUB SELECTION - 2019 Gary Farrell Russian River Selection Pinot Noir
Vineyard and Producer Highlights
Gary Farrell launched Gary Farrell Winery in 1982 after working as a winemaker for many years for such Russian River Valley luminaries as Davis Bynum, Joe Rochioli, Tom Dehlinger, and Robert Stemmler.
The first wine he produced under his own label was a Pinot Noir sourced from two of the Russian River Valley’s top vineyards, Rochioli and Allen, which are adjacent to each other and just down the road from Gary Farrell Winery. These two venerable vineyards, both planted to the famed Pommard clone of Pinot Noir, produce some of California’s finest Pinot Noir and have continuously supplied grapes to Gary Farrell Winery for more than 30 years.
After building Gary Farrell Winery into an acclaimed producer of Russian River Valley Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, Gary sold the winery in 2004. Today the winery is owned by Bill Price.
Stephanie Wycoff is general manager, overseeing operations, brand sales and marketing, and direct-to-consumer programs for the 40-year-old winery. During her previous stint in 2012–2017, Wycoff was director of consumer sales and marketing. Her familiarity and history in the industry runs deep and so does her expertise.
Since winemaker Theresa Heredia joined in 2012, Gary Farrell has been named 2015 Winery of the Year by Pinot Report; 2016 Winery of the year by Pinot File; its Chardonnay Russian River Valley Selection 2015 was named #1 Wine Enthusiast Wine of the Year in 2017; Wine & Spirits Magazine named Gary Farrell a Top 100 Winery of the Year in 2019 and a range of its Pinots and Chardonnays as top U.S. entries for the year; and, in sum, the wines have garnered over 500 reviews of 90+ scores in the last 6 years.
She shares she stumbled upon this career quite serendipitously. "I studied Biochemistry as an undergrad at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, and then went on UC Davis where I spent two years in the Chemistry PhD program. During that time I was a teaching assistant for undergraduate General Chemistry, along with 11 other grad students.
When we gathered to grade exams, two of the grad students brought wine and glasses to the grading sessions where we also exchanged stories of our individual research projects. I heard the enology students talk about using the same analytical methods that I was using in my peptide synthesis for cancer therapeutics research, and I was floored that we were using the same methods. After all, wine was much more fun than peptides!
Within days, I transferred to the enology program and that’s how it happened."
She did her first harvest at Saintsbury in Carneros in 2001, and then got hired full-time in 2002 at Joseph Phelps Freestone Vineyards, where she spent 10 years making wine.
"My first female mentor was Sarah Gott, with whom I worked for just a few months at Joseph Phelps in St. Helena. I also very much looked up to the women working in the Oregon wine industry in the early 2000s, and I felt they had broken ground more quickly than it was happening in California: Ana Metzinger and Leigh Bartholomew, former Winemaker and Vineyard Manager at Archery Summit; Lynn Penner-Ash, former Winemaker at Rex Hill, now owner/Winemaker of Penner-Ash wines. Other women who inspired me were Merry Edwards, Mia Klen, Heidi Barrett and all the amazing women who paved the way before them.
My winemaking philosophy is really about using gentle techniques that are respectful of the fruit, to capture as much site specificity as possible.
I like to pick slightly on the early side of the ripeness spectrum, in order to capture freshness, purity, and vibrant acidity."
– 2020 Winemaker of the Year Nominee – Wine Enthusiast
– 2020 Top 50 Sonoma Producer –Wine Spectator
– 2020 & 2019 Top 100 Winery – Wine & Spirits
– #1 Wine, Top 100 Wines of 2017 – Wine Enthusiast
– 2016 Winery of the Year –PinotFile Rusty Ganey
– 2015 Winery of the Year –PinotReport Greg Walter
Adelsheim Vineyard
Willamette Valley, Oregon
THE PREMIER CLUB SELECTION - 2019 Adelsheim Willamette Valley Chardonnay
Vineyard and Producer Highlights
Adelsheim, Adels meaning nobility and Heim meaning home, located in Newberg, Ore., was founded with an optimistic spirit and a lofty dream: in an undiscovered wine region, the Chehalem Mountains, Adelsheim (pronounced Addels-Heim) was founded in 1971 by David and Ginny Adelsheim with one pursuit: to create world-class wines in the undiscovered wine region that would later become Chehalem Mountains AVA, a venerable subregion of Oregon's famous Willamette Valley. One of the original, most influential, and most important producers of the region, Adelsheim has a long track record of producing some of the finest Burgundian-style Pinot Noirs and Chardonnays produced domestically.
Since 1971, we have obsessively pursued exceptional wines of place, that celebrate the unique bounty of our estate vineyards. As a founding winery of the Willamette Valley and Chehalem Mountains first winery, Adelsheim has played an instrumental role in nearly every aspect of the Oregon wine story. As leaders, we believe it is our duty to be steadfast stewards of this abundant land and to rally our community in support of equity and education. Adelsheim is a LIVE certified sustainable winery, and a seven-time Wine & Spirits Top 100 Winery. Since Dave and Ginny divorced, they have remained friends and co-owners involved in every aspect of the estate with their partners Jack and Lynn Loacker. This is a well rounded blend.
David Paige the previous winemaker, took over the day-to-day winemaking from founder, David Adelsheim in 2001, and Gina Hennen came on as his winemakers assistant.
Gina holds a Bachelor’s degree in Chemistry from Reed College and an AAS in Winemaking from Chemeketa. Before transitioning to a career in winemaking, she worked as a semiconductor engineer for seven years in both Oregon and Dublin, Ireland.
Desiring a career that no longer involved cubicles, she returned to Oregon in early 2006 to establish roots in the wine industry.
“I’ve known for quite a while that Gina’s had that potential, and it’s been rewarding to watch her grow into that potential,” Paige said. “This clearly is going to be OK here at Adelsheim because of who she is and her talent.
After 15 years Gina has transitioned into the fulltime winemaker role, with Paige as her esteemed mentor and friend, retiring to pursue other projetcs.
A product of Minnesota, Hennen began in 1995 to sink roots in the Willamette Valley when she enrolled at Reed College in Portland. By spring 2007, she’d landed in the cellar at Adelsheim Vineyard and worked her way up the ladder to become Paige’s associate winemaker in 2015.
Hennen, 41, has served on the Oregon Wine Board research committee, the Low-Impact Viticulture and Enology winery committee and the International Pinot Noir Conference program committee. It’s not common to see a head winemaker publicly share credit for their wines, but Paige seems to have made a point of listing Hennen’s name in recent years. There’s been some freedom to explore at Adelsheim, and Hennen doesn’t envision that changing with her at the helm.
Graziano Family Wines - Monte Volpe Winery
Willamette Valley, Oregon
THE PREMIER CLUB SELECTION - 2017 Monte Volpe Primo Bianco Mendocino White
Vineyard and Producer Highlights
The Graziano Family has a long line of winemakers and grape growers dating back to the early 1900’s.
Gregory Graziano’s grandfather, Vincenzo Graziano, and his wife Angela, immigrated to America and eventually found their way to Mendocino County where they started growing grapes and making wine. They first planted vineyards in Mendocino County in 1918.In the late 1920’s Vincenzo had to depend on selling grapes to home winemakers on the east coast and bootlegging wine to support his family.
In the 1940’s after Prohibition and the Depression, Vincenzo, along with other local grape growers, formed the Mendocino Vineyards Winery, which eventually was sold and merged into the historically significant Cresta Blanca Winery in the town of Ukiah.
Like his family before him Greg Graziano, Vincenzo’s grandson, now carries on the family winemaking tradition that his grandfather set the foundation for and that his father Joseph later handed down to Gregory. To this day he is still carrying on the family tradition…as is his oldest daughter, Alexandra Graziano, a UC Davis graduate of Viticulture and Enology. She is currently involved in all aspects of winemaking and is the 4th generation, from Piedmonte of Italy to Mendocino County.
Current labels for the Graziano Family of Wines are Saint Gregory, Monte Volpe, Enotria and Graziano. The four labels are crafted to preserve each variety's integrity by employing time honored Old World cellar practices perfected by the gentle application of modern technology.
Monte volpe is one of the oldest producers of Sangiovese and Italian whites in California.
Italian grape varieties that were once an integral part of Mendocino viticulture are again drawing the attention of wineries here as well as other regions in the United States.
The wines we have made at Monte Volpe (which means Fox Mountain) since our first releases in 1991 are rich in color, fragrance, flavor and offer a great deal of finesse. Their structures are reminiscent of their Italian ancestry, but they display a vibrancy that is the hallmark of wines that are produced from fully ripened grapes.
The focus of this brand is on the classic red varieties of Tuscany and the supple white cultivars of Friuli and Campania, as well as our house blends.
Varieties: Pinot Grigio, Sangiovese, Montepulciano, Negroamaro, Aglianico, Vermentino, Tocai Friulano, Coda di Volpe, Greco di Tufo, Ribolla Gialla, Fiano, Falanghina, Sangiovese Rosato.
What jump-starts every day of every decade for Greg is his passion for and dedication to Italian grape varieties and to his beloved Mendocino County where he was born and raised and has chosen to remain. Greg talks about a friend and grape grower in Mendocino’s Ukiah Valley, who planted Italian grape varieties at his Fox Hill vineyard many years ago. The two men bonded over these grapes that they both loved. Fox Hill translated to Monte Volpe and became the name of Greg’s first Italian label. “He and I still fight,” Greg says. “He fights to sell his Italian grapes, and I fight to sell the wines that I make from them. After all these years, we look at one another and go, ‘Shouldn’t it be easier after all this time?’ But that is the beauty of unique.
Heron Hill Estate & Winery
Hammondsport, Kauka Lake, Finger Lakes AVA, New York
THE CLUB SELECTION - 2018 Heron Hills Classic Cabernet Franc
Vineyard and Producer Highlights
Jo and John Ingles met and made history.
It seems like just yesterday, late August of 1969, Denver, Colorado. I had just restarted my college career as a transfer student at the University of Denver. One of my friends was having a back to school party in his yard. There were young, happy faces all around, the brilliant Colorado sun was shining down upon us, energy laced music of that period pulsed in the backyard. The stage was set for great things. Across the room I saw a lovely diminutive honey-blonde and had a surging sensation of place. This was a person who would be a player in my life. That lovely young lady has been my loving wife for over 49 years and we both look back at our days at DU as some of the best in our lives, don't drink Ripple anymore though...
Spring of 1972, the Ingles planted 20 acres of grapes. They cleared the land - a tangle of poison ivy - and planted 12,000 vines. They pounded posts, strung wire and battled weeds and pests. After some four years of nurturing their vineyards, they were ready for harvest. Unfortunately at that time , New York state was experiencing an excess of grapes and as a result, the Ingles could find little to no market for their crop.
To solve the problem, the Ingles built Heron Hill Winery on Keuka Lake. Being next door to Walter Taylor's Bully Hill Winery and Dr. Frank's Vinifera wine cellars ( two prominent fingures in the Finger Lakes) seemed like a good location.
And It has been. 2020 marked the 43rd anniversary of Heron Hill.
Their energetic wine maker, Jordan Harris was born and raised in Niagara on the Canadian side.
Hetold ediblefingerlakes.com that he was “always in awe of the Finger Lakes wines when I tried them.”
He spent 13 years working in Virginia, then took a position in 2020 working with Heron Hill Winery and Ingle Vineyard in Hammondsport, New York. It’s a winery that’s quite proud of the recognition its tasting room received as one of the 10 most spectacular in the world by Travel + Leisure magazine along with a long list of awards for its wines.
“Heron Hill is a winery whose owners are driven first and foremost by their absolute love of wine and passion for organic and sustainable viticulture,” Harris said, when asked for some perspective on his employer and the job he has now. “Most often think about the advantages of being an older and established winery, like Heron Hill that is coming up on 50 years [first plantings at Ingle Vineyard of Chardonnay and Riesling were 50 years ago in 1972]. That said, with that comes the challenge of staying fresh while also staying true to why you started.”
Making wine at Heron Hill, he said, “allows all the freedom you need as a winemaker to make wines that are representative of a place and time while also ensuring the utmost quality. Typically this means taking the less-is-more approach, which suits my style.”
Wine consumers all over the world, he said, are now seeking the types of wines made on the East Coast.
“It really is great to see how superb the wines are from all over the East Coast right now,” Harris said. “I love the passion, experimentation and camaraderie that that occurs here with us all.”
“Of course, we have pioneers that have helped pave the way. I work for one. But the message hasn’t needed to be shouted from the rooftops yet. On the West Coast, the current generation is just trying to expand upon what has been created by the last generation and make it even better. On the East Coast, we are still creating that initial impact. That creates a drive unlike any other.”
“If we can tell the story we can create a market beyond our wildest dreams,” he said.