Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/6221
january–february 2010 / the tasting panel / 53 coVer Story Alison Green-Doran Winemaker, Levendi Wines, Napa Valley For alison green-doran, answering the ever-changing challenges and questions that accompany winemaking are among the most im- portant and exciting lessons she learned from one of the world's most famous enologists, andré Tchelistcheff. "he was so curious, and always asking questions," she explains of the man who worked as a consul- tant at Simi Winery in healdsburg, owned by green-doran's family. "i really learned from that to let no idea go untested. i've got andré's picture still on my wall, with his one raised eyebrow and inquiring look to keep reminding me to have good ideas and to play with them." green-doran has brought this questioning sensibility to levendi, where she's helping take the portfolio to the next level. "i try to help my clients take that leap from making a really nice wine, to a really great wine," she says. and although this is the Year of the Woman at The TaSTing Panel, according to green-doran, we shouldn't be too quick to assign this wine industry veteran's success to her gender. "i've tried to stay out of the whole "you're a woman" thing in winemaking. i'm trying to be known as a great winemaker, not a great woman winemaker," says alison, whose pioneering spirit helped pave the way for a generation of woman winemakers hard at work today. "i think i was the fourth woman winemaker in California, and in the beginning, if you worked really hard and didn't mind everybody swearing and could lift heavy objects, you were considered some sort of mascot. nowadays you hit another woman winemaker every five steps." Flagship wine: "The Sweetwater ranch Cabernet Sauvignon was a wonderful opportunity to make great wine out of a new vineyard and a new area, Oak Knolls," alison says. "The fruit gets so much time on the vine before it hits harvest sugar, so it collects all of that flavor and color, giving it this wonderfully love, luscious and soft profile that has made it one of my favorite wines to work with." —R.B. Amelia Ceja President, Ceja Vineyards, Napa Valley as one of the few latina women in wine in California, amelia Ceja is determined to help shape the future of the consumer's comprehension of—and abilities in—pairing food and wine. "i want to be thought of as being instrumental in breaking down the barriers of the mystification of wine," says amelia, who was appointed President of the Carneros-based winery when it was founded in 1999. "Before we even press our fruit, we know the elements that we want to show up in the wine ," she insists. it is amelia's culinary expertise that gifts her with an insight to work with winemaker (and brother-in-law) armando Ceja to help discover similar flavors in the wines that also exist in food. "it was that knowledge that gave me the confidence to run the business," she points out. "There are not a lot of women in power in our industry, so i am proud to be one of the female leaders to promote the wines, through my on-line cooking show and our wine-related blogs, showcasing global cuisine and wine exploration." T he first vintage of Ceja, released in 2001, consisted of three varietals—Pinot noir, Char- donnay and merlot—totaling 750 cases. Today, the winery produces over a dozen varietals and a growing production of 10,000 cases. Flagship wine: "armando tells me the Ceja Pinot noir reminds him of me," amelia laughs. When asked to describe it, she says, "Well, it definitely has some tannins present—but that doesn't mean it's not feminine in style. i would describe it as silky and velvet-textured, but with a firm grip." We would describe it as a Pinot with personal- ity. —M.M. PHOTO: CATHY TWIGG-BLUMEL Amelia Ceja. PHOTO: CATHY TWIGG-BLUMEL Alison Green-Doran.