|
Bibiana González Rave -
Alma de Cattleya
Born and raised in Colombia, Bibiana had little exposure to wine culture. But by the age of 14, she knew she would become a winemaker. In Colombia, she studied chemical engineering and business. She later moved to France to study viticulture and oenology. She earned a bachelor’s degree at the University of Bordeaux, graduating with honors.
Bibiana had the opportunity to work with some of the best wineries in France, including Château Haut-Brion, La Mission Haut-Brion in Bordeaux, Domaine Stephane Ogier and Domaine Clusel-Roch in Côte-Rôtie. Crazy CV, yes.
Bibiana’s first vintage in California was 2004. Since then, she hit the ground running. She worked six harvests in three years, traveling to South Africa to work harvests at Soronsberg Cellars in the Tulbagh region. Back in California, she worked at La Crema, Peay Vineyards, Au Bon Climat and Qupé before Lynmar Estate, where she was winemaker from 2009 through early 2012.
Her label Cattleya was conceived in 2012 and so was Bibiana’s career as Consulting Winemaker. Since then, she has earned a remarkable series of accolades and rave reviews for all her wines and those of her clients. She was named one of Wine Enthusiast’s first “40 Under 40: America’s Tastemakers” in 2013; and in 2015 she was named “Winemaker of the Year” by the San Francisco Chronicle. Bibiana’s newest venture, Alma de Cattleya, represents the soul of California, where her wines are made. She also produced her first Napa Valley wines under the Pahlmeyer and the Jayson labels.
Bibiana is married to winemaker Jeff Pisoni of Pisoni stardom and together they craft Shared Notes, an homage to Sauvignon Blanc and their only joint winemaking venture. The couple has two young sons, Lucas and Diego, who can often be found tromping through the vineyards or at the winery right alongside mom.
|
|
Brianne Day -
Day Wines
Brianne Day's discovery of wine was a religious experience. Really, it was.
Day, who grew up a Jehovah's Witness, was on a religious mission in Italy when wine took over her life.
"I became rather distracted from the purpose of my trip when I encountered wine and art, food, people, you know, Italy. The interest turned to a career when I was in my mid 20s," says Day. "I had been planning a trip around the world and decided to focus on wine producing regions to see if anything career related could come from this interest. Through the course of that trip I learned a ton, tasted a ton and met so many great people. I came to realize that I needed to be a winemaker."
Day interned in New Zealand, Argentina and France.
"I also worked for a French cooperage for a while. I have always wanted to make wine in Oregon. The Pacific Northwest is my home and I know it so well, expressing a place dear to my heart was/is one of the main motivating factors for me in making wine." she says.
She traveled and worked for 6 years before starting to make her own wines in 2012. The wines Day creates are natural, sourcing from organic and Biodynamic vineyards.
These days, as a single-mom with a 4-year-old son running around, she still likes to get outside as much as possible for a good hike or a quick trip to the Oregon coast.
|
|
Sarah Wuethrich -
Maggy Hawk
Sarah Wuethrich grew up in Cupertino, California, and arrived at the University of California at Davis intending to be an Atmospheric Science major. When she needed a few extra credits for her first semester, her father – a hobby winemaker – suggested she take an enology class, and the rest is history.
After graduating with her Viticulture and Enology degree in 2001, Sarah made her way to Sonoma County and honed her technical skills for several years at St. Francis and Lambert Bridge. When she and her best friend were invited to co-found a new wine label for Naked Wines, she jumped at the chance and spent several years making wine from lesser-known Portuguese varieties grown in small, forgotten California vineyards. In 2010, Sarah made the fateful decision to join Copain Wines as Assistant Winemaker, working closely with co-founder and celeb winemaker Wells Guthrie. It was there that she fell in love with Anderson Valley and the incredible grace of its cool-climate wines.
Over the next seven years, Sarah immersed herself in the world of hands-off, European-style winemaking to showcase the diverse natural beauty of Anderson Valley fruit. She learned the secrets of the foggy Deep End vine rows and gained a deft touch crafting Chardonnay and Pinot Noir with lower alcohol, higher acid, and uniquely Anderson Valley character. In 2017, Sarah’s passion and expertise with Anderson Valley made her the natural choice to take over as head winemaker for Maggie Hawk.
|
|
Angela Osbourne -
A Tribute to Grace
Angela was born and raised in New Zealand. Her initial exposure to the wine industry occurred when she worked in a wine shop in Auckland while completing a degree in film from the University of Auckland. Filmmaking was her primary interest at the time, but a New Zealand winemaker recognized that she had a passion for wine and arranged for her to work the 2002 harvest at Simi in the U.S. Although she also had an offer in the film industry at the time, she opted to cast her lot with winemaking.
Nick Goldschmidt was Simi’s head winemaker at the time, and a proud Kiwi, which was Angela’s “in.” He introduced her to Mick Unti to further her knowledge of wines. As fate would have it, tasting the Unti 1999 Grenache changed her world.
She relocated to California in 2006, setting her sights on the Santa Barbara area of the state. Her decision to settle there only came after searching throughout northern Spain, southern France, and southern Australia to find a locale suited to pursuing her dream of producing Grenache, a grape that loves more sun than is provided by the climate in New Zealand. She found it in the Santa Barbara Highlands. As Angela says, “I chose California because it provides the perfect climate for turning my winemaking dreams into reality. Both literally—the sun loves California and allows Grenache to ripen beautifully—and figuratively: The culture here truly embraces entrepreneurship.”
Her California winemaking career includes stints at Beckman Vineyards, Casa Barranca, Salinia, Failla, Lioco, and Demetria. Her own label, born in 2007 and entitled, “A Tribute to Grace”, honors her grandmother, who helped raise her and continues to serve as an inspiration. She employs biodynamic principles in her winemaking and currently produces some 3000 cases of Grenache each year.
Angela, her husband Jason, and their three sons live in Los Alamos, CA, along with their dog Archie, a coyote they adopted in Mexico. They continue to maintain a connection with New Zealand.
|
|
