Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/29638
FAMILY WINEMAKERS SERIES Gott WINEMAKER SARAH GOTT IS ONE HALF OF THE FAMILY DUO BEHIND JOEL GOTT WINES Teamwork? I by Daedalus Howell / photos by Ryan Lely f winemaker Sarah Pelkan Gott wasn’t squeamish about blood, the animal kingdom might be a healthier place. The world of wine, however, would suffer greatly. Fortunately, for wine drinkers, Gott changed her academic pursuits at the University of California, Davis in the early 90s from veterinary science to viticulture and enology. Since then, she’s been a winemaker at several esteemed outfits, but perhaps most notably at Joel Gott Wines. As one of only 12 students in her program at the time, Gott walked with the three undergrads to earn a degree in fermentation sciences in 1993. In the nearly 20 years hence, Gott has enjoyed professional turns with such premium wine ventures as Joseph Phelps Vineyards and Quintessa in the Napa Valley. Throughout, however, she kept a hand in Joel Gott Wines, which was launched in 1996 under the name of the habitually entrepreneurial man she would marry a year later. Joel and Sarah Gott at the winery in St. Helena. 68 / the tasting panel / april 201 1