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Michael Silacci, Winemaker at Opus One

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Michael Silacci, Winemaker at Opus One V I K L L A E O W S I R N E E G R O W INTERNATIONAL CABERNET Symposium June 28 – July 2, 2010 V I K L L A E O INTERNATIONAL CABERNET W S I R N E E G W Symposiumm R O 2010 Intro It is with great pleasure that we welcome you to the International Cabernet Symposium. Many people have made the observation that no organization or symposium has existed to provide for the exchange of viticultural and enological information among the Cabernet Sauvignon producers of the world. In today’s changing and challenging world, the greatest error that we can make is to assume that there is no need to share information. In fact today, more than ever, we must work together to share ideas and best practices. Th e International Cabernet Symposium has been designed to provide an intimate environment where viticulturists and winemakers can present their work and discuss their styles and philosophies. We are extremely appreciative of all those who have agreed to participate on a panel, make presentations, or host us at their wineries. However, the audience is equally essential to the success of the symposium. We encourage you to actively participate throughout the entire program – asking questions and presenting your ideas, philosophies and wines. We hope that you will appreciate the program and feel at the end of the week that the symposium has met your expectations. We thank you for your support and participation in this fl edgling initiative. David Pearson President Oakville Winegrowers Association V I K L L A E O INTERNATIONAL CABERNET W S I R N E E G W Symposiumm R O 2010 Program Agenda Monday, June 28 5:30 pm – 6:30 pm Welcome Reception for International Participants and Oakville Winegrowers at the Villagio Hotel in Yountville Tuesday, June 29 8:30 am Bus departs Villagio Hotel 9:00 am – 12:00 pm Robert Mondavi Winery – Technical Session I Geology, terroir and wine styles of Oakville Keynote Speaker: Karen MacNeil Geologist, EarthVision, Inc.: Jonathan Swinchatt 12:00 pm Bus departs Robert Mondavi Winery 12:15 pm – 3:30 pm Gargiulo Vineyards – Lunch, Tour and Tasting Expressions from two terroirs and one estate Owner: Jeff Gargiulo, Winemaker: Kristof Anderson 3:30 pm Bus departs Gargiulo Vineyards 3:45 pm – 5:30 pm Harlan Estate – Tour and Tasting Estate visit and terroir expression through aging Owner: Bill Harlan, General Manager: Don Weaver, Winemaker: Bob Levy 5:30 pm Bus returns to Villagio Hotel 7:15 pm Bus departs Villagio Hotel 7:30 pm – 10:00 pm Swanson Vineyards – American style BBQ celebration Owner: W. Clarke Swanson, Winemaker: Chris Phelps 10:00 pm Bus returns to Villagio Hotel Wednesday, June 30 8:30 am Bus departs Villagio Hotel 9:00 am – 12:00 pm Robert Mondavi Winery – Technical Session II Oakville Winegrowers – diff erent aspects of Oakville winemaking Moderator: Michael Silacci, Winemaker at Opus One Michael Weis, Groth Vineyards & Winery – Estate winemaking in Oakville Dirk Hampson, Far Niente – Assembling Cabernet Sauvignon wines Chris Phelps, Swanson Vineyards – Refl ections on new and Old World winemaking Andy Erickson, Screaming Eagle, Dalla Valle – A tale of two elevations International Panel – the interface between the vineyard and the cellar Paul Draper, Ridge Vineyards – Maximum attention – minimum intervention – Cabernet wine growing in the Santa Cruz Mountains Paul Pontallier, Château Margaux – Divine maturation: in pursuit of perfect ripeness Leonardo Raspini, Tenuta del Ornellaia – Infl uences of vineyard management on Cabernet Sauvignon wine composition Erick Tourbier, Château Mouton Rothschild – Rock, plant, eaux at Mouton 12:00 pm Bus departs Robert Mondavi Winery 12:15 pm – 3:30 pm Nickel & Nickel – Lunch, Tour and Tasting Taking vineyard designation to the extreme Owner: Larry Maguire, Director of Winemaking and Chairman: Dirk Hampson 3:30 pm Bus departs Nickel & Nickel 3:45 pm – 5:30 pm Opus One Winery – Tour and Tasting Viticulture and winemaking at Opus One: Th e fi ft h and the sixth sense CEO: David Pearson, Winemaker: Michael Silacci 5:30 pm Bus returns to Villagio Hotel 7:15 pm Bus departs Villagio Hotel 7:30 pm – 10:00 pm Intimate small group dinners at Oakville Wineries Dalla Valle Vineyards Groth Vineyards & Winery Kristine Ashe Vineyards Miner Family Vineyards 10:00 pm Bus returns to Villagio Hotel V I K L L A E O INTERNATIONAL CABERNET W S I R N E E G W Symposiumm R O 2010 Thursday, July 1 7:30 am Bus departs Villagio Hotel Visit to UC Davis Moderator: Michael Silacci, Winemaker at Opus One 8:45 am Foundation Plant Services (FPS) Continental Breakfast Dr. Deborah Golino, FPS Director – Tour of Facility and Foundation Vineyard 10:30 am Department of Viticulture and Enology at UC Davis 10:40 am Welcome and Overview of the Department by Dr. Andrew Waterhouse Wine Oxidation –Dr. Andrew Waterhouse, Professor of Enology, Department Chair, Marvin Sands Endowed Chair 11:15 am Elimination of Hydrogen Sulfi de Production in Saccharomyces Dr. Linda Bisson, Professor & Geneticist, Maynard A. Amerine Endowed Chair in Viticulture & Enology 11:45 am Research on Bordeaux Varieties: Contributions from the Oakville Station Dr. James Wolpert, Cooperative Extension Viticulture Specialist 12:15 pm Impact of Grapevine Stress on Grape and Wine Composition and Quality Dr. David Smart, Associate Professor and Associate Plant Physiologist 12:45 pm Th e Development of Disease and Pest Resistant Rootstock Dr. M. Andrew Walker, Professor & Geneticist Louis P. Martini Endowed Chair in Viticulture 1:15 pm Box Lunch 2:00 pm Tour of LEED Platinum Winery under construction & Teaching & Research Vineyard 3:00 pm Bus departs UC Davis 6:15 pm Bus departs Villagio Hotel 6:30 pm – 7:30 pm The Taste of Oakville at the Culinary Institute of America Th e winegrowers of Oakville present their wines at the Culinary Institute of America in Saint Helena 7:30 pm – 11:00 pm Gala Dinner at the Culinary Institute of America 11:00 pm Bus returns to Villagio Hotel Friday, July 2 9:00 am – 11:00 am Farewell Brunch at the Villagio Hotel Speakers Paul Draper Winemaker, chief executive officer, Ridge Vineyards Andy Erickson Winemaker, Screaming Eagle and Dalla Valle Vineyards Dirk Hampson Director of Winemaking and Chairman, Nickel & Nickel Karen MacNeil Wine Educator, Consultant and Writer Chris Phelps Winemaker, Swanson Vineyards & Winery Paul Pontallier General Manager, Château Margaux Leonardo Raspini General Manager and Agronomist, Tenuta dell’Ornellaia Michael Silacci Winemaker, Opus One Jonathan Swinchatt EarthVision, Inc. Erick Tourbier Technical Director, Château Mouton Rothschild Michael Weis Winemaker, Groth Vineyards & Winery V I K L L A E O W S I R N E E G R O W Speaker Paul Draper Winemaker, chief executive officer, Ridge Vineyards Paul Draper is chief executive offi cer and winemaker with Eric Baugher and John Olney at Ridge Vineyards. He grew up on an eighty-acre farm in the Chicago suburb of Barrington, Illinois. Aft er attending the Choate School in Wallingford, Connecticut, Paul received a degree in philosophy from Stanford University. He lived in northern Italy for several years, and spent a year studying at the Sorbonne in Paris. Paul traveled extensively in France, gaining practical experience in traditional winemaking. In the mid-sixties, with a close friend, he set up a small winery in the coast range of Chile and produced several vintages of Cabernet Sauvignon from old non-irrigated vineyards. Paul joined Ridge in 1969 to work with the cooler climate and lime stone soils of the Monte Bello vineyard on the hills atop the San Francisco Peninsula. Th e vineyard is planted to the Bordeaux varieties and a limited amount of Chardonnay. At Ridge he also discovered old vine zinfandel from vineyards in Sonoma and became a pioneer in the production of long-lived, complex wines from that varietal. Philosophy Draper believes fervently in single-vineyard winemaking and has sought out those vineyard sites where the wines “make themselves” in terms of balance and distinctive character. For Draper, the vintner’s role is that of guiding a natural process, not “making” the wine as in an industrial process. Decisions on harvest, fermentation, barrel aging and bottling, are determined by tasting, not by recipe or production schedule. Paul resides on Monte Bello Ridge with his wife Maureen and daughter Caitlin. Speaker Andy Erickson Winemaker, Screaming Eagle and Dalla Valle Vineyards Andy Erickson has lived and worked in the Napa Valley since 1994. Th at year, Andy left life in San Francisco to pursue a dream of growing grapes and making wine. Aft er the harvest of 1994 at Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars, he worked under John Kongsgaard at Newton Vineyard. Following three years of marketing wine barrels for Seguin Moreau, France’s leading cooperage, Andy went to UC Davis to study enology, at the same time working with Spottswoode and Saintsbury wineries. Immediately aft er receiving his graduate degree, Andy was hired as the assistant winemaker at Harlan Estate in Oakville. He worked there until spring of 2001, when he was named winemaker at Staglin Family Vineyard in nearby Rutherford. Andy currently works as an independent consulting winemaker, making wine for Screaming Eagle, Dalla Valle, Arietta, Dancing Hares Vineyard and Ovid Vineyards in the Napa Valley, and consulting for Jonata in the Santa Ynez Valley. V I K L L A E O W S I R N E E G R O W Speaker Dirk Hampson Director of Winemaking and Chairman, Nickel & Nickel Few winemakers realize the opportunity to build a winemaking program from the ground up, living and growing with the vineyards over more than two decades.
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