Tasting
After the forum concludes, join a group of women winemakers who have donated their time and wine for a special, private tasting where guests may continue the conversation started at Bâtonnage. Thank you to the host winemakers!
Inconnu
A one-woman project with great dedication to making low intervention wines from ethically farmed grapes. These wines are meant to be enjoyed every day — not just on special occasions. We are inspired by the French tradition of vin de soif, or "wine of thirst." Our wines are pleasurable and light, but still express great care and devotion to craft. www.inconnuwine.com
ovum
Established in 2011 by Ksenija and John House, Ovum was founded in hopes of producing Oregon white wines that are honest reflections of time and place. Their low intervention production method is a commitment to letting the vintage and vineyard shine, not the vintner. Fruit comes first - Ovum’s top priority is finding farmers that share our beliefs, and then getting out of the way so their hard work can be tasted. www.ovumwines.com
L.A. Lepiane Wines
L.A. Lepiane Wines was established in 2013 with the simple goal of crafting vibrant, exciting, balanced wines made by my own two hands. The name of my project is a nod to my great grandfather, Luigi A. Lepiane, who came from Piane Crati in Calabria, Italy with a dream of making a successful life for his family in the New Country. He settled in Hollister, California, where he established a grocery store and his own winery, L.A. Lepiane. www.lepianewines.com
Gallica
Nestled in the heart of Napa Valley amongst historic vineyards, coastal oaks, their gardens and olives. Heritage Petite Sirah and Cabernet Sauvignon are rooted in gravelly Cortina soils ambling off nearby Sulphur Creek. Gallica strives to practice lightly touching the land from the tending of their vines, thoughtful winemaking methods, to the simplicity of our packaging. The philosophy is a simple one: to craft elegant single vineyard wines which accurately depict the site and the story of each unique vintage. www.gallicawine.com
Tiberio
Tiberio is a family owned estate, specializing in wines made from authentic Abruzzo native grape varieties. The story of Agricola Tiberio rings more like a new world tale than one from the old world of the ancient lands beneath the Majella and Gran Sasso mountains in Abruzzo. At 350 meters above sea level, twenty-three miles inland from the seaside city of Pescara, near the lovely medieval hillside town of Cugnoli, Riccardo Tiberio found a very old plot of Trebbiano Abruzzese vines, which, despite the variety’s name, is a rarity in Abruzzo. www.tiberio.it
Jaimee Motley Wines
Jaimee Motley focused on building her education in the wine by working in both northern and southern hemispheres in the cellar and vineyard. In 2015, she accepted an assistant winemaker position at Wind Gap/Pax Wine Cellars. The owners of Wind Gap/Pax Wine Cellars, Pax and Pam Mahle, have created a space at their winery for small brands like hers to blossom. She considers herself fortunate to be surrounded by an incredible winemaking community that is inspiring and supportive, all of which has led her to create Jaimee Motley Wines. www.jaimeemotleywines.com
Martha Stoumen Wines
Stoumen choose to work with sun-loving grapes: either those historic to California Viticulture, or those that flourish and maintain elegance in California's warmth, such as Carignan, Zinfandel, and Nero d'Avola. I utilize natural, traditional winemaking practices I learned while apprenticing in Italy and Southern France. And most importantly, to truly respect my Californian roots, I ensure my vineyards are farmed in such a way that healthy ecosystems are created and maintained. www.marthastoumen.com
poe wines
Samantha Sheehan founded POE in 2009 after being inspired by the wines she tasted in Burgundy and Champagne. The goal is not to replicate Burgundy, but rather create alluring, vineyard specific, age-worthy wines revealing the beautiful terroir of California. There is minimal intervention, judicious use of sulfur, and never any additives. POE produces traditional Champagne method sparkling wines, rosé, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and a nouveau from Pinot Noir. Each wine is made in very limited quantities, and sold directly from the winery and to high-end restaurants around the country. www.poewines.com
Raft Wines
The winemaking bug bit in the spring of 2011, and that autumn I completed my first harvest in Sonoma County, California. Over the next few years, I completed six additional harvests, to the Sonoma Coast, down to Chile, back to Sonoma Coast, down to Australia, and back again. Harvest number eight brought in a new meaning, as I get to craft a wine of my own, to share with my friends, family, and community.
Cattleya
By the end of 2011, after many harvests perfecting the craft of making wine, I set upon my own adventure—a label known today as CATTLEYA WINES. Meanwhile, I became a viticulturist and winemaker consultant; focus on vineyard optimization to produce exceptional wines from Sonoma and Napa Valley.
Ryme Cellars
Ryme is a collaboration of husband and wife with old world sensibilities as well as admiration for California’s terroir and sunny disposition. Our portfolio of wines has grown gradually and organically since 2007, beginning with a single ton of Aglianico. The varieties may be rare or unusual but none of them are a mere curiosity for us. Rather, they represent wines that we love, drink often, and truly believe in the potential for success in their chosen sites. www.rymecellars.com
Lagier Meredith Vineyard
Steve Lagier knows firsthand about vins de garage, having made wine in several garages and carports. He’s been making wine since 1980, first with friends and later at Robert Mondavi Winery in the Napa Valley. Carole Meredith left her day job in 2003. For 22 years she was a professor in the Department of Viticulture and Enology at the University of California at Davis. In addition to teaching courses, she conducted research in grape genetics. Her research group used DNA typing methods to discover the origins of some of the greatest old wine varieties, including Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Syrah, and most recently Zinfandel. www.lagiermeredith.com
Margins Wine
Margins Wine is a small winemaking project of Megan Bell, a winemaker living and working in the Santa Cruz Mountains. Margins Wine produces low-intervention wines using grapes from underrepresented regions, vineyards, and varietals. Prior to settling on the central coast of California, Megan received her BS in Viticulture and Enology from UC Davis and apprenticed in wineries and vineyards in Napa, the Livermore Valley, the Willamette Valley, Central Otago (NZ), and the Loire Valley (France). www.marginswine.com
Champagne Lelarge-Pugeot
Champagne Lelarge-Pugeot is a family domaine who has been around since 1789. The family organically and biodynamically farms 8.7 hectares in Vrigny, in the Montagne de Reims in Champagne. Clémence moved to Sonoma County, four years ago after falling in love with the region. She now represents the family domaine in the world. Their Premier Crus Champagnes, primarily made of Meunier, are produced from soil to bottle with indigenous yeast, minimal intervention and low sulfur. www.champagnelelarge-pugeot.com
a tribute to grace
The name of my wine is A Tribute to Grace. Grace was my Grandmother, one of the most incredible woman I have ever had the pleasure of knowing. She lived her name truly: grace is also my favorite attribute. And Grenache, to me, is the most graceful of all grapes. I make wine from one grape: Grenache. I make it the old way. And I use only my feet to tread the clusters, every day, twice a day throughout fermentation.
onward + farmstrong
As refreshing as the Pétillant Naturel she makes of Malvasia Bianca, many of the words used to describe Faith Armstrong’s wine could be used to describe the winemaker herself. Honest, vibrant, unfiltered, true to her origins, bright, complex. Purchasing her first grapes in 2009 from a Mendocino grower whose practices she admired, Faith launched her own brand. The name and the label represent the essential philosophy of Faith’s winemaking. Passion. Care. Connection. Respect for the environment and the grape’s essence... its heart. This is Onward Wine, and Faith is at the helm. www.onwardwines.com
Keplinger
Keplinger is a boutique husband and wife project focused on single-vineyard wines from compelling sites in Napa, Sonoma, and the Sierra Foothills. Helen started the wine label with Rhone varietals after making wine in Priorat, Spain for three years. Working with both young and old vine Grenache on llicorella soil in a variety of microclimates was a quick and deep study in the beauty of terroir – this experience, and many years of apprenticeship with brilliant and talented mentors and making wine in Napa Valley have greatly informed her winemaking philosophy and practices. With traditional methods in the winery - native yeasts, low-sulfur aging and bottling, no fining or filtration – these wines are made to be the purest expression of site and vintage possible. www.keplingerwines.com