2009 Pott Wine The Oligarch

Pott Wine is a small winery on Mount Veeder in Napa Valley. It was started by Aaron Pott and his wife Claire. Pott previously worked under John Kongsgaard and has been a winemaker at Beringer, St. Clement and Quintessa. He also has worked in France and earned an advanced degree in winemaking at the Universite of Bourgogne. He and his wife source their grapes from Napa Valley and produce Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Bordeaux-style red blends.

Carneros AVA, also known as Los Carneros, is at the southern end of the Napa and Sonoma Valleys at the top of the San Francisco Bay. The 8,000 vineyard acres are mostly planted to Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, both of which thrive in the district’s cool, marine climate. Carneros became an AVA in 1983 and it has attracted foreign wine companies along with local producers. It has been especially appealing to European producers of sparkling wines including the giant Spanish cava producers Codorniu and Frexinet, and the French Champagne house Taittinger. Codorniu in Carneros is called Artesa, and Frexinet’s Carneros brand is Gloria Ferrer. Taittinger calls its Carneros winery Domaine Carneros. The European producers also make still wines in Carneros.