Ep 279: Greg La Follette of Alquimista Cellars and pioneer of Sonoma, CA Pinot Noir
Release Date: 06/03/2019
Ep 577: The Wines of South Africa - Refresh
Wine for Normal People
This week’s show is on South Africa, a much more historic region than many realize, it has been making wine for more than 350 years. Although considered a 'New World' wine region, winemaking and ethos are often more oriented towards the Old World. Its style often straddles the line between New and Old World, offering fruit-driven wines with minerality, earthiness, restraint, and higher acidity. In this show, I talk about the unique conditions of this country, located between latitudes 27° and 34° south. I discuss the lengthy winemaking history, and how the...
info_outline
Encore of Ep 448: Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Terroir with Dr. Kevin Pogue, PhD
Wine for Normal People
In this ENCORE presentation, Dr. Kevin Pogue, PhD, professor and geologist educates us on terroir. This podcast is like taking a terroir class: it debunks so many things that people spout in reference books, at wineries, and in mainstream press about the topic! He explains things brilliantly and he is one of the first people I've ever met who actually has answers to my really dorky questions about terroir. Photo: Kevin Pogue. Kevin is one of the most famous people in the field of terroir. He's considered the foremost terroir expert on Washington State wine and he’s...
info_outline
Ep 576: The Greats of Bordeaux Saint Estèphe
Wine for Normal People
Saint Estèphe is the northernmost of the six communal appellations of the Médoc. 50 kilometers/30 miles north of the city of Bordeaux, this red wine only appellation borders Pauillac to the south and a part of the Haut-Médoc in the north. This commune is very different from the others I’ve covered and the wines are amazing, but of a completely different ilk (they are also much more affordable!). Photo: Château Cos d'Estournel. Credit: Cos d'Estournel photo library The largest of all the major, prestigious Médoc communes, Saint Estèphe is varied but its diversity, which has been...
info_outline
Ep 575: Lombardy, Italy
Wine for Normal People
This week I cover Lombardy/Lombardia, one of the smaller wine production areas of Italy. Lombardy, home to the cities of Milan, Bergamo and Brescia is known far more for its fashion, its industry, and osso bucco and risotto alla Milanese than it is for its wines, but there are some gems to be discovered. Photo: Lugana Credit: Because there is limited availability of these wines, I only cover the major regions that you may encounter and discuss the terrain of Lombardy and the terroir of each of the fine wine regions. Lombardy is known in the wine world primarily for...
info_outline
Ep 574: The Grape Miniseries -- Pinot Blanc
Wine for Normal People
In this week's show, I cover Pinot Blanc as part of the grape miniseries. Pinot Blanc is a white color mutation of Pinot Noir, native to Burgundy/Bourgogne. It creates refreshing light- to medium-bodied wines that run the gamut from simple sippers to much more complex, oak-aged versions, to excellent sweet and sparkling wines. This lovely grape is often described as a “workhorse” and not treated with much reverence, partially because it is often seen as inferior to its cousin Chardonnay. But a handful of producers these days are showing that Pinot Blanc can be a lot more...
info_outline
Ep 573: Bruliam's Kerith Overstreet Returns - Her Top Notch Pinot Noir + How to Spark Love for Wine in the Next Gen
Wine for Normal People
In this unique episode, Kerith Overstreet of in Sonoma returns to give us an update (she was on Ep 269 in 2019). Kerith/Bruliam is a boutique producer of vineyard-designated wines, mainly of Pinot Noir and she gives us a full education on the differences between some of the main Pinot regions of California. The cool thing about this show? The last third of the podcast is a business discussion about something she and I are always discussing – how to get our kids’ generation – Gen Z – to appreciate wine. Kerith’s daughter Amelia (the AM in BruliAM), a 21-year-old Gen...
info_outline
Ep 572: Karen MacNeil, Wine Icon, Author of 'The Wine Bible', Co-Creator of Come Over October
Wine for Normal People
In this episode I'm joined by author and American wine icon, We discuss her amazing career trajectory in wine from food stamps to international fame, and her new initiative, , which is having enormous success in encouraging people to get together over a bottle of wine! Karen is one of the foremost wine experts in the United States. She's the author of the award-winning book, "The Wine Bible," which has been recognized as "the most comprehensive and authoritative book on wine written by an American author." Karen is the only American to have won every major wine award given in...
info_outline
Ep 571: The Greats of Bordeaux – Saint Julien
Wine for Normal People
Sandwiched between the famed Médoc AOCs of Margaux in the south and Pauillac in the north, Saint Julien has one of the highest concentrations of classified growths from the 1855 Classification in Bordeaux. This red wine only AOC is just 910 ha/2,250acres, which is 6% of the Médoc vineyard. It is one-sixth the size of Pauillac. It makes an average of about 6 million bottles a year. But this densely planted appellation may be small but what it lacks in size, it makes up for in quality. Saint Julien is considered the most consistent of the Médoc communes and it is known for...
info_outline
Ep 570: 8 Refreshing Red Wines
Wine for Normal People
In this episode, I discuss eight refreshing red wines that are lighter, fresher, and perfect for sipping on a warm day. I give you ideas for wines that go easy on the oak, tannin, and alcohol, and focus instead on the freshness and lightness. These wines have a multitude of flavors and are from around the world but all of them go beyond the bold and heavy. The wines pair well with light meals, can take a chill, and are perfect for when you want something easy-drinking. Think all red wines are bold, heavy, and best served with steak? Nope! From Frappato to Listán Negro, these...
info_outline
Ep 569: The Masters of Vernaccia di San Gimignano Cappella Sant’Andrea with Owner & Winemaker Francesco Galgani
Wine for Normal People
Last fall, I met Francesco Galgani and tried his wines and I was completely blown away. I always think of Vernaccia as a more historical Pinot Grigio -- light on flavor, boring, and not anything to get excited about. But then I visited Cappella Sant'Andrea. HOLY CRAP!! This is the BEST Vernaccia on earth. Francesco and Flavia, the owners and winemakers, are truly the Masters of Vernaccia di San Gimignano. You will never taste Vernaccia like this. In the show Francesco and I discuss the long history of Vernaccia, wine in San Gimignano, why there is so much crappy Vernaccia, and...
info_outlineGreg La Follette is known in the wine world as a founding father of California Pinot Noir. A former seminarian and biochemist with degrees in Plant Biology and Chemistry, he was an early AIDS researcher at the University of California San Francisco before earning his masters degree in Food Science and Technology at the University of California Davis.
Greg has worked for BV, started La Crema and Hartford Court for Jackson Family Wine (Kendall-Jackson), started Sonoma Pinot cult brand Flowers and his own brands LaFollette (which he sold) and now Alquimista. Greg has consulted all over the world – in northern California, Oregon, Europe, South America, and Australia. He is widely considered an expert on Pinot Noir.
Here are a few things we chatted about:
- Greg's early history, including his time with André Tchelistcheff, the father of American Viticulture (also mentioned in Ep 275: http://winefornormalpeople.libsyn.com/webpage/category/ep-275-lane-tanner-the-pinot-czarina-of-santa-barbara-county-california)
- The allure of Pinot Noir and the various styles Greg has made over the years -- from big and brawny at Flowers to elegant and earthy at Alquimista. Greg talks about winegrowing and the challenges of Pinot Noir (and why Chardonnay is important to grow as a sanity check!)
- The influence Burgundy has had on Greg's wine over the years
- The fascinating chronicles of working at La Crema, starting Flowers for someone else, starting and selling Tandem (now La Follette) and then departing to the best stop: Alquimista Cellars!
- We discuss Patrick Dillon, Greg's partner in Alquimista (and a Pulitzer Prize winning journalist, writer, editor), and how their styles combine to make a style of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay you won't find elsewhere in California.
Alquimista's wines are spectacular. Check them out!
__________________________________________
Thanks to 
YOU! The podcast supporters on Patreon, who are helping us to make the podcast possible and who we give goodies in return for their help! Check it out today: https://www.patreon.com/winefornormalpeople
And to sign up for classes, please go to www.winefornormalpeople.com/classes!