Cinq Cepa-who ?

[GordonCooks]

D'oh

[docsconz]

"When I was going to school at UC, Davis in the '70s, one of the wineries I dreamed of working for was St. Jean and the other was Simi," said Reeder, 47.

Why would he have dreamed of working for either of these wineries as opposed to others in the 1970's. This stretches my credulity a bit

[Echezeaux]

I can believe the statement regarding working for Chateau St. Jean in the 1970s. The winery was a beautfiul new facility in the Sonoma Valley. The initial releases of white wines put them on the map quickly. Rieslings and Gewurztraminers were exceptional, putting them alongside other "boutique" hotshots such as Lyncrest and Veedercrest Vineyards.

The single vineyard Chardonnays were also compelling wines, St. Jean making a large range of single vineyard bottlings.

They had an enologist, whom they'll billed as their "wine master," named Dick Arrowood. He had been hired away from Mr. & Mrs. Strong's winery over in Windsor, a place called Sonoma Vineyards.

Now Simi was not much of a source of interesting wine back then, though it was a facility in a state of flux. Russ Green had purchased the winery, though the 80 year old Isabelle Simi Haigh still worked there. The winery began making somewhat more interesting wines, with a fellow named Robert Stemmler as the winemaker. He never really produced much of significant quality. The winery only became moderately respected with the arrival of former Mondavi enologist, Zelma Long, but that was some years later.

And, as they say, the rest is history. Or herstory.