Epicure
is the beauty of it. Over the years,
I have toyed with Zinfandel and have
found that it is just as expressive
as Pinot Noir, but allows for more
winemaking control. It also happened
to be my Grandfather’s favorite
wine to drink, so there is a bit of the
nostalgia playing into Zin, becoming
one of my favorite wines to work
with. The challenges are still there,
but it’s like a child that listens
rather than one who is always
bucking the trend (like Pinot). We
will be launching a new red Zinfandel
in January, called Beran, which
encompasses the best regions in
the state for the variety. It has been
a pleasure to bring all the years of
experiments to a wine in bottle.”
His favorite time of the growing
season is autumn, “Grapes are
coming off the vine after a year of
heavy input to make sure they are
just right. Then the foliage starts
to go yellow, the high temperatures
segue into beautiful cool fall days
and the entire California wine
country is a stunning mix of beauty
and comfort.” He unfortunately
doesn’t get to spend as much time
in the vineyards during the fall or
during other times of the year. He
averages about 10 hours a week and
moves around to Sonoma, Monterey,
Santa Barbara or Napa. “The more
time I can get out there, the better.
That’s where the magic starts!”
The wine that is his all-time favorite
is Belle Blos, Las Alturas Pinot Noir,
“From scouting the barren land,
planning and planting the vineyard,
then creating a vineyard designate
Pinot that has become a hallmark
of Santa Lucia Highlands is really
something special for me to have
under my belt. The whole process
of finding a site such as that, and
the 2008 vintage, I wanted to
expand the diversity while staying
coastal. I moved into Monterey and
Santa Barbara Counties, which
augmented the flavor and textural
profile to an enormous degree. It’s
also allowed us to maintain
consistency from vintage to vintage.
Since the 2008 vintage, the style
has maintained a very consistent
character. More recently, we added
a Meiomi.
Chardonnay with the same concept
of sourcing. I am very happy with
how it has come along to
complement the Pinot Noir.”
Joseph had no formal wine
education, just worked alongside his
father and learned the job as he
went along. “I started with vineyard,
then winemaking, then sales, and
finally business management. I had
my weaknesses and made mistakes,
but it was that hands-on learning
that cannot be replicated by books.
Winemaking and grape growing are
very reactive processes. You never
know what you are going to be faced
with when you wake up in the
morning. For me, it’s the challenges
and independent learning that
I enjoy the most.”
It is no secret that Pinot Noir is in
his blood and it’s what he cuts his
teeth on, and he says there is always
something new to learn about it. “It
is a very challenging grape and that
79
creating a wine that can be enjoyed
for years to come, will always be
a highlight in my mind. It’s the way
it should be done.” His appreciation
of craftsmanship is clear and he is
enthusiastic about the future of the
Meiomi legacy. It’s the little things
that create those “ah ha” moments
in the life of a winemaker. He said
they recently discovered that, “cryo
extraction and cold fermented Pinot
Noir created wines of profound
depth and character. It was so
unconventional, but so simple. It set
the bar for how we make our Pinots
and has had a lasting change to all
that we do with red grapes. Also,
Meiomi recently received the “Wine
Brand of the Year” award from
Market Watch, which was a huge
kudo to the entire team! Being able
to receive such an award on behalf
of all the people involved was huge.”
Team work, successful science
projects and legacy are very
commendable, but I’m curious as to
his individual ego as it relates to his
career. He’s been given this path in
life, walking the vines and squashing
grapes. Is this is true passion? It
most certainly is. He has big plans
and is constantly working to grow
the family business, while still making
an impact on the wine industry,
“I would like to bring the research
and development side of grape
growing and winemaking to the
customer. There is so much to learn,
and so many wines out there, that
most consumers don’t fully get their
questions answered. I would like to
create an environment that brought
those experiments to the foreground,
with a detailed explanation as to why,
what and how we came up with it. If
the customer is educated, they will
help push the wine industry harder
in the right direction.”