Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/611718
december 2015 / the tasting panel / 7 to success, Bronfman and Cousins both concede, are the iconic artisans behind each winery. Chris Upchurch, with his long hair and obsession for perfection, makes beautiful, mostly Bordeaux-variety wines at DeLille Cellars (see the story in our April/May 2015 issue of The SOMM Journal) as well as his own Upchurch Vineyard; Tony Rynders, the talented Pinot master who put Domaine Serene on the map, makes lovely wine at Panther Creek Cellars with a focus on Pinot Noir; Ed Sbragia, a living legend, former award-winning winemaker at Beringer, creates individu- alistic wines in Sonoma; and Chris Madrigal, a grower and Napa native, uses his intuitive skills to guide Madrigal Family Winery. Sbragia Family Vineyards Sbragia Family Vineyards is located in Dry Creek Valley, where Ed Sbragia makes his limited-production wines. A third-generation Dry Creek Valley vintner, Ed is well known for his position as winemaster at Beringer Vineyards in Napa, where he began work- ing in 1976, under legendary winemaker Myron Nightingale. The Sbragia family's history runs deep in Dry Creek Valley. Ed's grandfather came there from Tuscany in 1904 and worked in local wineries. Ed's father, Gino, acquired his own vineyards near Healdsburg, growing Zinfandel grapes for sale and home wine- making. "He made excellent wine," says Ed, "and he taught me that making wine is a very natural process—that good grapes and good techniques will always make good red wine." In 2001, Ed created his own label to make limited, individual lots of wine from grapes grown in select blocks of his favorite Sonoma and Napa vineyards. The family's estate vineyards in Dry Creek Valley range from five to thirteen acres in size and produce Home Ranch Chardonnay and Gino's Zinfandel. Sbragia also makes Cabernet Sauvignon from Andolsen Vineyard (Dry Creek), Monte Rosso (Moon Mountain District) and Godspeed (Mt. Veeder), as well as a Napa Valley Chardonnay from Gamble Ranch. The wines all exhibit Ed's distinctive and acclaimed style: big, rich, balanced and polished. Madrigal Family Winery Since the late 1930s, three generations of the Madrigal family have been farming in the Napa Valley. Jacinto Madrigal came to Calistoga from Mexico, farming apples, pears, walnuts and grapes. In 1974, with a pair of pruning shears and a pickup truck, Jess (second generation) and Chris (third generation) started a vineyard management company, planting Duckhorn Vineyards and the famed Three Palms Vineyard. Today, the company farms 800 acres of vines. In 1994, Chris Madrigal established Madrigal Family Winery at 3718 St. Helena Highway in Calistoga. The diverse soils of Madrigal's 40-acre estate vineyard in the Calistoga AVA are ideal for grow- ing Cabernet Sauvignon, Zinfandel and Sauvignon Blanc, as well as the Petite Sirah that has become a calling-card of this winery. Says Chris Madrigal, "The family history is a constant source of inspiration, and guides us in our winemaking now. We value the long relationship we've had with this land and the people here, believing that the combined wisdom of the folks who've been here for generations and a deep appreciation of these vineyards can be tasted in our wine." THE WINERIES PHOTO: ANDY MONTE PHOTO COURTESY OF BACCHUS WINEWORKS. Ed Sbragia, founder and Winemaster, Sbragia F amily Vineyards. Chris Madrigal, third-generation founder and Vintner, Madrigal F amily Winery.