MICHAEL BEAULAC – GM & WINEMAKER, PINE RIDGE VINEYARDS & SLDW PRESIDENT - STAGS LEAP DISTRICT WINE GROWERS DINNER
Wine is personal. My goal is to create the best wines that express our five distinct appellations. My aim is to produce elegant, balanced wines that retain their fruit quality and express their vineyard terroir. I like taking raw fruit in and guiding it on the path to great wine.
Michael Beaulac joined the Pine Ridge Vineyards team as General Manager and Winemaker in 2009. He has worked with some of the most highly regarded wineries in both Sonoma and Napa Valley, including St. Supery, Markham Vineyards and Murphy Goode.
Michael’s interest in wine started with his first really good bottle of wine. He quickly noted thereafter the distinct difference between wines, their appellations and ultimately the quality. He read an article on the impact of fruit quality and winemaking and realized wine was not just a commodity. Wine quality was influenced by fruit quality and terroir.
In 1989, he decided to move to wine country from Portland, Maine to embark on his journey to work in the wine industry. He started at Murphy Goode winery in Alexander Valley, working in the cellar for many years to eventually become the Winemaker for the Pinot Noir and Zinfandel programs. He then met Merry Edwards and went to work with her producing Pinot Noir and Chardonnay at Laurier. Most recently, Michael worked at St.Supery for seven years with renowned consulting French winemaker Michel Roland.
Michael joined Pine Ridge Vineyards for the opportunity to work with the 200-estate vineyard acres, within 5 AVA’s, comprised of 12 vineyards. This will be Michael’s 23rd harvest.
Michael has been married for 17 years to his wife Cathy. They have a 9-year-old daughter, Esther, and a 14-year-old son, Eric. When Michael is not making wine you can find him on the ski slopes at Lake Tahoe or out to dinner in Napa.
Join us for a Culinary Evening with the California Winemasters & the Stags Leap District Winegrowers! To celebrate their 25th year we've put together one of our finest 'kick-off' dinners to date! Won't you join us?!
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 2014 ~ 6:30pm
Tickets - $185 Per Person ($105 is tax deductible)
Cabana Room at Island Hotel Newport Beach
690 Newport Center Drive, Newport Beach, CA 92660
SEATING IS LIMITED VALET PARKING AVAILABLE
TO RESERVE SEATS PLEASE CALL (323) 939-0758
www.pineridgevineyards.comwww.stagsleapdistrict.comKAREN CAKEBREAD – OWNER/FOUNDER, ZIATA WINESTwenty-two years of representing the Napa Valley and its wines around the world gave Ziata Wines owner/founder Karen Cakebread the desire and know-how to develop her own wine brand, which she named in honor of her mother and officially launched in March 2008.
Karen is a well-known representative of and cheerleader for the Napa Valley. Her wine experience started with Cakebread Cellars, for which she worked for 18 years. While living in Hong Kong, she assisted with the winery’s marketing efforts in Hong Kong and in Singapore. After moving to the Napa Valley in 1989, she oversaw the winery’s educational, corporate hospitality and international marketing efforts. She also managed the winery’s American Harvest Workshop, an annual event that brings together noted chefs, artisan food purveyors and media to help build awareness and improve the availability and marketability of American wine and food products.
Karen has also worked tirelessly to promote the Napa Valley through her involvement with the Napa Valley Vintners, the non-profit trade organization responsible for promoting and protecting the appellation and its wines. She served on the association’s Board of Directors for four years and has chaired various marketing committees. In addition, she has served on the steering committee for its annual fundraiser, Auction Napa Valley—the world’s largest charity wine auction—and was a co-chair when Cakebread Cellars chaired the Auction in 2006.
Living and working abroad fed Karen’s sense of adventure and her passion for exploring the world, and her journeys—beyond work-related travel—have taken her through Nepal, Turkey, Mongolia and India. She was also a founding board member of Elaine Mackie Charitable Trust, which raised money for breast cancer research by “trekking” mountains around the world, including Mt. Kilimanjaro, with other like-minded Napa Valley women, including Paula Kornell, Nancy (Andrus) Duckhorn, Janice Mondavi and others.
And as much as she enjoys exploring the world, Karen’s roots are now firmly planted in Calistoga, where she lives among her newly established Sauvignon Blanc vines (watch for an estate Sauvignon Blanc in a few years) with Pearl and Moet, her lovable Labradors.
ziatawines.com
