Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/746412
november 2016 / the tasting panel / 69 on a unique project focused on exploring the old heritage blocks of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir that were planted at the estate by the generations before them. In following the classic techniques used by their forefathers, they sampled grapes from the individual vines and tagged the plants with distinctive flavors that set them apart from the rest. The experience provided Karl with a more personalized perspective on how his family's heritage clones and other special selections planted on their estate proper- ties influence the flavor profiles of the finished wines from vine to the bottle. "That experience reinforced the simple truth that humans like to chase flavors that are the most yummy," says Karl. "They are moments I will never forget." As a result, budwood from the selected vines was used to develop an exciting new series of estate vineyards. Today, the Wente wine program is firing on all cylinders. Fueled by their passion for great quality wines, the family maintains a focused, small lot approach to wine- growing across all of their wines. This includes farming block by block, multiple passes in the vineyards and multiple picks. In addition to the Estate Grown and Single Vineyard collections, the Small Lot and The N th Degree wines are made on a boutique scale of roughly 3,000 cases each, with the fruit for each program carefully selected by Karl and Philip. Karl Wente is Fifth-Generation Winegrower at Wente Family Estates. He received his Master's degree from U.C. Davis and spent the following year fine-tuning his winemaker skills, work- ing harvests at Peter Michael Winery in Sonoma County and Brown Brothers in northern Victoria, Australia. After return- ing to the Wente Estate in Livermore, he started the innovative Small Lot and The Nth Degree programs in 2002. " At the end of the day, a great wine teaches us all lessons."