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I met Melinda Kearney of Lorenza Wine Co in the most beautiful way. Our paths crossed prior to my first ever visit to the Napa Valley, a place I would later call home for almost 6 years. I was interested in tasting her wines and Melinda took my phone call the night before she departed on an international trip from SFO. We weren't able to meet, but she offered a number of suggestions for restaurants, shops, and wineries to visit around the valley. Several would later become my favorite spots in the valley. Two years later, I bumped into Melinda and her daughter in San Francisco and she asked my thoughts on joining her team to help expand production, source new vineyards, and to lay the foundation for an expanded portfolio of wines. It was a natural fit and I jumped at the opportunity.
Images courtesy of Lorenza Wine Co.
True visionaries in the California wine landscape, Melinda and her daughter Michèle were among the first wineries in America to blend and bottle rosé reminiscent of the finest French rosés from Bandol and Provence. At the time, the market had very little demand for rosé. Most people didn't even know what it was. 15 years later Lorenza is still at the forefront of the rosé category, setting a stylistic example for domestic rose made with intention. Working with Lorenza was an exciting opportunity to grow a brand making only one wine. I worked closely with Melinda to source grower contracts for a new wine project, Lorenza Spritz. The goal was to create a sparkling wine utilizing Rhône varieties grown in Lodi and the larger Sacramento River Delta. This project laid the framework for future wine production as well.
Work for this project included winemaking and production management. We worked closely with LEVEL Design in Calistoga to engineer and design artwork for the new wine label as well as to design and engineer packaging. Wines were made and blended in 2018, bottled early 2019, and released to market that Spring.
I worked closely with the owners to write and design tasting documents for past vintages, produce events, and both digital and print brand collateral for the website, tasting room, and for general trade use. Lorenza has since launched 4 new wines to their portfolio and continues to produce wines of quality.
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