N U A L N A PA VA L L e y P e o P L e & P L A C e S Contributors k A R I R u E L J O A N z O L O T H L O w E L L D O w N E Y J A N A w A L D I N g E R PA u L F R A N S O N FRoM THe CoVeR The Corridor of Senses JEAN-CHARLES BOISSET at Raymond Vineyards ▲ The new face of California wine Efrom an unexpected place, and with amazing speed.Few in Napa Valley had evenver since Robert Mondavi pulled back from his role as the spokesman forCalifornia wine, we’ve looked for a successor. Now, one seems to have appeared heard of Jean-Charles Boisset until he bought venerable Raymond Vineyards three years ago. Now his name is everywhere, and like Mondavi, he’s not just promoting himself and his own wines, but all wine, and just as surely, California and Napa wine. With Mondavi’s passion and drive plus exceptional articulation, insight and sense of theater, Boisset is rapidly becoming the face of the wine community. That certainly wasn’t expected. Born to a small wine family in Burgundy, he and his father created one of Burgundy’s and France’s largest wine companies. His first move in California was to buy and upgrade DeLoach Winery in the respected Russian River Valley and Leyth Estate in Sonoma County. Then he created new brands of California wines like JCB California and California Rabbit. Then he bought Raymond, upgrading a solid producer of good wines while creating one of the top visitor attractions in Napa Valley – now boasting an extensive Biodynamic demonstration and kitchen garden, Baccarat tasting room, lab-like blending room, a hall of sniffs and smells, Frenchie Winery featuring his dog, and over-the-top Belle Époque Red Room for club members. He has also bought and renovated Buena Vista winery in Sonoma to make it once again one of Wine Country’s top draws while resurrecting the wines that made it famous and more. Along the way, he married famed winemaker Gina Gallo of America’s largest wine company, and they now have twin girls. To complete the legend, he and Gina recently bought Robert Mondavi’s former home atop Wappo Hill. It was a fitting move for the photo by ART & CLARITY master’s virtual successor. N O V E M B E R / D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 2 13
NVLife_NovDec_2012
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