Emily Richer

Winemaker, Virage Napa Valley

Following culinary school and a wine immersion program at UCDavis, I enjoyed twelve years working with Napa Valley vintners including the St. Emilion deConinck family and Agustin Huneeus whose stunning Quintessa property showed me Napa Valley's potential to interpret a Bordeaux blend. I trained my palate tasting every day for a year as assistant to James Beard award winning author/educator Karen MacNeil. Launching Virage of my own vision began a hands-on winemaking journey, aided by a network of consultants and growers in the Napa Valley, and the excellent enology & viticulture courses offered at the bonded working winery at our local Napa Valley College.

Country born: USA

Education: B.S. in business and economics from CSU Northridge, winemaking and wine business/marketing studies at U.C. Davis and Napa Valley College, and a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America at Greystone in St. Helena, where a 22-week program in 1998 began a career centered around wine. In the creation of Virage, the most credit belongs Karen MacNeil who taught me how to taste and think and talk about wine; to Agustin Huneeus who showed me the business of running a winery; and to Doug Hill, the third-generation farmer and mindful Napa grower who designed and planted our primary vineyard. It is Doug's instinct and experience that I rely upon the most today.

Years in the wine industry: 10-15 years

Winemaking Philosophy:
Inspired by the extraordinary diversity of Napa Valley, I'm mining cooler-climate sites to create a Right Bank Bordeaux-style blend. The Napa Valley enjoys an astounding range of micro-climates and soil types --33 different soil series compared to 4 in all the wine-growing regions of France. If Bordeaux has a Right Bank, then so might we. "Virage," named for the French word meaning a 'turn in the road' and ‘change in perspective,’ produces cool-climate Bordeaux varietal blends reminiscent of a Grand Cru St. Emilion.
I'm enchanted by Cabernet Franc. I call this ancient varietal the "heirloom grape," which thrives in a narrow comfort zone and teases us with rich complexity when optimally ripe. Given the right conditions, Cabernet Franc offers a supple, thousand-thread-count structure with exquisite depth of fruit and savory elements. I crave the elegance, complexity and minerality of a classic St. Emilion blend--my idea of the perfect wine with dinner.

Growing in a cooler climate closer to tempering marine influence, we're able to extend the growing season and yet retain the natural acidity so important to balance in a finished wine. I don't want wine-making techniques to overwhelm the fruit nor overburden the cost.