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18 / the tasting panel / april 2016 THE MESSAGE Tasting Greatness N early two decades after the first Premiere Napa Valley, they continue to come in droves—the heavy hitters and big buyers of the wine industry—to taste as many as they can of some 225 barrel samples, with winemakers pouring and talking up a storm, all from the third floor of the Culinary Institute of America at Greystone, in the Vintners Hall of Fame. Wines sold at Premiere are micro-lots from Napa's best producers, and each lot is comprised of 60 to 240 bottles, specially labeled for Premiere, and highly coveted by on-premise buyers. The $5 million raised this year by the Napa Valley Vintners (NVV), a non-profit trade association, goes toward sustaining and promoting the Napa Valley as the leading American institution of domestic wine production. Weaving in and out of friends and acquaintances, some of my favorites that exemplified the beauty of Napa Valley Cabernet—its depth and complexity shining through a mask of powerful tannins—were: William Hill Estate Winery 2014 "Bench Blend"; Signorello Estate 2014 "Cuvee Athena"; Alpha Omega 2014 "Dr. To Kalon"; Hunnicutt 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon from a one-acre block planted to Clone 169; and the Cliff Lede Vineyards 2014 "Cinnamon Devil." "We're thrilled with the results and we had a great day sharing our wines with our partners in the trade," noted Doug Shafer of Shafer Vineyards, this year's Premiere Napa Valley Steering Committee chair. Top grossing lots at the auction included: Italics Winegrowers, Memento Mori, Nine Suns, Realm Cellars, Rombauer Vineyards, Shafer Vineyards, TOR Kenward Family, Duckhorn Vineyards, Silver Oak Cellars and ZD Wines. More information at premierenapawines.com. —J. C. Doug Shafer of Shafer Vineyards, 2016 Premiere Napa Valley Steering Committee Chair. A Time Too Brief S usan Korol Pey, the Napa Valley wine and restaurant innovator who created several new wine brands and elevated the fine wine din- ing scene across the western United States, died suddenly and unexpectedly at the beginning of March. She was 52. Although born in Mississippi, Susan was a northern California girl at heart whose career in the wine and hospitality industries began while living and studying in Florence, Italy. Susan passed Master Sommelier tests, but in the 1990s withdrew from further formal wine study to focus her attention on raising the three daugh- ters she loves so much. She was a member of the San Francisco Chronicle Tasting Panel and the Bon Appétit Tasting Panel, among others. Susan pioneered the renaissance of winegrowing in west Marin County in 1999 with her Pey-Marin label. She was the first to plant Riesling in this cool-climate region; today more than 20 wineries produce wine in the area. In 2000, Susan was recruited by restaurateur and visionary Larry Mindel to oversee the beverage program at the 22-unit Il Fornaio restaurant group. In 2004, Susan started producing TEXTBOOK Napa Valley wines with her hus- band Jonathan Pey. Her wish was to craft superb "small-lot" wines that express the special nuance that Napa Valley so richly offers. Determined to stop the scourge of breast cancer, she was a tireless advocate for the Breast Cancer Fund and one of its leading individual fundraisers. Susan is survived by her soul mate, husband and best friend of 33 years, Jonathan Pey, daughters (and best friends) Lauren, Alexandra and Cameron, her parents Harold & Iris Korol of Palo Alto, three siblings, several in-laws and nieces and nephews. Susan trav- eled the world extensively with her family to more than 30 countries, and particularly loved off-the-beaten-path locales such as Lombok, Fez, Bequia and Pantelleria. She recently returned from Cuba as part of the Napa Valley Vintners outreach there. Susan Pey lived life every moment richly and fully—and expected us all to do the same. Doug Shafer of Shafer Vineyards, 2016 Premiere PHOTO: BOB MCCLENAHAN the renaissance of winegrowing in west Marin County in 1999 with her Pey-Marin label. She was the first to plant Riesling in this cool-climate region; today more than 20 wineries produce wine in the area. In 2000, Susan was recruited by restaurateur and visionary Larry Mindel to oversee the beverage