Jeff and Bibiana

Shared Notes Wines co-founders and winemakers Bibiana Rave and Jeff Pisoni are our guests on California Wine Country today, with Harry Duke, Dan Berger and Barry Herbst from Bottle Barn. Steve Jaxon is away today.

Bibiana was on California Wine Country on this episode on August 29, 2019, to talk about her own label Alma de Cattleya

Jeff Pisoni and Bibiana Rave from Shared Notes. They are both co-founders and winemakers. They have been winemakers elsewhere and this is their first chance to work together. Dan Berger tasted their wines and was “shocked at how good they were.” Barry Herbst loves these wines because they are different than most of the local wines, in a European style, such as the Bordeaux Blanc that they make.

They only make two wines and they only make 100 cases per year. Jeff describes their 100% Sauvignon Blanc wine. They both mainly made Chardonnay and Pinot Noir in the past and they were eager to work with SV too. The fruit is dominant, Dan describes a slightly underripe quince and “fabulous acidity.” It is the complete opposite of the typical Sauvignon Blancs on the market right now. “…zero grams per liter of sugar,” says Bibiana.

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Bibiana grew up in Colombia and studied winemaking in France for six years. Then in 2004 she came to Sonoma County. This is where she met her husband Jeff Pisoni. He grew up farming in the Salinas Valley where he also became acquainted with wine. They do tastings by appointment, but only two per day Mon-Fri.

Bibiana explains that they make wines that are meant to age well, which is why Dan Berger likes them. He also admires that they have an ambitious strategy and a philosophy of wine and the ability to carry off the production.

I almost fell down it was so good. And this never happens to me!” -Dan Berger

Now they are tasting the Sauvignon Blanc – Semillon blend, the 2012. This is an example of a wine made to age, and Dan says it proves the validity of their project. Their wines are all 100 % Russian River Valley grapes, from vineyards that are certified for sustainability.

Since Bibiana is from Colombia she is also interested in coffee, so they have been importing specially selected beans, which they roast on demand. There are a lot of parallels between tasting coffee and wine. Bibiana also explains how coffee is also a product of a fermentation.