A Salute To Mother’s Day – Female Winemakers

By TOM MARQUARDT and PATRICK DARR  

There was once a time in our wine-writing career when women winemakers were rare. Especially in Europe, men dominated the winemaking and grape growing field. Men eventually conceded that they had no special talent that made them better winemakers – in fact, women often have a better sense of smell and taste. Today, women are leading some of the best and most respected wine producers across the globe. As we approach Mother’s Day, let’s pay tribute to all the women who broke the glass ceiling.

Where to start? Barbe Nicole Ponsardin Clicquot is a good place. When Francois Clicquot died in 1805, she had to take over the reins of this famous champagne house at age 27.  Not one to stand still, she created the first known vintage champagne and a couple of years later she produced the first-known blended rose champagne. Today, Veuve Clicquot is one of the most enduring, popular champagnes. “Veuve” means widow in French.

Madame Clicquot was not the only wife to assume control after her husband died in the 19^th century.  Louise Pommery did in 1874 and Mathide Emile Laurent-Perrier did it in 1887.

You probably have not heard of Hannah Weinberger, but she is the first female winemaker to be recognized in California after her husband died in 1882. Alas, the Napa Valley winery closed in 1920 because of Prohibition.

Women have worked hard to transcend the gender obstacles of winemaking. Among American pioneering women are Heidi Barrett, Zelma Long, Gina Gallo and Helen Turley.

More recently, there were Cathy Corison of Corison Winery, Anne Moller-Racke of Donum, Eileen Crane of Domaine Carneros, Genevieve Janssen of Robert Mondavi Winery, Kathleen Inman of Inman Family Wines, Kathryn Hall of Hall Wines, Kimberlee Nicholls of Markham Vineyards, Kim Stare Wallace of Dry Creek Vineyard, Judy Pedroncelli St. John of Pedroncelli Winery and Judy Jordan of Jordan Winery.

There are so many other female winemakers to mention, but still, they represent only 14 percent of the winemaking workforce in the U.S.

Here are some wines to consider for that Mother’s Day celebration:

Inman Family Wines OGV Estate Brut Rose 2023 ($80). Kathleen Inman puts a lot of work and love into her wines. This pinot noir from the family’s Olivet Grange Vineyard is stunning.

J Vineyards Brut Rose ($50).  Estate Director Nicole Hitchcock is at the helm of this producer’s array of sparkling wines from the Russian River Valley. Lots of raspberry and citrus notes.

Madame de Beaucaillou 2021 ($26). Women have played a role through the history of the Bordeaux estate of Ducru-Beaucaillou. This second wine of the St. Julien estate is a tribute to them. It is a blend of merlot noir, cabernet sauvignon and petit verdot. It’s a good bottle to honor the matriarchs in your life.

Champagne Veuve Cliquot Brut Yellow Label ($60). Easy to find nowadays for a lot less money, this steady and reliable champagne is the signature wine of the house. Made mostly from pinot noir grapes, it is fresh and silky.

Dry Creek Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc 2023 ($25).  Kim Stare Wallace continues to carry on the family name with this classic sauvignon blanc from Dry Creek Valley. Nice melon and peach flavors.

Anaba Petaluma Gap Pinot Noir 2021 ($74). Sourcing grapes from the Sangiacomo Roberts Road Vineyard, winemaker Katy Wilson has crafted a well-balanced and complex pinot noir. Bright raspberry aromas with red fruit flavors, long finish and a dash of spice.

Centennial Mountain

The founders of Rhys Vineyards have created a new line of wines focused on Italian grape varieties hard to find in California. These exciting wines, made from grapes rarely grown in California, have the same stroke of excellence that accompanies the fabulous terroir-driven Rhys wines.

The team worked with Italian agronomists and winemakers before planting vines in 2013 atop a ridgeline on Centennial Mountain in northern Sonoma County.  They found the modest diurnal temperature swing is best for these grapes because cool days preserve freshness and complexity while warm nights balance acidity and sugar. This is particularly important to the health of carricante, nerello mascalese and nebbiolo grapes.

The vineyard contains 42 small blocks farmed organically.

In last week’s column, we raved about the Centennial Mountain Carricante. But we also were intrigued by the 2021 Centennial Mountain Nerello Mascalese ($59) that reminds us of a pinot noir or syrah. A little nerello cappuccio joins the nerello mascalese to create a softly textured, hedonistic wine with red fruit character and fine tannins.

The 2021 Centennial Mountain Nebbiolo ($79) had firmer tannins than we expected, making it a great match to beef and stews. A grape variety indigenous to Piedmont, it has found a new home in Sonoma County. It has floral, cherry aromas with concentrated dark cherry and dried herbal flavors. Excellent balance. This is better than many Italian nebbiolos.

As some grapes struggle to adopt to warmer temperatures, it is intriguing to watch how emerging projects like this perform.  So far, these new wines are incredible.

Wine picks

Avivo Red Wine Lodi 2021 ($24). We couldn’t determine the grapes that make up this wine. However, we certainly enjoyed tasting it.  Sourced from biodynamically farmed vineyards, the wine exhibited bright cherry and berry and oak notes. No added sugars, concentrates or artificial colors. Only 115 calories per 5-ounce serving.

Argento Estate Malbec Cabernet Franc Mendoza Agrelo Vineyard 2020 ($40). This 70/30 blend of malbec and cabernet franc makes a case for cabernet franc as the number two red grape from Argentina behind malbec. Savory plum, cherry and berry notes are surrounded by spicy soft tannins. Delicious!