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WINEMAKING TECHNICAL REVIEW The Wente Vineyards bottling line handles the bottling needs of Steven Kent and La Rochelle. Most of the wines produced by the two labels are bottled under natural cork from Ganau. Valley Cabernet Sauvignon (the largest production at 1,000 cases) at twice that to Cabernets and Bordeaux blends ranging from $50 to $125 per bottle for the Lineage proprietary blend. The La Rochelle Pinots start at about $30 and crest well over $50. Mirassou estimates that the average price (not weighted) for the Steven Kent wines is about $65, for La Rochelle it's about $50. So far, they're not having trouble selling the wines. And since the cash is flowing, Steven Kent LLC doesn't rely on bank financing but on income from wine sales. Routine banking is done with Wells Fargo. Life after AP The AP arrangement within the Wente Small- Lot Winery has clearly worked well for Steven Kent and La Rochelle. The wines are well regarded, production has been increas- ing, the brands have weathered the recession fairly well, and the average bottle price for the two brands is the highest in the Liver- more Valley. Over the years, many of the kinks in the working relationships have been ironed out; there have been no repeats of the time the first batch of La Rochelle Pinot Noir got pressed without Stutz's permission. In a perfect world, Mirassou and Stutz would do some things differently. More modern and gentle crushing and pressing equipment is out there, though that would require major money. Though their relationship with Claude Bobba is excellent, some of the routine cellar work could be more to their liking. Stutz says he has a biology-centric approach to winemaking—for example, controlling spoilage organisms by eliminating the nutrients they need—whereas the routine Wente protocols are more chemistry- based—controlling critters with SO2 . Not far down the road, perhaps within five years, Mirassou hopes to move his labels out on their own, to be able to control all the quality factors he sees as crucial. Chances are that won't be a chateau-style winery pictured in Architectural Digest, but more likely a "transitional winery" in warehouse or office park space that can be customized for wine production. In the meantime, Mirassou readily acknowledges, "There are a lot of worse places to make wine than here." 58 Wines & Vines JAnUARY 2012