Press Releases

New Pinot Gris & Sauvignon Blanc
by M. Berthoud at Mayo Family Winery

Glen Ellen | CA

The first wines made by Winemaker Michel Berthoud since joining Mayo Family Winery last year have been released. The Mayo Family Winery 2004 Sonoma Coast “Balletto Vineyard” Pinot Gris and 2004 Napa Valley “Emma’s Vineyard” Sauvignon Blanc, both unwooded wines, demonstrate the deft touch Berthoud brings to his craft.

BERTHOUD BRINGS RENEWED FOCUS TO VINEYARDS
Berthoud joined Mayo Family Winery after a long career as Winemaker at Arrowood Vineyards in Sonoma Valley, just down the road from Mayo Family Winery in Sonoma Valley. For the past year Berthoud has been working closely within the Mayo’s own vineyards as well as with their growing partners to hone the winery’s emphasis on creating wines that go further toward showcasing a purity of fruit and authenticity of varietals.

Berthoud’s first wines, the Pinot Gris and Sauvignon Blanc, put this quest for flavor and varietal purity on display. Both wines were produced without exposure to wood, using stainless steel fermentations and aging to assure this desired fruit and acid purity was retained.

COMPLEXITY OF FRUIT—NOT OAK
“What we are demonstrating with both these wines is you can achieve real complexity without resorting to using oak,” explains Berthoud. “It’s the details of the fruit and the display of the single vineyard’s terroir that we believe can deliver real complexity, interest and purity in these early release wines.”

“Emma’s Vineyard” is located in the heart of St. Helena in Napa Valley. The Sauvignon Blanc vines are between 30 and 40 years old. The Pinot Gris was taken from the Balletto Ranch, located just south of the town of Occidental in the cooler reaches of the Sonoma Coast appellation.

Mayo Family Winery was founded in 1993 by Henry and Diane Mayo. Today its president Jeffrey H. Mayo runs the winery. Two production facilities are maintained in Sonoma Valley, allowing them to equip and specialize each facility for the production of particular varietals. The winery produces small batch, single vineyard wines that are sold at their winery tasting room in Glen Ellen, their RESERVE ROOM in Kenwood where each wine is paired with different chef-prepared foods, and in various restaurants and retail establishments throughout the United States.

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Contact:
Tom Wark, Wark Communications
707-933-9313 € tom@warkcommunications.com

Jeff Mayo, Mayo Family Winery
707-484-0526 € jeffmayo@aol.com