Vivier Sexton Vivier Vin de Liqueur California 2017

Stéphane Vivier was born and raised in Meloisey, Burgundy, where he learned his laissez-faire method of winemaking while growing up at the feet of an elderly neighbor whose family had been making wine for centuries. His skills were then cultivated in the vineyards and cellars of Pommard, Meursault, and Chassagne-Montrachet. After obtaining degrees in viticulture and enology from the Université de Bourgogne in Dijon, he moved on to work harvests in Switzerland, Sonoma and New Zealand. In 2002 he moved to Napa to become the winemaker at Hyde de Villaine in Carneros under the tutelage of the great Burgundian winemaker, Aubert de Villaine, the co-owner of Domaine de la Romanée-Conti (which is highly regarded as one of the world's greatest producers of Pinot Noir as well as the world's most expensive). Stéphane’s wife, Dana, whose love for wine began in eastern Washington’s emerging wine country while attending college in Walla Walla, spent a year studying at La Sorbonne in Paris which gave her fluency in French and a deep appreciation for leisurely meals with friends and great wine. After her postgraduate study at UC Davis, Dana landed a job working for an investment management company that specialized in high-end vineyards, which relocated her to Napa. Shortly thereafter, she met Stéphane, and it wasn’t long before the two realized that they belonged together.

Stéphane still makes the wine for Hyde de Villaine, and despite his busy day job, he and Dana have slowly and steadily grown their own family brand, Vivier. They launched the brand back in 2009 right after the two were married. Dana suggested that Stéphane make Pinot Noir – seemed like a no-brainer considering that he had grown up literally running through the vineyards of Burgundy. He asked her, “Where will the money come from?” And she told him, “Don’t worry. This is America.” That same year they started their own label with a handful of maxed out credit cards and just 30 cases of wine. Today, still incredibly small in production, Vivier’s bottlings have grown to become sought after and cherished by sommeliers and wine lovers looking for joyful, food friendly wines made from the heart.

This vin de liqueur is unlike anything that we have ever featured in the Pulse Club! Bright, concentrated, and sweet, one sip and you will forever keep a bottle on your bar cart. Stéphane was first introduced to a type of beverage called Pineau des Charentes by his grandmother, Mémé. She lived an hour north of Cognac, a stone’s throw from Bordeaux, where this local, fortified sweet beverage is mostly enjoyed before dinner. Rather than being distilled into brandy or fermented into wine, the grapes for Pineau des Charentes are pressed into grape juice, or must, and fortified with one-year-old Cognac eau-de-vie (the term used for brandy that has not yet aged for the requisite number of years to be legally deemed “Cognac”). Thus, though it is easiest to liken Pineau des Charentes to a fortified wine, it’s actually just fortified, unfermented grape must. The technical name for this style of beverage is vin de liqueur, which is around the same alcoholic strength as Sherry or Port – between 16 and 22% ABV, with most Pineau des Charentes being about 17% ABV – but with a more purely ‘grapey’ character. The 2017 Sexton is a blend of Syrah, Merlot and Pinot Noir grape juice and locally sourced, fresh-distilled Chardonnay brandy from Stéphane’s friends at Stillwater Spirits in Petaluma, California. The Sexton (named after Dana’s maiden name and in honor of other things in Stéphane’s life which, like this wine, are sweet and special) teases the senses with notes of dried Turkish apricots, concord grape and pomegranate seed, spiced up by hints of black tea and orange peel. Chill this down and enjoy a glass before dinner.

Only 50 cases produced of this gem!