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Luc Morlet

Winemaker, Morlet Family Vineyards

Wine has always been a way of life for Luc Morlet. Born in Epernay, France to a fifth-generation winegrower family, Luc grew up working on his family's Pinot Noir and Chardonnay domaine, Pierre Morlet & Fils, in Avenay-Val-d'Or, Champagne. As a child, he enjoyed learning about the practical and technical aspects of vineyard farming and winemaking.

Country born: France

Education: A Masters graduate of Œnology from Université des Sciences de Reims, France, Luc also holds a Viticulture degree from Ecole Viticole de Champagne, as well as an MBA in Wine Business from Ecole Supérieure de Commerce in Dijon, Burgundy. His professional viticultural and winemaking experience began in 1988 with a variety of internships in Burgundy, Bordeaux, Champagne and the Southwest of France. These included Maison Chanson Père et Fils in Beaune and the Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique in Bordeaux. Luc's knowledge was furthered by technical tours of the European wine regions of Italy, Spain, Germany and the French areas of Alsace, Cognac, Rhone and Loire Valley.
Upon completion of graduate school, Luc became the Assistant Winemaker for the Val d'Or Champagne Cellars. In 1993, he replaced the Winemaker at a French subsidiary in St Helena, allowing him to discover Napa Valley and Sonoma County's unique viticultural conditions. The following year, Luc became the winemaker at Château Dauzac, a classified Margaux growth, and perfected his skills making Bordeaux style wines, under the guidance of consultant Jacques Boissenot.

Years in the wine industry: 20-30 years

Honors / Awards:
In the spring of 2001, Luc became the winemaker for Peter Michael Winery. His expertise in the Bordeaux and Burgundy styles of viticulture and winemaking lent itself well to the winery's mission of handcrafting classical wines. Continuing Helen Turley's legacy, Luc's technical leadership helped Peter Michael Winery improve its already acclaimed wines during the 2001 through 2005 vintages. (In order to ensure the continuity of style, Luc still remains involved with Peter Michael Winery as Consulting Winemaker.) As part of his ongoing effort to achieve the highest quality of wines, Luc designed and developed, in the summer of 2003 and in collaboration with manufacturing company P&L Specialties, a unique premium berry sorting device, named LE TRIEUR, currently under US Patent protection. More recently, Luc designed the Trademarked GYROBOX which facilitates the draining and devatting of puncheons by gravity.

Winemaking Philosophy:
Luc and his wife Jodie handcraft vins de terroir and unique cuvées from the Napa Valley under the Morlet Family Vineyards label. Their historic winery is located in the beautiful St. Helena appellation and is the exclusive fruit source for the ‘Morlet Estate’ Cabernet Sauvignon. The acclaimed ‘Force de la Nature’ and ‘Cœur de Vallée’ wines hail from their vineyard in the world-renowned Oakville appellation. Meticulously farmed vineyards and low-intervention winemaking techniques produce powerful yet refined wines. Aged exclusively in French oak barrels from selected artisan coopers, the wines are bottled unfined and unfiltered. An unwavering commitment to quality leads to small yields, attentive sorting, and the highest standard when blending, thus, a very limited amount of each wine is ever produced. By taking old world principles and adapting them to California, the Morlet style results in wines which are harmonious in their intensity, richness and complexity, while clearly displaying strong personality, seamless character and graceful aging capability. Having received tremendous accolades and international recognition, the highly sought-after wines are available to the winery’s mailing list and can be found at the finest restaurants and specialty wine shops around the world.