After lunch at Bouchon, I jumped in the car and headed South from Yountville down to Carneros. I was due to meet Tom Fotinos at Domaine Carneros...the Taittinger Champagne house's California operation. It's quite an interesting story how this meeting came about. One of my co-workers, Karine, was looking for a particular bottle at the NSLC in Tantallon, and ran into another lady who was looking for the same wine. (we are always trying new wines, and not just wines we carry.) This lady was Leesa Fotinos.The two got to chatting, and Karine mentioned she worked for a private wine store in Halifax, etc. etc. Leesa mentioned that her husbands family had a winery in Napa, and how great would it be if the wine could be sold here in NS? (She is from here originally and went to Dal). She had a bottle of their two wines, a Pinot Noir and a Cabernet, and would we (Bishop's) be interested in tasting them, and perhaps bringing them in? Both wines were fabulous, and we decided on the Pinot, and have four cases coming in. I had somehow missed meeting Lisa, and tasting the wine, so when I knew I was going to California I sent her an email asking if I could visit the winery. She and her husband Chris live in LA, but Tom, and his family are in Napa....she said he would be happy to show me around! Since 1973 the Fotinos have been growing and selling Pinot Noir to wineries such as Mondavi, Charles Krug, Sterling, Acacia, Saintsbury, Mumm Napa and Domaine Carneros.
After meeting in the parking lot (Tom drove up in a 1930's model A) we went in the back door and into the barrel room. Row upon row of French Oak barrels were stacked from floor to ceiling!
We had
barrel samples of the Cab and Pinot. The 2006 Pinot was released in Sept of 2008, and the '06 Cab is due for release in a month or two. We drove about 3km and Tom took me to the vineyard. The Pinot we are getting comes form an 11 acre plot in the heart of Caneros with a unique micro-climate all of it's own. 
barrel samples of the Cab and Pinot. The 2006 Pinot was released in Sept of 2008, and the '06 Cab is due for release in a month or two. We drove about 3km and Tom took me to the vineyard. The Pinot we are getting comes form an 11 acre plot in the heart of Caneros with a unique micro-climate all of it's own. 
Tom is a fourth generation winemaker. He demonstrated how the vines are trained and pruned.
It was truly amazing to see the land and meet the winemaker and taste the wine in the barrel! We will have quite a story to tell in selling this wine. I am so glad Karine met Leesa, and that we are able to bring in this product. It makes SUCH a difference when you meet the people, and see how great they are, and their passion for producing an exceptional product. We are pleased to be working with Fotinos Brothers, and look forward to our first shipment! http://www.fotinosbrotherswinery.com/
I'm impressed! -That's not easy to do.
ReplyDeleteI had a great meeting with Lisa Fotinos while she was in Halifax last year. She was kind enough to give up her time and bottle of 2006 Carneros Pinot Noir (that had not yet been released and was intended to be a gift to a family member). The Pinot Noir showed very well, despite it still being young - it had a great nose, ample fruit (without being jammy), spice and lots of structure. I had thought an order would have been placed at that point..... alas, I've come to learn it's not always that easy to get what you want (even if you work in the biz). Anyway, I'm glad that some progress has been made and that we'll eventually see these wines here in Halifax.
ReplyDeleteThe MW who tasted the 2006 Pinot in the fall, gave it a score of 96!
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