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Star Napa winemaker leaves winery over 2020 red wines

21 March 2022 By Christian Smith

Heidi Peterson Barrett, celebrated Napa winemaker and one of db’s top 50 most powerful women in wine, has walked away from her role at Napa’s Kenzo Estate – purportedly over the winery’s decision to release red wines from the 2020 vintage.

A number of Napa Valley’s most celebrated vineyards have decided not to release reds from the 2020 vintage, due to fears of smoke taint as the result of the Glass Fire that broke out in the midst of Cabernet Sauvignon harvesting.

Though executive vice president of Kenzo Estates told wine-searcher that he did not want to discuss the details of Heidi Peterson Barrett’s exit, he did claim that she was a consultant, rather than the Estate’s winemaker. “We have a winemaker who is in charge of everything 90-95 percent every year. Heidi just stopped by just for the branding just like Michel Rolland. But actually [Nanes] is making wine every year.” He told wine-searcher.

However, Barrett herself took an entirely different viewpoint, telling the website: “I’ve been their winemaker from the beginning and never was the consultant”. She described her role there as setting the style and blends of the wines and being “ultimately responsible” for the quality of the wine. “I would like it to be public knowledge that I did not make the 2020 reds,” she told wine-searcher.

Heidi Peterson Barrett is the woman behind some of California’s most lusted after wines. Known as the “First Lady of wine”, her fate in the California vintners hall of fame was sealed when she produced the inaugural vintage of Screaming Eagle in 1992, which, on receiving a 99-point score from Robert Parker, thrusted both her and the wine into the spotlight. During her time at the estate she received five perfect 100-point scores from Parker.

H/T: wine-searcher