Bibiana & Jeff: All In the Family

Bibiana González Rave and husband Jeff Pisoni are the embodiment of keeping it all in the family. Jeff is a 4th generation farmer in the Salinas Valley. His family grew vegetables, but it was his father Gary, who first planted grapevines in 1982. Gary planted 5 acres that he hand-irrigated. Literally. He drove water up the mountain in his truck for the vines. Jeff now tends to vines in both the Santa Lucia Highlands and Monterey.

Bibiana grew up in Medellin, Columbia and at 14 decided she wanted to make wine. She lived six years in France (Bordeaux and Burgundy) where she worked her first harvests and earned a degree in Enology from the University of Bordeaux. She considers herself a French-trained winemaker with more of a vineyard focus. Jeff handles all of the estate fruit and Bibiana buys all the sourced fruit. All in the family. They have two children, ages two and four and between the two of them, they manage/oversee six different labels/brands.

République hosted us at a press luncheon in March where we tried wines from each of their brands. Below is a brief descriptor of each brand, including my standout wine.

Why am I sharing this story and this family with you? Because I believe there is a level of integrity and authenticity that comes from wine crafted by a family. Crafted by real people with real skin in the game. Bibiana and Jeff have a portfolio of California wines that you should feel good about purchasing. You are supporting a real family, real people, and real dreams.

Cattleya Wines
Started in 2011, Cattleya Wines are terroir driven, small production wines. Cattleya is a type of orchid, the native flower of Columbia, found in the rainforest.

2014 Cattleya Cuvée Number Five Russian River Chardonnay $50 (current vintage 2017)
I find this wine super-duper pleasing. Very primary plus creamy malo notes and an elegant minerality. Ripe, juicy, and yummy. 

Alma de Cattleya
Alma means soul in Spanish. These wines are produced from Napa and Sonoma Vineyards and represent the purity of each varietal from their specific appellation areas. Wine Enthusiast calls Alma de Cattleya Wines “a great taste of the freshness of Sonoma without the sticker shock”.

2018 Alma de Cattleya Sauvignon Blanc $20
A Sauvignon Blanc that is the perfect balance of CA style and NZ style. I get everything from citrus fruit to tropical fruit plus some grassy/green notes. This wine is made from Mostly Russian River fruit. 1000 case total production. 

Shared Notes
This is the collaboration between Bibiana and Jeff. In their 6th vintage, these wines are
inspired by the traditional Sauvignon Blanc wines from France.

2017 Shared Notes Les Leçons des Maîtres $65 (current vintage 2018)
A blend of Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon inspired by Bordeaux. Whole cluster fruit and a wine made in a reductive style showcasing both rocks (minerality) and fruit. Served in magnum. This wine is unfined and unfiltered. 

Pisoni Estate
Was first planted by Gary Pisoni (Jeff’s dad) in 1982. Pisoni Vineyards consist of small vineyard blocks at 1300 ft altitude with wines made by Jeff. Pisoni makes only one Chardonnay and one Pinot Noir every year.

2017 Pisoni Estate Pinot Noir (allocation only)
Really polished. Not much else to say except that this is a stellar wine. 

Lucia Wines
A collection of wines from the three vineyards farmed by the Pisoni family. These are limited production wines that afford the Pisoni family complete control of the farming and winemaking process, ensuring consistently superior quality.

2017 Lucia Chardonnay (Santa Lucia Highlands)
Fruit from the Soberanes, Gary's, and Pisoni Vineyards. This wine is barrel aged and was the creamiest Chardonnay of the bunch, but in a GOOD way.

Lucy
The charismatic younger sister of Lucia Wines. A limited production rosé produced annually with $1/bottle donated to breast cancer research.

2018 Lucy Rosé of Pinot Noir (allocation only)
100% estate fruit. A stellar rosé. 

And I'd be remiss if I did not mention Margarita's baguette and Normandy butter that was served to us at République. Normandy butter is most certainly liquid gold. The best butter I have ever tasted. 

Titus Vineyards: 50 Years in Napa

In 1968, Titus Vineyards was born with the purchase of their property. They have farmed this land continually since 1969, which gives them 50 years in Napa Valley. Today, Titus Vineyards remains family owned. The property consists of a 50-acre vineyard, winery, and tasting room at the base of Howell Mountain in the St. Helena AVA, near Calistoga. I had the pleasure of lunching with Eric Titus who shared with us their current releases as well as some treats from their library.

In the vineyard, they prefer a “light touch”, including no mechanization. Stephen Cruzan has been their winemaker since 2015, which is the year their onsite winery was completed. Before that, Philip, Eric’s brother, headed up winemaking at a custom crush facility. Philip now makes wine at Chappellet, but he is still involved with Titus. They built the winery to be able to be more nimble, reactive, and agile and so that they could make decisions with more flexibility. They are now holding at 14,000-15,000 cases annually.

I asked the question: what is next for Titus? What do the next 50 years bring? Eric’s response is that they always like to keep their options open. This could mean the next generation of the Titus family taking over. Or perhaps, maybe there is a sale in their future? Only time will tell.

Titus Wines Tasted:

2016 Andronicus Red Wine $32
Andronicus is Eric and Philip’s ode to the blend. This wine is predominantly Cabernet Sauvignon (66%) with some Merlot, Malbec, Cabernet Franc, and Petit Verdot. A classic Bordeaux blend. A generous red that is both hyper balanced and precise with a combination of red and black fruit, spicebox, vanilla, and smoke. 

2016 Cabernet Sauvignon $57
A youthful purple color. A balanced wine with well-integrated tannins. I want this wine on a Friday night: in front of the fire, cozying on the couch with my husband, my dog, and a cushy blanket.

2016 Zinfandel $37
An unabashed Zin, not afraid of its raisin quality. Juicy red fruit plus prunes on the nose.

2016 Cabernet Franc $54
A beautiful, ethereal wine. Underbrush and graphite on the nose. Licorice on the back palate. 

2017 Sauvignon Blanc $28
Small production with only 1,000 cases. A splash of Viognier softens this wine and helps knit the fruit together. A totally different perspective on Sauvignon Blanc. The acidity and greenness are in check. In fact, this wine is all tangerine, all the time.

2006 Cabernet Sauvignon $177
Red, black, and blue fruit on both the nose, and the palate. A bit of heat on the nose. Good tannic structure plus licorice/anise on the back palate. 

2010 Cabernet Sauvignon $137
Chocolate and cocoa on the nose. Even more of a tannic structure than the ‘06. 

2012 Petit Verdot
This wine screams that it wants a pork tenderloin to go with it! The predominant fruit here is blueberries. A basket of tiny, ripe blueberries. 

2009 Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve
A deep purple core with a watery rim. SO much fruit still here for being a 10 year old wine. 

2012 Lot 1 Red Wine $129
A blend of Malbec, Petit Sirah, Petit Verdot, and Zinfandel. A big ‘ol wine with lots ‘o tannins. This is the biggest, and juiciest of the bunch. According to Eric, this wine is about hedonism.