Introducing the 2017 Hot Brands — Band of Vintners
Band of Vintners
2015 Consortium Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa, CA
Collaboration at the Heart of Affordable, Enjoyable Napa Cab
In households across the country, oenophiles gather together to taste wines. Some are more systematic about the tastings than others, such as participants preparing to take their Master Sommelier or Master of Wine exams and are rigorous in their tasting notes and process. Some gatherings are much more informal: just a group of friends hanging out and trying wines from a new variety or region for the fun of it. And sometimes, it’s a group of winemakers honing their craft, learning new techniques and processes from each other, going over the latest vintage or release.
One such tasting group turned into a winemaking project.
Band of Vintners was born from a seven-member tasting group, each member with a unique wine knowledge base and hailing from across Napa County: Stephane Vivier, a winemaking consultant from Vivier Wines and winemaker for Hyde de Villaine; Cameron Hobel, owner of Hobel Wines in Napa; Brennan Anderson, vice president of marketing and partner at Folio Fine Wine Partners; Jason Heller, a Master Sommelier and vintner at Scale Wine Group, with stints at Harlan Estates and Promontory; Barrett Anderson, associate winemaker at Jackson Family Wines; Mark Porembski, winemaker and owner of Zeitgeist, and winemaker at Anomaly Vineyards and Lost Cellars; and Dan Petroski, winemaker at Larkmead Vineyards