06/22/2015 - The Gott Family Story and Davis Estate Wines

This week, Slow Living Radio welcomes Cary Gott, a fourth generation California winemaker, whose family have made a huge contribution to the wine and food scene of Northern California.  He brings us a taste from one of his clients, Davis Estates.

CARY GOTT

Vineyard and Winery Estates

Cary Gott is the founding principal of Vineyard & Winery Estates. Four generations of his family have been in the forefront of the California vineyard and wine business, and he has life long experience in winemaking, viticulture and marketing of ultra-premium wines.

 

 

 

Cary’s wine experience includes being founder, owner and president of Monteviña Wines in Amador County, judged the best Zinfandel in the world, Winemaster and President of Corbett Canyon Vineyards in San Luis Obispo, a very successful startup winery and Senior Vice President, Vineyard & Wine Operations for Seagram Chateau & Estates in California. From the late 80’s into the 90’s Cary was President of Sterling Vineyards and Winemaster for Mumm Napa Valley.

Cary founded Vineyard & Winery Estates, in 1997 to provide specialized management services to select wine and vineyard estates. Their services range from start-up efforts of new super premium brands to evaluation of and re-shaping existing wineryand vineyard operations.

The Gott Family is also in the specialty wine and food business in Napa Valley, Palo Alto and San Francisco with Joel Gott Wines and Gott’s Roadside restaurants, (formerly Taylor’s Automatic Refresher).

Cary brought a sampling from one of his clients, Davis Estates in Calistoga, where he is working to launch a beautiful new Backen Gillam designed winery and build a new wine brand.  He is their consulting winemaker the labels, Windmill Valley, Davis Estate and Hungry Blond.

 

About Davis Estates

 

The 114 acre estate once belonged to Lily Coit Hitchcock and later to the Saviez family. The original winery on the site was built in the early 1900s and then burned down in 1946. The historic barn was built in 1916 and today has been stylishly restored as the winery tasting room.  The historic windmill is fully operational and pumps four gallons a minute to the vines in the surrounding blocks when the wind blows. The property includes a solar farm, surrounded by olive trees. Extensive caves are being dug in the hillside and additional winery buildings also being constructed; the entire winery is expected to be complete in the spring of 2016.