Kendall-Jackson Winery and Sonoma County Wine Library present Steve Heimoff, author of New Classic Winemakers of California. Steve will be leading a panel of Sonoma County’s winemakers that he’s interviewed in the past and are now featured in his newly released book.
I’ve found this book to be one of the most candid insider views of the wine industry, as related by Steve from interviews that he conducted in his career. It’s this side of a confessional, from what I’ve read. I appreciate hearing opinions that I’ve long thought, but not had the academics or insider info to even begin to prove. These winemakers are very candid with their thoughts and opinions; and for that, New Classic Winemakers of California is a historical treasure of our current times.
This wine, book, and food event is going to be held at the Kendall-Jackson Wine Center on Friday evening, March 28, starting at 7:00 p.m. Following the panel discussion, there will be a tasting of wines from each winemaker, accompanied by hors d’oeuvres. Copperfield Book Store will be selling copies of the book, or – if you’ve got your own copy already – bring it along and have it signed by Steve and the winemakers.
The price for the evening is $30 for the public, and $20 for Wine Library and K-J Wine Club members. Sign up early for this great sensory and intellectual adventure. It may sell out! For reservations call 707-508-6202, or visit the Healdsburg Library, 139 Piper Street.
Featured winemakers participating on the panel are:
- Randy Ullom – Kendall-Jackson. Jess Jackson recruited Randy, and together they built the reputation and quality of the Kendall-Jackson wine portfolio. Randy also has helped Kendall-Jackson develop their South American wine holdings.
- Eric Cinnamon – Rancho Zabaco, is one of Sonoma County’s Zin Masters. At the ripe old age of thirty–something, Eric has already shown that he is a winemaker of extraordinary talent and vision.
- Merry Edwards, whose Merry Edwards Pinots and Sauvignon Blancs win passionate acclaim, has history that includes apprenticeship at Villa Mt. Eden, mentoring by Joe Swan in the early 70’s, stints at Matanzas Creek and Laurier.
- Greg LaFollette – DeLoach and Tandem. Greg grew up in Europe and adheres to the doctrine that wine is raised and not made. He has worked for Beaulieu, Kendall-Jackson’s Hartford Court, and Flowers.
- Michael Terrien – Hanzell Vineyards. Although Michael has only been at Hanzell for three of their fifty years, he has already made a name for himself, learning from Bob Sessions the skill of innovating within a tradition.
Steve Heimoff’s new book has received rave reviews, and consists of 28 probing, insightful interviews with important winemakers. Wines and Vines, the authoritative voice of the industry said: “The encounters with winemakers make absorbing oral histories for anyone seriously interested in California wine. The content ranges all over the intellectual wine map, from missed or seized career opportunities, to why a winemaker is more passionate about one varietal than another, to what part of Russian River has the best Pinot Noir vineyards. Heimoff is a well-informed interviewer who knew good questions to ask, and he seems to have put his subjects at ease enough that they opened up to him. So it’s no surprise that these new classic winemakers had plenty to say.”
A native New Yorker, Steve Heimoff discovered wine when he moved to San Francisco to attend graduate school in the late 1970s. His interest quickly flared into passion. He began writing for Wine Spectator in the late 1980s and transferred to Wine Enthusiast in the early 1990s, where he continues as West Coast editor. Heimoff’s previous wine book, A Wine Journey Along the Russian River, focused on geography rather personalities, and it quickly won classic status.
About Kendall-Jackson
Kendall-Jackson Winery shows its community involvement by hosting this event, and donating all the profits for the event to the wine library. K-J was founded in 1982, AND grows grapes on some 12,000 acres of California Coastal vineyards. The Kendall-Jackson Wine Center is a wine & food experience not to be missed. Set amid 120 acres of gardens and vines, guests are welcomed at their beautiful Château for a variety of tasting, food pairing and tour offerings. Each season offers new educational and sensory experiences in the extensive gardens, demonstration vineyard and tasting room.
About the Wine Library
The Wine Library Associates of Sonoma County is a non-profit organization that supports the Sonoma County Wine Library by raising funds, sponsoring events and providing volunteers. (The wine industry and the Sonoma County Library contribute other funding.) The Sonoma County Wine Library is a special collection and service of the Sonoma County Library that’s located in the Healdsburg Regional Library (139 Piper Street). Funded in part by the local wine industry, the library provides business, technical, historical and consumer information on wine. Its collections comprise more than 5,000 books and subscriptions to some 80 periodicals as well as maps, photographs, labels, clippings and extensive current and historic wine information files. Visit Sonoma County Wine Library for more information on the Wine Library, or visit winefiles.org to access it’s one-of-a-kind online database.
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