Bob Cabral confirms new Sonoma role

Former Williams Selyem winemaker Bob Cabral has been confirmed in a new post as director of winemaking at fellow Sonoma producer Three Sticks Wines.

Bob Cabral

Having left Williams Selyem after the 2014 harvest, Cabral had expressed his ambition “to do something different” after 16 years with the producer. Confirming that he had “explored many opportunities” since leaving his previous role, Cabral described his new position at Three Sticks as “the perfect opportunity for me.”

Featuring 135 acres of vineyard, planted primarily with Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, Three Sticks is spread across the Sonoma Valley, Sonoma Coast and Carneros AVAs. It was founded in 2002 by former lawyer and private equity firm partner Bill Price, who owns a number of other vineyards across Sonoma and has a stake in several producers, including Kistler Vineyards.

Commenting on this new partnership, Cabral said: “Bill and I share a focused passion for Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, and he is willing to provide the resources I need to continue to make what I expect to be the best wines of my career. I cannot express how much I’m looking forward to our collaboration together.”

Describing Price as “someone who I’ve admired for quite some time,” Cabral continued: “I have watched him become a quiet leader for the California wine industry and realized after several discussions that we shared a similar obsession for growing and producing Pinot Noir and Chardonnay from ‘chosen’ sites throughout Coastal California.”

Cabral set out his initial priorities at Three Sticks, saying: “We will get the 2013s blended and bottled in the next few weeks to have them available this summer.”

He will be joined at Three Sticks by the winery’s new associate winemaker Ryan Prichard, a former Williams Selyem intern and assistant winemaker for Medlock Ames, also in Sonoma.

Welcoming this new team, Price remarked: “Bob is undoubtedly one of the most talented winemakers in Sonoma County and has a beautiful touch with his Pinot Noirs. We are thrilled to have Bob and Ryan on the team at Three Sticks and I look forward to working with them on making iconic Sonoma wines for years to come.”