05/04/2015 - A Chilean Winemaking Story

This week, Slow Living Radio explores some of Chile’s winegrowing regions and style, through the eyes of a Chilean Winemaker, Filipe Tosso and Assemblyman Bill Dodd, president of the Great Wine Capitals of the World Network.

 

Felipe Tosso

Head Winemaker, Viña Ventisquero

 

 

Chile is rapidly earning worldwide acclaim for its wines, and Felipe Tosso (43) is widely recognized as one of its leading players.

 His Agronomy degree from the Universidad de Chile, specializing in Viticulture and Winemaking, led to Felipe’s first job as Chief Winemaker at Concha y Toro’s Cachapoal Winery in 1995 where he was responsible for producing some of the best Carménère the company had ever created.

 n 2000, Felipe was approached by Gonzalo Vial, owner of the newly established Viña Ventisquero, whose goal was to create a range of wines that expressed the unique characteristics of Chile.  Upon joining Ventisquero, Felipe had access to fruit from 3,700 acres of vineyards owned by Viña Ventisquero in some of Chile’s top winemaking regions – including Apalta in the Colchagua Valley, Trinidad in the Maipo Valley and the cool climate appellations of Casablanca and Leyda - which he rapidly crafted into award-winning wines. 

 Since 2003, Felipe has been working on the development of a premium range of wines with renowned Australian Winemaker John Duval.  In November 2006, they launched the limited production Pangea, made with grapes from the famed Apalta region of Colchagua Valley.  Vertice was the next release - a Carménère and Syrah blend also from Apalta, and in 2013 they launched Enclave – a Bordeaux blend sourced from 40 year old vines from Ventisquero’s high altitude vineyard in Alto Maipo.

 Felipe’s latest project with John Duval is the Grey range of single block wines. Extensive soil mapping of different areas within the designated blocks enables vinification of the grapes by parcel before the constituent parts are blended back to create a single block wine that best expresses its origin.

 During the course of his career, Felipe has travelled the world to hone his skills: from Napa and Sonoma to Argentina, France, Spain - Priorato, Italy and Australia.  He has also worked harvests for some of the great wine estates of Bordeaux, including Château Canon la Gaffelière, Château La Mondotte and Château Clos de L’Oratoire.

 

 

 

 

Assemblyman Bill Dodd

 

 Bill Dodd was elected in November of 2014 to represent California’s 4th Assembly District. The district includes all or portions of Yolo, Napa, Sonoma, Lake, Solano, and Colusa and Counties.

 

 Prior to his election to the Assembly, Dodd served on the Napa County Board of Supervisors from 2001 to 2014. Among his accomplishments was the successful competition of Napa’s flood control project, which protects thousands of properties from flooding, restored 900 acres of environmental wetlands and created $1 billion of investment in local businesses.

 

 Dodd is also heavily involved in local charities. Dodd was honored in 2014 by the Napa Chamber of Commerce as its “Citizen of the Year” for raising over $3 million for local charities to help those individuals who need it most. As a founder of the Wolfe Center, a youth drug and alcohol rehabilitation facility, and a founding director of the Napa County Children’s Health Initiative, Dodd led many successful drives for these organizations.

 

Bill Dodd left

 

 

 

 A lifelong resident of the Napa Valley with broad knowledge on the craftsmanship, tradition, and prestige of CA wine. Dodd is the president of the Great Wine Capitals Global Network for the Napa Valley, and has collaborated extensively with the Wine Institute, California Association of Winegrape Growers, Napa Valley Vintners, Napa County Wine Growers, and many others. Dodd is also the Chair of the California Assembly Select Committee on Wine.