When good friend Julie Pedroncelli St. John, Vice-President-Marketing, at Pedroncelli Winery, asked if I’d like to chat with their Winemaker, Montse Reese, I jumped at the chance. As an aficionado of wines from this iconic Dry Creek Valley family winery, I had always wanted to learn more about their winemaker who joined the team as Assistant Winemaker in 2007.
Montse Reese attended Rovira|Virgili University in Tarragona, Spain and graduated with an Agricultural Engineering/Enology degree. She was offered a scholarship with Gloria Ferrer to work harvest in 1998 after which she spent time at Rodney Strong Vineyards then Ferrari-Carano where she met her husband. Soon thereafter, Montse joined the team at Pedroncelli.
Montse Reese, Winemaker at Pedroncelli Winery – Photo Credit: Pedroncelli Winery
Open and engaging, perhaps you’ve seen Montse at the winery, in the Pedroncelli tasting room during events, or with wine club members as she recommends a special food and wine pairing. Enjoy our recent Q&A and begin planning your visit to Pedroncelli Winery.
Grape Experiences: You’ve said that the 2007 vintage was incredibly special to you. Can you elaborate?
Montse Reese: “2007 was my first year working at Pedroncelli and it was a surreal experience. I had been working in other wineries but when I started at Pedroncelli I felt as if I was back home. I understood John’s style and I felt like I was back to my roots. It was a very special vintage.” NOTE: Family member John Pedroncelli was Winemaker during that time.
GE: After that vintage, what have you changed and/or maintained with regards to winemaking?
MR: “I wanted to introduce changes slowly. I separate lots and choose the best lots (that ripen at separate times) for the blends. Quality control and oxygen management are important, too. One thing I’ll never change is how to make the Mother Clone Zinfandel. It’s Pedroncelli’s signature wine and has so much history and sense of place. I want to preserve this because the way it’s produced tells the history of Pedroncelli and Dry Creek Valley.”
NOTE: Pedroncelli’s historic Zinfandel vineyards are located on the hillsides surrounding the winery and located on the ranch originally purchased by John Pedroncelli Sr. in 1927. They’ve been planted to Zinfandel since 1904.
MR: “I love the Sauvignon Blanc! Many Sauvignon Blancs taste monolithic with grassy, green notes, but I prefer a style that’s easy drinking, refreshing and food friendly with more tropical fruit notes. There are two lots of Sauvignon Blanc. I pick one early to give the wine more flavors typical of New Zealand. I wait a week to pick the other lot that offer tropical fruit notes.”
“The Rosé is the hardest to make because it’s of Zinfandel, the first variety picked along with Sauvignon Blanc. We want lower alcohol in the rose so we pick row by row and vine by vine. It’s a lot of work for the team! In 2020, we made 1700 cases.”
“Both the Pinot Noir and Chardonnay are of grapes purchased from vineyards on the border of Dry Creek Valley and Russian River Valley. The Chardonnay is fresh, light and aromatic with great acidity. The Pinot Noir is from four growers around the northern area of the Russian River Valley. The grapes develop full flavor as well as vibrant acidity.”
Wisdom is a special project that’s a real standout. Unique and upscale, we have an Argentinian clone #4 of Cabernet. In fact, no one knows how the family got this Argentinian clone – it’s very unusual to have this in Dry Creek Valley! The style is obviously Argentinian and sometimes we add a bit of Malbec to the blend since a row of vines next to the Cabernet is of Malbec!”
NOTE: A few years ago, one of the Pedroncelli family members stated, “Longevity instills it in each generation. Sensing the right varietal and aspect of the vines is borne of a lifetime tilling the soil. Discerning and experienced hands craft the wine from vine to barrel to bottle and when these elements come together, it is called Wisdom.”
MR: “I grew up with wine on the table. Wine was meant to pair with food! When I came to the United States, I realized that people had wine on its own and they wanted a grape variety to taste like what they think the grape variety should taste like! I have more of an old-world style that’s food friendly, affordable and of the best quality.”
GE: Are there similarities between Sonoma and Penedes where you worked your first harvest?
MR: “Definitely! Both areas are close to the ocean, there’s a marine layer and the soils vary. The winemaking philosophy at Pedroncelli and dates of harvest times are about the same, too.
GE: Have you had many challenges (besides COVID) during your experiences at Pedroncelli?
MR: “There really haven’t been too many challenges although the climate and weather make us rethink how to work in the vineyards and harvest. Each year we have to think ahead to what may be coming: drought, heat waves, etc. so that we can be prepared to maintain the style of wine we produce. This teaches us that we must have the ability to change. The 2021 vintage year so far looks good although we have drought and heat. Harvest time is the deciding time!”
MR: “I make chicken, seafood or meat paella every Sunday! Surprisingly, I love the Pedroncelli Sangiovese with the seafood paella because of its higher acidity. The rosé is light and refreshing and delicious with it all and the Zinfandel is exceptional with my meat paella.”
GE: When you’re not working at Pedroncelli, what are your passions?
MR: “Cooking is a real passion, but I love to paint with oils, hike around Sonoma County and travel – I return to Spain whenever I can. I also have a 12-year-old daughter who counts as a full-time job, too!”
GE: How does it feel to be the first woman winemaker at Pedroncelli?
MR: “I’ve never given that too much thought. It’s an honor to be the winemaker at Pedroncelli. What an opportunity I’ve been offered!”
I look forward to visiting Pedroncelli Winery as soon as possible and meeting Montse Reese in real life. Perhaps I’ll see you there, too!
Cheers! ~ Cindy
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