The ancient Antinori family has resided in Florence since the early 13th century when they moved from Calenzano, a village between Florence and Prato where their presence is recorded in 1188. The family initially worked in the silk trade and joined the Guild of Silk Weavers in 1285.

The Antinori family's first encounter with wine dates back to 1385, when Giovanni di Piero Antinori joined the Guild of Wine Merchants to make the best use of the family's country properties in Valdarno, around Florence.

However it was not until the 16th century that banker and merchant Alessandro Antinori made the wine from his estates famous in Italy and abroad, travelling from Lyons to Flanders, and from Spain to Algiers.

Wine was to remain the family's passion and main business activity, so much so that in 1898 the "Fattoria dei Marchesi Lodovico e Piero Antinori" was created by brothers Lodovico and Piero, the sons of Marchese Niccol= - a direct descendent of that other Niccol= who purchased Palazzo Antinori in 1506 and poured his efforts into publicising Tuscan wines around the world and creating fine quality products.

For 26 generations the Antinori family have continued to make history.

Caymus Vineyrds was founded in 1972 by Charles F. (Charlie) Wagner, Lorna Belle Glos Wagner and their son Charles J. (Chuck) Wagner on the family's Rutherford property. The Wagners produced their first Cabernet Sauvignon from the 1972 vintage. Their first Special Selection - from outstanding Cabernet Sauvignon lots given extended barrel aging - was made from the 1975 vintage. Caymus has made Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon every year since its founding, and now focuses entirely on this variety. Production has remained at the same level since the 1989 vintage.

The Wagners took the name Caymus from the Mexican land grant known as Rancho Caymus, given to George Yount in 1836, which included what eventually became the town of Rutherford and much of the surrounding area. (Caymus was also the name of a subgroup of Mishewal-Wappo Indians whose village was north of what is now the town of Yountville.)

Inaugural Release

Terrizzi's - Giornata Wines

 

We are very excited to announce our first release of wines from Giornata winery. The journey in creating Giornata started with a dream to create wines from Italian grapes grown in California that earn the same respect that American winemakers have garnered from French varieties. My love for Italian wine started many years ago and stems from my lifelong love of Italian food and fascination with my Italian heritage.

After working for respected Zinfandel producer Rosenblum Cellars, I traveled to Italy to work with the famous Paolo DeMarchi at Isole e Olena in Tuscany. From this experience I gained a great deal of insight into Italian winemaking. I was also fortunate to spend a month traveling and visiting cellars from Tuscany to Sicily. During this trip I also reconnected with distant relatives in a small village in Sicily. My ancestors’ hometown was famous for wine since the dawn of the Roman Empire.

The road however has not always been kind. I have encountered doubt and skepticism along the way. At one point a few years back I almost gave up my quest when one of California’s most famous winemakers told me: “If you want to make nebbiolo move to Italy. You’ll never do it here.” A couple months later a meeting with Steve Clifton of Palmina winery refreshed my momentum.

In 2005 I married Stephanie, the love of my life, and a true vineyard guru. Her enthusiasm toward Italian wine was as powerful as mine and we spent our honeymoon visiting the top producers at their estates in Italy. We returned home full of new information including Stephy’s detailed vineyard sketchbook. This trip provided a revelation – grapes don’t know where they are planted. We work with the same grape vines (clonal material) that the best producers in Italy use, and the hills on the west side of Paso Robles look pretty much like the hills of the top vineyard sites in Italy. We had already confirmed that our soils matched up very well to the soils of the best sites in Italy (high pH, lots of calcarious rock).

            

So, with great enthusiasm, here are our first wines. These wines represent the beginning of the next chapter of our quest. They accomplish quite well what we set out to do. They definitely have the rich, ripe, delicious fruit that California is famous for, but they also have a foot in Italy. The wines possess a sort of intrigue and complexity that I find in the Italian wines that I love. Thank you for your interest in Giornata and our first release. We hope you enjoy these wines as much as we do.

Brian & Stephy Terrizzi

Over the last thirty years, Paul Hobbs has honed his skills and expertise at Robert Mondavi Winery, Opus One, Simi Winery and as a leading winemaking consultant to premier producers in California, Chile, Argentina and Hungary. Paul founded Paul Hobbs Winery in 1991 and Vina Cobos in Argentina in 1999. Terroir-driven chardonnay, pinot noir and cabernet sauvignon are the focus at Paul Hobbs Winery. The portfolio has been built from the ground up, on a foundation of strong, collaborative relationships with the growers of some of Napa and SonomaÆs most compelling and historical properties.

PaulÆs California and Argentine wines earn top praise from critics and consumers, alike. In 2004, he was named "Most important winemaker in California" by The Quarterly Review of Wines. Robert Parker, Jr. has twice named Paul a ôWine Personality of the Yearö.

Entrepreneur Raymond Twomey Duncan first visited the Napa Valley in the late 1960s. Taken by the areaÆs rugged beauty û and the potential of its fledgling wine industry û he soon began purchasing orchards, pastures and vineyards throughout the Napa and Alexander Valleys. Looking for an insider to advise him, Ray approached Justin Meyer in 1972, asking him to plant and manage his vineyards. Then a winemaker for the Christian Brothers, Justin agreed under one condition: In addition to growing grapes, he wanted to create a winery that would forever raise the standards of California wine. Silver Oak Cellars was born. Ray and Justin had a bold vision for their winery. Rather than producing six or seven varietals, they would devote all their resources to producing a single wine û Cabernet Sauvignon. WhatÆs more, their wine would be a new style of Cabernet Sauvignon, rich and complex yet deliciously drinkable from the day it was released. In 1972, Silver OakÆs Alexander Valley vineyards produced the harvest that would become our first Cabernet Sauvignon. Seven years later, we harvested the grapes for our first Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, now produced as a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and other Bordeaux varietals. From the beginning, these two wines have consistently represented the very best of their appellations, attracting a loyal following across the country and around the world. After selecting Daniel Baron to succeed him as winemaker in 1994, Justin sold his share of Silver Oak to the Duncan family in 2001. Today, the Duncans continue to lead Silver Oak, carrying forward the vision established by Ray and Justin more than 35 years ago.