Spottswoode Announces New Winemaker
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Beth Novak Milliken, President,
beth@spottswoode.com ,
707/963-0134 x16,
www.spottswoode.com
Downloadable photos available upon request
Spottswoode Estate Cultivates Sustainability
In the Vineyard and the Business
October, 2006, ST. HELENA, CALIFORNIA. Spottswoode Estate Vineyard & Winery is excited to announce a long-planned transition in its winemaking. Starting with the 2006 harvest, Winemaker Rosemary Cakebread has assumed the role of Consulting Winemaker, while Jennifer Williams, formerly Spottswoode's Associate Winemaker and Vineyard Manager, has become Winemaker and Vineyard Manager.
As a small, family-owned, organically-farmed estate, Spottswoode applies the precepts of sustainability to all aspects of its business. “Our estate planning is similar to our vineyard planting,” explains Beth Novak Milliken, President of Spottswoode. “Both involve long-term consideration with an eye for continued, sustainable quality. Rosemary and I have been planning our winemaking transition together for many years. Jennifer worked with us as a harvest intern in 2002. Immediately recognizing her talent and enthusiasm, we asked her to work with us full time in 2003 to assist Rosemary in the management of the vineyard and in the making of the wines. She has had the benefit of working alongside Rosemary for four years now, and has proven herself in both the vineyard and the winery. 2006 will be Jennifer's fifth vintage working with us, and she is poised to continue crafting wines in the Spottswoode tradition.”
Rosemary joined Spottswoode in 1997 and has earned a reputation for making wines of elegance which honor their grape origins. In addition to winemaking, Rosemary worked closely with Beth in designing the new estate winery in St. Helena, and she was instrumental in bringing vineyard management in-house. “It has been gratifying to mentor several young winemakers during my tenure at Spottswoode Estate Vineyard & Winery, and I am delighted to be entrusting the care of the Spottswoode wines into Jennifer's capable hands.” remarks Rosemary.
Jennifer joined Spottswoode after graduating from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo with a degree in Agricultural Sciences and working in wineries in Napa Valley, the Central Coast and Spain's Rioja Alavesa region. She is passionate about organic viticulture and will continue Spottswoode's mission to farm sustainably and to produce wines which reflect the Estate's terroir. “Working at Spottswoode for the past four vintages has given me the chance to grow into the vineyard—to understand what is going on in the field and how it affects the wine,” says Jennifer. “We're constantly making improvements to the vineyard and we don't expect to see the results of our labor in one growing season. For this reason and others, I feel fortunate that Rosemary will continue to work with Spottswoode as Consulting Winemaker—she will be an invaluable, ongoing resource for me.”
Spottswoode is also announcing a long-planned update to its wine label, beginning with its 2006 releases – the 2003 Cabernet Sauvignon and 2005 Sauvignon Blanc. “Our goal was to retain the classic look and feel of our original label, which was designed by Chuck House and which we have always loved, and bring to it a greater sense of elegance and grace. We were able to achieve this with the help of Madeleine Corson, and we are pleased that our new label honors our original label and the history of our winegrowing estate,” explains Beth Novak Milliken. The new label retains a drawing by Otto Hesemeyer depicting the Victorian home which graces the entrance to the 46-acre estate. Commissioned in 1974 by Mary Novak and her late husband, Jack, with the idea of using it on a wine label (Jack died before this dream was realized), the original print has a place of honor in the winery office. The beautiful, historic home was built in 1882, and Mary Novak continues to live in this house, where she raised her family of five.
Beth's mother and the founder of Spottswoode, Mary Novak, believes sustainability, as well as the ability to gracefully evolve and innovate, is an essential part of the Estate's history and future. As Mary says, “Spottswoode has a tradition of honoring its vineyard and staying true to its heritage, while sensitively and thoughtfully incorporating change and allowing for personal and professional growth. The history of Spottswoode is quite unique in this regard.”
In yet other news, on September 23, Spottswoode hosted the 7th Annual Tree of Life fundraiser for Acorn Soupe, a Napa organization which connects children and the community to nature through hands-on education. The gala raised $206,000 from the auction and dinner event. For more information, visit www.acornsoupe.org or contact info@acornsoupe.org.
Winemaker Jennifer Williams reports on this year's harvest: “As of October 5, the last of our Sauvignon Blanc has just come in- exactly one month from the start of our Cabernet Sauvignon harvest. This year's fruit is sweet and flavorful and I am impressed by the diversity of the individual lots we have available to craft our final blend. This year's weather has been strange and mysterious- starting with the floods of winter, the cool snowy spring and the sweltering heat of July. Fortunately, late September and early October have been temperate- providing calm weather for even ripening and then harvesting of our Cabernet.”
A B O U T S P O T T S W O O D E
Spottswoode is a small family-owned vineyard and winery estate located in the heart of the St. Helena appellation in Napa Valley. Its 46 acres include the estate vineyard and adjoining historic estate winery and Victorian home depicted on the label. Farming organically since 1985 and certified by the California Certified Organic Farmers (CCOF) since 1990, the Novak family is committed to honoring the legacy of its pre-Prohibition era estate through careful preservation of the land and its landmark historic buildings, which grace the western edge of the small town of St. Helena. In 1999, the winery received an award of merit from Napa County Landmarks Association for “an exemplary new winery in an historic setting.”
Spottswoode produces limited quantities of only three wines on an annual basis – current releases include the 2003 Spottswoode Estate Cabernet Sauvignon, 2005 Spottswoode Sauvignon Blanc and the recently-introduced Lyndenhurst Cabernet Sauvignon, produced from the young vines on the estate. The 2003 Lyndenhurst Cabernet will be offered exclusively to its mailing list customers on October 1, 2006. Spottswoode also produces a small amount of estate olive oil from the organically-farmed Manzanillo olive trees which border its vineyard. The name Spottswoode comes from the Spotts family, who owned the estate from 1910 to 1971.
In other news, Spottswoode has just concluded a restoration of Spring Creek, which defines the southern boundary of the estate. This effort spanned seven years and involved all of the winery's neighbors. The winery will be launching a redesigned website in the fall of 2006, and it will also be celebrating its 125th Anniversary in 2007, to honor the 1882 establishment of the estate. Events across the country will include an open house at the winery in the summer for winery customers. The winery welcomes wine enthusiasts to join its mailing list by stopping by www.spottswoode.com .
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