wine connection
Generations of
fıne wınes
Wine-growing Wagners
today: Joseph (left),
Chuck (center) and
Charlie II.
The Wagner family tree
bears fine fruit
OBy Annette Alvarez-Peters ONE OF NAPA Valley’s premier wine-producing districts, Rutherford, has always been home to Chuck Wagner, a fourth-generation grower, winemaker and proprietor of
an iconic California brand,
Caymus Vineyards. Chuck,
along with his children, continues to build the family-owned wine business through
innovation in the vineyard
and wineries, consistently
delivering top-quality wines
vintage after vintage.
MICHAEL FALCO
The Wagners first arrived in Northern California in the late 19th century, immigrating from
Alsace, the famous wine-growing region of eastern
France. They eventually settled in the Napa Valley in
1915 and built a winery, where Chuck’s grandfather
produced bulk wine until Prohibition was enacted.
Chuck grew up on the family farm and recalls
that “there did not seem to be much of a future, as
the crops [grapes, prunes and walnuts] did not
make much money to support much more than my
folks.” So as winemaking grew in the Napa Valley,
the family converted orchards to vineyards. And
in 1972, Chuck, then 19, and his parents, Charlie
and Lorna, established their own winery, Caymus
Vineyards. The winery was named after the original Mexican land grant, Rancho Caymus, which
encompassed the area now known as Rutherford.
Looking back at those early years, Chuck, now
59, says he was familiar with hard work in the field,
but admits that winemaking was “a bit concerning,”
as he had no formal education in oenology. “My
dad was a very good home winemaker,” Chuck
says, but perhaps a longer-reaching influence was
his father’s “quality or the highway” attitude in
regard to winemaking.
Today, Caymus focuses on two Cabernet
Sauvignons: Napa Valley, which is complex, rich,
ripe and full-bodied; and Special Selection, which is
their finest expression of what the Napa Valley has
to offer. Special Selection is well structured and
supple, with intense, complex layers.
The family creed of “one wine, one label” is car-
ried on by the next generation. Chuck’s sons, Charlie II and Joseph, grew up working in the vineyards during summers and spring breaks. Today they focus on top-quality wines of their own. Charlie II runs Mer Soleil Vineyards in the Santa Lucia Highlands of Monterey County. Mer Soleil specializes in Chardonnay and produces an intense, full-bodied oaked wine and an unoaked bottling, “Silver,” which is fresh, fruity and clean. The family also farms 100 acres of Meyer lemons adjacent to the vineyard. Chuck believes you can smell and taste a hint of lemon in the wine. Joseph oversees production of the vineyards and winemaking at Belle Glos, located in the cooler growing areas of the Santa Maria Valley, Santa Lucia Highlands and Sonoma Coast. There, condi- tions are perfect to produce quality Pinot Noir that is elegant, fruit forward and full-bodied. Joseph started making Pinot Noir as an hom- age to his grandparents (the winery is named after his grandmother, Lorna Belle Glos Wagner). “There wasn’t a real home for Pinot,” he says. “Every lot was an experiment, but it laid the foundation for Belle Glos. ‘Have no bound- aries’ was one thing my dad ingrained in me.” Many changes have occurred in the wine business throughout these generations, and today’s market conditions can be fierce. With tough international competition, Chuck notes, “the wine business involves one’s personal expres- sion—we have to produce wines that are individ- ual, special and considered a good value.” Another Wagner family motto is “Be proud of who you are and what you do.” This down-to-earth family works hard, placing great emphasis on qual- ity vineyards and winemaking. The Wagners have much to be proud of. Their family of wines carries on a legacy of consistent quality established generations ago. We can all look forward to enjoying wines from the Wagner family for generations to come. C
Featured at
Costco
You’ll find these fine
wines from California at
select Costcos.
Caymus Vineyards
Special Selection
Cabernet Sauvignon,
Napa Valley Item #896348
Belle Glos Meiomi Pinot
Noir, Sonoma Coast
Item #330466
Conundrum White
Table Wine, California
Item #18926
Caymus Vineyards
Napa Valley Cabernet
Sauvignon, Napa Valley
Item #11308
NW
FOR INFORMATION on
Costco’s Kirkland Signature
wines, go to Costco.com,
click on “Costco Connection
Magazine,” then “Kirkland
Signature Wine Connection.”
To find which warehouses
carry wine, click on “Beer,
Wine & Spirits Locator.”
Annette Alvarez-Peters oversees Costco’s wine,
beer and spirits program.
GLO W IMAGES
NOVEMBER 2010 ;e Costco Connection 25
