Issue link: http://winesandvines.uberflip.com/i/1007939
August 2018 WINES&VINES 25 WINE INDUSTRY NEWS Laube who, after over 30 years of tasting every category of wine made in California, has decided to take a step back from reviewing new releases. Laube will remain based in Wine Spectator's Napa office and will continue to apply his experience to verticals, retro- spectives and other special tast- ings. He will also continue regular contribution to the magazine's col- umns, features and cover stories and provide leadership to staff on both coasts. Sam Sebastiani developing new vineyard Sam Sebastiani, 77, eldest of the third-generation siblings from the Sonoma-based winemaking fam- ily, announced the development of a new vineyard project. Named after his twin granddaughters, Le Gemelle, which translates to "the twins" in Italian, the vineyard will occupy about 60 acres on the western edge of the town of So- noma. Owned by the Sebastiani family since the 1970s, and farmed for hay production, the property is now being converted to Pinot Noir grapes. Sebastiani also plans to set aside five acres in the middle of the vineyard for a wild bird habi- tat, which will include bird boxes, perches and a water source to en- courage bird habitation. NORTHWEST New winery, promotions at ENCORE TIME Winery announced plans to open a new winery in downtown Penticton, B.C., after the 2018 harvest. The company is owned by ENCORE Vineyards, which also announced the appointment of Graham Pierce as director of wine- making. Prior to joining ENCORE, Pierce worked at Black Hill Estate winery in Oliver, B.C. At ENCORE, Pierce will be working with Nadine Allander who recently was pro- moted from assistant winemaker to winemaker. Stoller forms wine group Bill Stoller announced the forma- tion of the Stoller Wine Group, which will comprise Stoller Family Estate in Dayton, Ore., Chehalem winery in Newberg, Ore., and the new brand Canned Oregon. Ac- cording to a statement announcing the new group, the company is better organized to strategically position a portfolio of brands and products at various price points and distribution channels. The company also announced the ap- pointment of Melissa Burr as vice president of winemaking and Ben Howe is the new director of wine- making. Jason Tosch was named vice president of vineyard opera- tions and will be managing 258 acres of vines. Bill Hanson was named vice president of national sales and Cory Davis is the new director of national brands. Rafanelli wins sabbatical award The Washington Wine Industry Foundation announced the 2018 Powers Sabbatical award winner is Marcus Rafanelli. Rafanelli is the instructor of applied winemaking at Walla Walla Community College and cellar master for the institu- tion's College Cellars. The Powers Graham Pierce Marcus Rafanelli PIERCE—CHRIS STENBERG