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P A CKA GING Winemaker Interview JOEL GOTT The multi-tasking winemaker talks packaging By Laurie Daniel his eponymous wines are bottled traditionally, but Joel gott—one-third of the three thieves wine company—is a packaging pioneer. J 42 Wines & Vines MAY 201 1 oel Gott grew up in the wine business: He's a fifth- generation winemaker. His grandfather, James Gott, was a winemaker and presi- dent of Inglenook in the Napa Valley during the 1960s and 70s, and his father, Cary Gott, found- ed Montevina in the Sierra Foothills, made wine at Mumm Napa Valley and was president of Sterling Vineyards. Joel started in the business after high school as an apprentice to winemaker Mike Lee at Kenwood Vineyards in Sonoma County. He started Joel Gott Wines in 1995. Gott has followed a fairly traditional approach with his eponymous brand, which he works on with his winemaker wife, Sarah. Not so with Three Thieves, the company he started with Charles Bieler and Roger Scommegna in 2003. Three Thieves, which aims to bring value to the consumer and is known for its innova- tive packaging, started with Zinfandel in a one-liter jug and now produces the Bandit brand in Tetra Paks as well as a brand called The Show, which is in a more traditional package. Three Thieves also produces and distributes the Newman's Own wines. The Thieves' most recent endeavor has been a television show for the Cooking Channel. Along the way Gott, 40, and his brother, Duncan, also revitalized Taylor's Automatic Refresher—renamed Gott's Roadside—a St. Helena burger spot that now has three locations. Wines & Vines: How did you and your partners come up with the Three Thieves name? Joel Gott: We were getting wine at a steal and selling it to the masses. There were three of us, and we considered ourselves thieves because of the prices we were getting. It all came together and just seemed to make sense—that we were creating a legend of some sort. W&V: Your first packaging innovation for the Three Thieves brand was the one-liter jug. How did you decide on that package, and why did you discontinue it? Gott: We decided that a one-liter jug would be such an iconic package to sell Zinfandel in—as it had been done in the 1940s and 50s. After the first vintage, 2003, we expanded to Napa Cab, and af- ter the third vintage we expanded to Tem- pranillo from Spain and California Syrah. We did this because the Zinfandel was so popular that we decided to offer more compelling wines to our customer base. There was a lot of nostalgia attached to the jug, but it had somehow lost its ap- peal in the modern age, so we decided to revive it. We were continually surprised at how well it took off, and the brand grew much bigger than we anticipated. Ulti- mately, we were making 100,000 cases per year. After about five years, we finally decided to discontinue it because the jugs had run their course.