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Mount Veeder Winery appoints new winemaker in milestone year

25 September 2023 By Colin Hay

Napa’s Mount Veeder Winery has appointed John Giannini as its new winemaker as it celebrates its 50th anniversary.

Californian-native Giannini has become known for his non-interventionalist philosophy, having spent more than 15 years concentrating on artistically hand-crafted premium Cabernet Sauvignon.

Giannini said he was “honoured” to be joining the Mount Veeder Winery family during its milestone year. “This is a brand with a rich history in Napa, and I’m thrilled to be a part of its continued success and legacy,” he said.

Mount Veeder Winery was founded in 1973 by Michael and Arlene Bernstein who fell in love with the rugged Mayacamas Mountain territory overlooking the Napa Valley in 1964. Encouraged by their friend, Napa legend Robert Mondavi, they purchased a 20-acre fruit farm on Mount Veeder and established its first winery, planting vines in 1970.

Since then it has become a pioneer in crafting distinctive wines that capture the rugged mountain terroir of the Mount Veeder AVA, becoming the first vintners ito plant all five of the classic Bordeaux varieties on the same property, and tjhe first in Napa Valley to plant Petit Verdot.

“Fifty years is an incredible accomplishment, as the wines of Mount Veeder Winery are known for their graceful evolution with time”, general manager Jason Smith noted. “The power and structure they are known for in their youth turns into layers of complexity with age.”

Today, Mount Veeder Winery has three vineyard ranches nestled high in the Mayacamas Mountains above Napa Valley, including Rosenquist Ranch and North Ranch. The vines are planted on wide terraces of earth at elevations ranging from 1,000 to 1,600 feet. This high elevation provides diverse microclimates for a wide variety of growing conditions and fruit profiles and allows all the key Bordeaux grapes to prosper. These high-altitude grapes contribute to extraordinarily expressive wines renowned for their intensely concentrated bold and rich flavors.