Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/735024
54 { THE SOMM JOURNAL } OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2016 { cover story } In the 1980s, the family had already begun their path to producing higher quality wines. They looked north and purchased vineyards in Monterey County and a vineyard in Napa Valley's Rutherford AVA. They introduced a new brand, Maddalena, which focused on higher-quality, vintage-dated and variety-spe - cific wines from their vineyards in Central and Northern California. Yet the major shift in philosophy, both in the vineyards and at the winery, was not fully adopted until 1998, when Anthony Riboli, eldest of the fourth generation, joined the family business. A Shift in Philosophy Riboli is the first formally trained wine- maker in the family and received his M.S. in viticulture from the University of California, Davis. During the course of his education, he learned proper techniques and real - ized change was necessary if they were to produce higher-quality wines. "You can't sit at your desk in L.A. and make wine," says Riboli, thinking back to his conversation with his father, Santo Riboli, President of the company, and his uncle, Steve Riboli, Vice President. "You have to go to the vineyards; you've got to be involved in the entire pro - cess, and that wasn't happening." Change didn't happen overnight. It was 1998 when Anthony Riboli graduated and strategic decisions were made over the course of more than a decade. Since grapes were not allowed to be processed in L.A., the red grapes was crushed and fermented in Paso Robles, and the resulting wine was shipped to the Los Angeles winery where it was finished, aged and bottled. White grapes were pressed in Paso Robles and the resulting juice was fermented in Los Angeles. However, the ultimate goal was to have full control over every aspect of the process and produce a truly estate wine. Experience and research were crucial — where should they plant, where should they build? As everyone in the industry knows, vineyards and wineries are major invest - ments. "We're a pretty conservative family, so we wanted to make sure that we were making practical decisions," says Riboli. The Riboli family (left to right standing): Anthony Riboli, Lisa Riboli Elzholz, Steve Riboli, Cathy Riboli Colombatti, Santo Riboli, Christopher Riboli, Dante Colombatti; (seated): Stefano and Maddalena Riboli. The Riboli family's Stefano and Maddalena Vineyards are brand new plantings in the El Pomar District AVA. Located only one mile apart, the proper- ties can be seen opposite each other and yet have distinctly different soil profiles.