04/20 DOUG TIMEWELL, TOUCAN WINES, CALIFORNIA WINEMASTERS, SHARON KAZAN HARRIS, RARECAT WINES

DOUG TIMEWELL - OWNER OF TOUCAN WINES – TALKING ABOUT THEIR PARTICIPATION IN THE CALIFORNIA WINEMASTERS ON MAY 16, 2015

Toucan Wines is a tiny estate micro-winery, where we produce hand-crafted, estate grown, premium Zinfandel and Petite Sirah wines in the Arroyo Grande Valley. Our limited production of estate wines from our 3½ estate vineyard total less than 300 cases per year.

Small by any standard, our micro-winery is focused on quality - it’s our limited production and attention to detail that set our wines apart. Our winery and estate vineyard, located next to our family home, produces full-bodied and richly flavored wines taking full advantage of what our old-clone vines and our microclimate have to offer.

Our vines, grafted from the 1923 planting of the highly regarded Benito Dusi vineyard, thrive by producing intensely colored and flavorful fruit in our microclimate of warm-to-hot days and cool nights. We marry this fabulous fruit with both traditional and modern winemaking on a scale that makes us one of the smallest wineries and estate vineyards in California.

We enjoy sharing our wine making tradition and we ask that you share in our passion by trying our hand-crafted wines with food, family and friends. To read about our on-going adventure, events, and new releases - please join our newsletter list.

The new Toucan Wines Club is the best way to save on wine purchases, you pick the wines we ship, and when you want them shipped - a small volume commitment and you get our largest savings.

ABOUT THE CALIFORNIA WINEMASTERS
The California Winemasters is a perennial Wine Spectator Top 10 Charity Wine Auction set for May 16, 2015 at Warner Bros. Studios in Burbank.  This extraordinary event showcases 50 international chefs and 75 of California’s Finest Wineries.  “Winemasters” has raised over $27 million in support of the mission of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.

The CF Foundation is a nonprofit donor-supported organization dedicated to attacking cystic fibrosis from every angle.  It’s focus is to support the development of new drugs to fight the disease, improve the quality of life for those with CF and ultimately, to find a cure.

The Foundation’s drug development success has been recognized by Harvard Business School and by publications such as Forbes, Discover Magazine and The Wall Street Journal.

Make your reservations NOW for this wine tasting extraordinaire and spectacular hors d’oeuves dinner!

We would like to thank again all of the donors who make the Winemasters Main Event possible!!

WWW.TOUCANWINES.COM
CALIFORNIAWINEMASTERS.ORG


SHARON KAZAN HARRIS - FOUNDER/PROPRIETOR, RARECAT WINES

THE LOVE OF WINE BEGAN IN BORDEAUX...

It was during a junior year abroad in France where Sharon spent a year at the Universite de Bordeaux. As a student she was taken under the wing of the wife of the University’s president, which in short is how she found herself, at age 20, being taken on a personal tour of Chateau Haut Brion, producer of one of the greatest wines in the world. The tour was led by the legendary Monsieur Delmas (Senior) himself, who kindly let her taste the renowned 1982 vintage out of the barrel, followed by the 1966. That moment changed her life, and sealed her interest in wine and the Bordeaux region itself.

After hard work in publishing and technology, and several years later, in 2004 with two young children in tow, Sharon applied and was accepted to the famous DUAD program (the Diplome Universitaire d’Aptitude a la Degustation des Vins) offered through the University of Bordeaux’s Oenology department. The DUAD is an intensive year long program that takes four years of oenology and condenses it into one compacted year.

Two years later, armed with a remarkable Bordeaux experience, Sharon returned to the States and moved to Napa Valley. Although I live in the Napa Valley and was born and raised in California, my love of wine really is a shared experience between Napa and Bordeaux.  

Interested in staying at our villa in St Emilion?
WWW.WINEVILLAS.COM

ABOUT SHARON
I FELL IN LOVE WITH WINE IN BORDEAUX WHEN I WAS 20 YEARS OLD, A TIME WHEN I WAS OBSESSED WITH SPEAKING FRENCH AND LIVING ABROAD. THERE TO STUDY FRENCH, BORDEAUX BROUGHT ME SOME OF THE MOST IMPORTANT THINGS IN MY LIFE: AN APPRECIATION OF FINE FOOD AND WINE, AND A JOIE DE VIVRE ONE GETS FROM SHARING THOSE THINGS WITH FRIENDS

Most people have long lists of accolades that define their life’s successes. For me, it is quite the opposite -- my successes have been a result of fortuitous introductions, dreaming big (with the ability to make ideas happen), and a willingness to try new things. My love of food and wine directly stems from naive gumption, charm, and a desire to learn, all of which led me to my first wine experience at Haut Brion; then to living with France’s most famed cheese making family; and finally to a cooking internship under the wings of Amat, a famous 2 star chef in Bordeaux and my first fine culinary experience.

I have had the desire to be in the wine industry for decades, but getting to Napa Valley has been like taking windy back roads more than efficient toll roads. I spent many years working in executive positions in publishing (Managing Director of Miller Freedman's International Division), advertising (President of an ad agency, Transphere), and technology (VP of Sales of Inktomi, an internet search engine start-up and consultant to Visa and Estamp). Luckily very successful in business, I was able to trade computers for vineyards.

Undoubtedly the hardest thing I have accomplished is graduating with honors from the Universite de Bordeaux’s famed D.U.A.D. program, a technical oenology diploma taught in French.

I now live in Napa Valley full time, yet frequent a second home in Bordeaux, and have two great teenage boys.  I co-owned Amici Cellars, but RARECAT wines is the wine business that I have the greatest attachment to. While promoting RARECAT, my greatest passion has been empowering women through wine and supporting women in the wine industry. Several years ago I formed an exclusive trade group called Wine Entre Femmes, comprised of some of the most remarkable women in wine in Napa and Bordeaux, and have recently co-launched A Woman's Palate, a company that celebrates wines by women for women.  I am lucky; I am living my passion. 


WWW.RARECATWINES.COM

04/13 VINCE FERRAGAMO, FERRAGAMO WINERY, EUGENIA KEEGAN, GRAN MORAINE

VINCE FERRAGAMO – FERRAGAMO WINERY 

The Vineyard
Vince Ferragamo grows Sagiovese and Cabernet Sauvignon in his Estate Vineyard in Orange Park Acres, California, where the warm days and cool nights produce ideal growing conditions that mirror the rolling hills of Tuscany. The vines are hand-tended throughout the year, with a focus on phenolic ripening and longer hang times, giving rise to a rich and elegant wine with refined and polished tannins.

The Winemakers
Mick Dragoo and Jeff Lazenby have produced the wine from Vince Ferragamo's vineyard since 2010. Mick founded Belle Marie Winery in 2000, and Jeff is General Manager and Assistant Winemaker.

Mick Drago PhotoMick Dragoo's appreciation for winemaking began during the Vietnam War, when he served in the Army as a maxillofacial surgeon treating trauma patients arriving home from the war in Northern California. On his off-time, he would visit Napa Valley wineries to unwind, and was impressed to discover some parallels between the art and science of winemaking and surgical reconstruction. After retiring from a successful periodontal practice in Reno, Nevada, Dragoo returned to Napa Valley to begin his next career, as a professional winemaker. Twenty years later, Mick and Mary Dragoo relocated to Southern California and opened Belle Marie Winery, a micro-boutique winery in Escondido, California that produces thirty or more wines every year in a wide variety of styles, but with a particular specialty in full-bodied, blended red wines. With an inventory of up to 78 different grape varietals available each year, Dragoo travels up and down California to the best growing regions and vineyards in the state from which harvest his grapes. In his spare time, Dragoo continues to develop and teach state-of-the-art surgical practices to surgeons worldwide.

Jeff Lazenby PhotoJeff Lazenby's passion for winemaking began during his college years at the University of California, Santa Barbara in the mid-1980's. With convenient proximity to the Central Coast wine country, he made frequent trips to area wineries, exploring the many varietals that thrive in the area and learning about how geographical and climatic influences shape varietal selection in the vineyard and the resulting styles of wine. Wine remained a hobby for years as Lazenby built a successful career as a health care executive while continuing to learn about wine in his down time. In 2000, he met Mick Dragoo, who had just started Belle Marie, and the passion for winemaking began to blossom more quickly. Soon he was spending his weekends and holidays volunteering at the winery, studying Dragoo's style and philosophy of winemaking and learning about all aspects of running a small, boutique winery operation. By 2006, the Dragoo's convinced Lazenby to retire and join the family business full-time.

FERRAGAMOWINERY.COM


EUGENIA KEEGAN - WINEMAKER & GENERAL MANAGER AT GRAN MORAINE (IN YAMHILL, OR) – WINE DINNER ON 4/14 CHAMPS DE RÊVES ANDERSON VALLEY PINOT + MORE 

General Manager and Winemaker - Eugenia has held many top positions during her 38 years in the wine business. She began her career with Joseph Swan Vineyards as a cellar/vineyard worker in 1976. That experience led her to numerous opportunities, including cellar intern positions in Burgundy at both the prestigious producer Pousse d’Or in Volnay and Etienne Sauzet in Puligny-Montrachet. Most significantly she took the position of Business Manager at Bouchaine Vineyards in Napa, California in 1982 during the early days of the winery’s start-up. She was later promoted to President and CEO. In January of 1996, she accepted the position of President at Vine Cliff Winery in Napa. Eugenia’s travels took her to Oregon in 2003 where she ventured into the world of wine distribution by becoming the founder and co-owner of Tsarina Wines, a small fine-wine-only distributor based in Portland. In 2006, Tsarina merged with the Henry Wine Group of Oregon. Eugenia continued as Co-owner and President until 2009 when the company was sold. Throughout her career, Eugenia has been an industry consultant and owner of her wine brand, Keegan Cellars, that operates in Roussillon, France. Just recently, she was the acting General Manager of The Four Graces Winery in Dundee, Oregon. In April of 2014, Eugenia joined Gran Moraine as General Manager and Winemaker.

WWW.GRANMORAINE.COM

04/06 SAM LANDO, LANDO WINES, DEBORAH CAHN, NAVARRO VINEYARDS

SAM LANDO – OWNER, LANDO WINES

Handcrafting Pinot Noir from the Russian River Valley and Sonoma Coast

Sam Lando started his career working for some of the large global wine producers, and soon identified his true love of working with and enjoying Pinot Noir.

While his emphasis was sales and marketing, he realized early on the need to understand as much as possible about differing winemaking and viticulture techniques. After working with and becoming friends with some of the best new world wine producers, it was a natural evolution to begin hobby winemaking.

After working for five years with Kosta Browne Winery, he departed at the end of 2012. His work with dear friends was a deeply rewarding experience...personally and professionally. They worked (and played) so well together because of a love and passion for what they did. In addition to their shared affliction for Pinot, they enjoyed the company of great people and food.

In the middle of the 2012 vintage, Sam and his wife Jennifer decided to make the leap and takethe winemaking hobby to the next level. They borrowed against their savings and began building the foundation to develop a small Pinot Noir focused winery. The goal is to make intense, yet elegant and balanced wines from the Russian River Valley and Sonoma Coast appellations. We push ourselves to make great wines that we enjoy drinking and take great pride in sharing with our dear friends.

LANDOWINES.COM


DEBORAH CAHN - FOUNDER AND OWNER, NAVARRO VINEYARDS

Navarro Vineyards was founded in 1973 by Ted Bennett and Deborah Cahn. Their children Aaron and Sarah Cahn-Bennett have now joined the family business. Navarro grows Gewürztraminer, Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Riesling, Pinot Gris and Muscat Blanc.

Our family has been growing grapes, making wine and producing non-alcoholic grape juices in the Anderson Valley in coastal Mendocino since 1974. Since we are small, you probably will not find our wine in your local store. The majority of our production is sold directly.

Our family was recently blessed with the arrival of twin baby boys; new family members renew Navarro's commitment to sustainable practices and a long term farming vision.

Spring is when we release wines produced in such small lots that we make them available to our mailing list friends on a first-come basis. This release includes three dry whites: a Roussanne-Marsanne blend inspired by the wines of the Rhône, Navarro's value-packed Pinot Blanc and a crisp Riesling. Two vigorous red wines from the 2012 vintage and a blushingly pretty 2014 rosé are also available. A luscious Cluster Select Gewürztraminer is as sweet as the new babes. Pinot Blanc and Navarrouge are offered with case specials for $12.42 per bottle, a great way to celebrate the birth of spring. The bargain priced samplers, full case specials and One-Cent ground freight on all case orders will be offered until April 30th on a first come basis.

WWW.NAVARROWINE.COM