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MAY 13-16, 2021

EVENTS

ALL

Immersion: Vineyard Exploration + Tasting

PRESENTED BY AMERICAN AGCREDIT

BENNETT VALLEY SINGLE VINEYARD DESIGNATES

LOCATION: COURSEY GRAVES VINEYARD
Friday, May 15, 2020
2:00 – 4:00 PM

The complex interplay of topography, varying microclimates and a marine layer, and idyllic volcanic soils of Bennett Valley provide ideal conditions for growing premium winegrapes such as Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Noir and Syrah. A unique occurrence is that varietals like these, and more, thrive within such close proximity of one another, a true testament to the remarkable terroir of the Bennett Valley appellation.

FEATURING WINES FROM: Bennett Valley Cellars, Coursey Graves, MacLaren, Talisman Wine, and Troika Wines.

$125

RESERVE NOW →

The Setting

Coursey Graves

Nestled on the top of the rural Bennett Mountain, this unique place sits one thousand feet above sea level which results in cooler daytime and warmer nighttime temperatures. It lends itself to low yields and beautifully expressive flavors and multi-dimensional wines. This Bennett Valley vineyard is planted to eighteen planted acres of Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, Merlot, Petit Verdot, and Syrah on ancient, volcanic soil.

Featured Panelists

Cabell Coursey

Founder
COURSEY GRAVES

Cabell Coursey’s obsession with winemaking began with a harvest in Burgundy while he was enjoying an undergraduate semester abroad. After finishing his B.S., Cabell spent a few vintages picking grapes and scrubbing floors in Burgundy, and then moved up to Oregon’s Willamette Valley. Following his time in Oregon, Cabell traveled to Christchurch, New Zealand, where earned degrees in Enology and Viticulture from Lincoln University where he focused on cool climate viticulture. Cabell’s approach to winemaking is to use his senses in conjunction with his knowledge in biology, chemistry, and farming.

Cabell describes his philosophy:
“Winemaking is the culmination of a vast number of decisions. Starting with the site, the farming practice, the response to weather conditions, the picking date, the tank and barrel programs, ferment protocols, and continuing through blending and bottling. It is the daily decisions, actions, and sometimes lack of action that unlocks a vineyard’s highest potential. This quest to reveal each vineyards unique personality, while dealing with the challenges inherent in farming, is what makes winemaking challenging, interesting, and highly rewarding. My goal is always the same, to deliver each vineyard’s best expression in each vintage and to make a wine where the last glass is better than the first.”

Coursey Graves is a collaboration between John Graves, a Minneapolis tech entrepreneur, and Cabell Coursey an established Sonoma County Winemaker. The relationship began when Graves acquired the Bennett Valley Winery where Cabell was making wine. Aligned with the belief that great wines aren’t dictated by specific zip codes. Coursey Graves’s mission is to grow transcendent fruit and make original wines from the lesser known mountainsides of Napa and Sonoma.

Cabell Coursey

HOST

Coursey Graves

More Info →

Marta & Scott Rich

Proprietors
TALISMAN WINE

Scott Rich, founder of Talisman Cellars, had his first exposure to winemaking at age 6 in the home of Greek friends who made wine in their Salt Lake City basement each year. He attended graduate school in the enology program at U.C. Davis and has worked as a research enologist for both RH Phillips and Robert Mondavi. He has been winemaker at Mont St. John, Carneros Creek, and Etude, where he made highly-acclaimed Pinot Noir and Cabernet. Currently, Scott’s time and energy are spent as winemaker/owner of Talisman, as well as winemaker for Moraga Vineyards in Bel Air, California. Moraga produces sought-after Cabernet Sauvignon and Sauvignon Blanc.

Marta Rich actually has no memory of life without wine. Her father made wine in their Minnesota basement, using virtually any form of grapes or juice he could get. Yearning for warmer climes and more interesting terrain, Marta fled for the University of Colorado at Boulder, where she earned her degree in Psychology. After taking up residence in Napa Valley, Marta began an 18-year stint at Robert Mondavi. She worked her way up the ladder, first scheduling grapes during harvest and eventually running Robert Mondavi’s Northern California sales team. She was well-prepared for both of her current jobs, Director of Sales for Calera Wine Company, one of California’s Pinot Noir pioneers, and Director of Sales & Marketing for Talisman Wines.

Together, they happily zip around in their travels, spreading the gospel of wine to anyone who will listen. Quality, artistry, and promoting pleasure are their key objectives. In their spare time, they ski and play in the outdoors.

Marta & Scott Rich

Talisman Wine

More Info →

Jeff Riggs

Owner
Troika Wines

In 2009, Noël and I started to visit Napa Valley as often as we could. Visiting wineries, tasting wines, and enjoying the culture of the Valley, we appreciated the area so much that in 2011 we became members of the Napa community. After immersing ourselves in the wine culture and discussing the different paths we could choose to be involved in this life-style, our passion for wine led the way; we wanted to make a wine that we would be proud to call our own. The decision was made and our journey began, in 2013 we started to make our dream a reality.

I spent my early summers at my Grandparents’ farms and apple orchards in the Okanagan Valley in the State of Washington. Every summer, my responsibilities grew in the orchards, from changing the water lines to thinning apples and finally the harvest. It was a different time then, where families were expected to be a part of the operation to insure a successful harvest. It’s been 45 years since I left the farm, but it never left me.

In early 1972, my family moved to the Almaden Valley, from our house we could see the Almaden Vineyards on Blossom Hill Road. Each day I would take a shortcut through the vineyards on my way to school, watching the vines do their magic. This early exposure to the wine culture has had the same impact on me as my earlier experience in the apple orchards. I watched as the orchards and vineyards gave way to homes and shopping centers. It was disappointing to me, losing the farms and orchards. Well, Napa has given it all back to me, I’m home.

Noël’s early life was spent in Colorado, where she spent time with her brothers enjoying all that the Rockies make available. Being exposed to such a strikingly beautiful wilderness had its impact on Noël. Being free to roam has been her way, she has raised our children to be the same, free spirits.

A couple of years ago I left a thirty-year career in the corporate world. Noël and I needed the change, to become “simple” again. We want our children and grandchildren to have the opportunity to experience the life we did growing up, together, to strive for the dream of a family owned and operated label that provides the love and care to make fine wines. We are Troika Wines.

Jeff Riggs

Troika Wines

More Info →

Luca Zanin

Proprietor
BENNETT VALLEY CELLARS

Luca Zanin was born in Flushing New York in 1970. Following college, he joined his father to start a career in the food ingredient business by forming their own company, ATP. As a key supplier of ingredients to the wine industry, it was at ATP that Luca’s passion for wine started to emerge. Following his father’s lead, he soon started to seek his own vineyard property in the Bennett Valley. After much evaluation, he purchased his estate that he renamed “Simpatico Ranch”, the producer of Bennett Valley’s first limited release and award winning 2010 Chardonnay.

Today, Luca and his wife Elizabeth live with their three children, Giovanni, Francesca, and Matteo on “Simpatico Ranch”. They spend a great deal of their time working and playing in the vineyards, showing their children good stewardship of their land in the hopes that the next generation will carry on with their deep rooted relationship for growing grapes and making fine wines.

Contact Us
About
Events
Plan Your Trip
Reserve Now
Partners
Press

EVENTS

Immersion: Vineyard Exploration + Tasting

PRESENTED BY AMERICAN AGCREDIT

BENNETT VALLEY SINGLE VINEYARD DESIGNATES

$125

The Setting

Coursey Graves

Featured Panelists

Cabell Coursey

Cabell Coursey

HOST

Marta & Scott Rich

Marta & Scott Rich

Jeff Riggs

Jeff Riggs

Luca Zanin

Luca Zanin

Jon Keyes

Toni Stockhausen

Steve Law

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