Wines & Vines

AUGUST NEWS Headlines NEWS BYTES Caymus plans expansion W agner Family of Wine, the parent company of Caymus Vineyards in Rutherford, Calif., purchased a 178-acre property in Solano County, which neighbors Napa County to the east. The company plans to build a bottling, barrel storage and shipping facility followed by a winery for the company's other brands Belle Glos, Conundrum and Mer Soleil. Central Coast winemaker dies Foothill Grape Day grower and winemaker panelists (from left) Steve Collum, Jonathan Lachs, Kris Mapes, Carol Laubach, Bill Naylor and Scott Klann discussed quality collaborations. Quality Wine Grapes in the Sierra Foothills Vintners and growers map the path to quality S hingle Springs, Calif.—Winemakers and growers discussed their collaborative efforts during the annual Foothill Grape Day held June 6 at Cielo Estate winery in Shingle Springs. El Dorado County was represented by Bill Naylor of Naylor Vineyards, who owns, leases or manages a total of 200 acres in the Fair Play AVA, where he has been farming for 25 years; and Jonathan Lachs, co-owner and winemaker at Cedarville Vineyard, a 20-acre property acquired in 1995 that has 15 acres of vineyards and a winery. Naylor said he started as a "grapegrower," but with experience—and working with winemakers such as Lachs— he transitioned to "wine grape grower" and finally "wine grower." Naylor and Lachs described their work together to improve winesandvines.com fruit quality from a Learn more: Search keywords 4-acre block of Petite "Foothills quality." Sirah over the course of 10 vintages. Lachs sought improved grape ripeness from the vineyard and to produce less acidic wines. Previously, Naylor harvested the entire block at the same time, but the block doesn't ripen evenly. 14 W in es & V i ne s AU G U ST 20 13 Working together, they adjusted practices to obtain the ripeness Lachs sought by picking part of the block at a different time. The Amador County collaborators were Carol Laubach, an Amador vineyard manager since 1995 with Lauzere Vineyard Services, and Kristopher Mapes, grower relations rep for Trinchero Family Estates, who works with growers in the Foothills, Lodi and Clarksburg. Laubach respects what Mapes and Trinchero can offer as part of the team. "We need outside input. Kris sees vineyards in other regions, and we can find out how seasonal issues, crop development and labor availability may impact our operations here." She discussed working to improve vineyards with variable quality. She advised, "To improve quality, you need to increase input at each step. Build a team. Work with the winery, work with your crew and your PCA." She said she took over management of one vineyard a few years ago, and through quality improvements has increased the fruit price by 50%. She also advised, "Respect the area you're growing in, and work together to give the region a good reputation." —Jon Tourney S tephen Pessagno, 55, died at his home in Salinas, Calif., on June 9. Pessagno the was Stephen Pessagno winemaker and founder of Pessagno Winery in Salinas. Prior to starting the winery in 1999, Pessagno vice was president and winemaker for Jekel Vineyards and Lockwood Vineyard. Pessagno was also a member of the executive board and past winesandvines.com Learn more: Search keywords "Pessagno Winery." president Monterey of the County Vintners and Growers Association. He wrote the Inquiring Winemaker column in the June 2013 edition of Wines & Vines, in which he recounted lessons learned from 30 years of winemaking experience. Anti-Counterfeiting Seminar W ineries can learn about the challenges of exporting to Asia and the variety of technological solutions for wine authentication and tracking at the Wine Anti-Counterfeiting Seminar on Aug. 14 at Silverado Resort in Napa, Calif. The Napa Valley Vintners and Wines & Vines are co-sponsoring the morning-long event. Tickets are $50 and include breakfast and lunch. Contact jbrix@winesandvines.com.

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