Here up on the hill we are full of gratitude for our time to enjoy these beautiful fall days.  Harvest is behind us, with the promise of another vintage of Stony Hill now resting in barrel.  We are excited about these young wines and are watching them form with great anticipation.  We have enjoyed the process this year as we become more in tune with such a special place.  There is so much to learn and cherish about this historic site.

We were fortunate to have more fruit to work with this year, which provided the opportunity for a greater range of winemaking decisions.  We were able to ferment Chardonnay in barrels, stainless drums, and concrete eggs this fall.  We were able to do the same with our Riesling and Gewürztraminer, and these wines are shaping to be expressive and exciting.  2022 is another year of vibrant Stony Hill Cabernets in the making.  It was also a privilege to work with Cabernet Sauvignon from several other LWE sites this year – Ink Grade, Trailside, and Linda Falls. 

Now we catch back up with everything else!  We are turning our attention back to our wines of 2021 and our beloved heritage vines.  With bottlings, pruning, grazing, pollinator garden projects, and many more things to come – there is always something to look forward to.  

- Jaimee Motley, Winemaker

It’s been an eventful fall season for Stony Hill! This is such a special time at the estate as we witness the colors change across the valley to vibrant hues of yellow, orange and red.

We’ve since launched our Terrace Reserve experience and guests have enjoyed the opportunity to exclusively reserve our famous oak terrace table overlooking the valley while having a curated tasting featuring library vintages. 

Following a successful harvest, we have released our 2020 White Riesling as well as the 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon. The 2020 White Riesling is an extra special bottling for us for many reasons, but especially so because this marks the first showcasing of our updated label and branding to the public and it’s being received very well! 

October 15th was our inaugural Harvest Luncheon, and we took the chance to celebrate 70 years of winemaking with a wonderful group of Stony Hill collectors and enthusiasts. It was a wonderful time to gather and share stories while partaking in a Riesling reception on our oak terrace followed by a 3-course lunch in the amphitheater overlooking the mountainside of the property. 

We’ve since finalized our designs for the next chapter of Stony Hill and now start planning for our closure on November 28th. Our final day of tastings will be Sunday, November 27th!

- Michaela Kelly, Estate Director

Ink Grade began harvesting Sauvignon Blanc on August 12th and was >80% finished prior to the heat wave at the end of August. Quality was exceptional and we saw the Napa Valley blocks come in before the Howell Mountain blocks this year. 

This compact harvest challenged the team to give the best of themselves from dawn to dusk and over many weekends. The heavy schedule did not compromise our family-style educational luncheons where homemade food accompanied some of the wine that influenced our journey.  

Without the help of our stellar interns Freddy, Rohan, Martín and Johnathan, our incredible full-time cellar team Brandon and Miguel, as well as the Burgess team, we wouldn’t have been able to create such truly fantastic and exceptional wines.

Quality seems extremely high, and we are striving to get everything “put to bed” prior to Thanksgiving.  

We know everyone will love this vintage.

- Matt Taylor, Winemaker

Estate Update

It is hard to believe that it is almost November and the holidays are fast approaching. We have officially settled into the Tasting Salon at Heitz Cellar, and while it was a long project, we could not be more proud of the hospitality team and how they have made the new renovation feel like home. I am pleased to announce the promotion of Allison Hudak from Wine Curator to Hospitality Manager. Allison’s unwavering commitment to her team and the guest experience at the Salon has been significant since her first day at Heitz Cellar. We could not be more excited to have her grow within the company in this new role. 

In an effort to keep pushing the boundaries and offer guests unique and memorable experiences, we are excited to announce that renovations have begun at the Estate at Heitz Cellar on Taplin Road. We look forward to opening the doors (or gates) to guests again in Spring 2023. This new experience will allow guests to immerse themselves in the historic property more exclusively and luxuriously than in years past. 

It is the busiest time of the year for the membership and guest services team as we gear up for the biggest holiday season we’ve ever had. The 2017 vintage of Single-Vineyards has officially been released to members and will soon be part of the tasting flight offered at the Salon. A special shoutout to Carlos Bradley, Taylor Hotter, and the entire marketing team at LWE. Their ability to capture authentic and genuine stories about this cherished estate and relay them through various forms of media cannot be understated. We would not be where we are without them. If you have not already seen it, I encourage you to view the Fall Membership Video, found here.

This year has seen the return of in-person events, and the reception from members has been spectacular. We recently completed the inaugural La Paulee at Heitz Cellar, our signature member event of the year. The planning and execution from Megan Currie and Shaeda Marashi were remarkable and set the stage as something our members will look forward to being a part of for years to come. 

In short, I could not be more proud and honored to work with the individuals that call Lawrence Wine Estates, especially Heitz Cellar, their place of work. We remain dedicated to this historic property and are inspired by the various estates and companies in LWE that continue to push the wine industry forward.

Erik Elliott — Estate Director

Production Update

With the 2022 growing season coming to a close, we have had the opportunity to taste and make some early evaluations of the vintage; I think everyone at Heitz Cellar is excited with the promise these wines show and we look forward to monitoring their evolution in the coming months while we get ready to place our barrel order for these wines. 

While 2022 provided some unique challenges, our production team is never shy to tackle unusual circumstances and we are now on the other side stronger and wiser than we were before. I want to recognize our incredible interns who joined our team for the season- McKenzie, Eli, Rachel, and Jorge - It is always so rewarding to watch talented people thrive and we look forward to seeing their careers take off. Our full-time team members continue to take on new challenges with Genaro and Dante tackling press operations, Javier taking on a lead role running crush operations, Justin taking on more responsibility in the lab, and Maximillian, Michael and Steve learning the in’s and out’s of our cellar during their first harvest with Heitz Cellar. Our winery would also not run as smoothly if it wasn’t for the organization and winemaking focus that Ted, Hannah and Erik bring to the table.

I am particularly proud of my team for their camaraderie with each other. Harvest can be both mentally and physically taxing, however, having enthusiastic people work beside you makes the early mornings and late nights fly by. The quality of our wine starts in our vineyards and I am grateful everyday to have a team of talented women and men work with me to help shepherd these wines into bottle. 

Now our attention turns towards bottling. This fall, we will finishing some packaging for the 2021 Brendel wines as well as the 2019 Heitz Lot C-91. In the Winter, we plan to bottle the 2021 Heitz Quartz Creek Chardonnay and potentially a Sauvignon Blanc under the Heitz label that will be exclusively offered to our cherished members. 

We can’t wait to share these wines with all of you!

Brittany Sherwood - Director of Winemaking

Brendel is excited to announce John Lodge has joined our team. Formally with Burgess, John transitioned over to Brendel during the remodel. He is a great addition to our small but mighty team and we are thrilled to have him. Welcome, John! 

There has been quite a bit of buzz lately with Brendel and we’re here for it. The SF Chronicle featured us as one of the best Napa and Sonoma wine tastings for $30 and under, and Sunset Magazine named us one of the Top Tasting Rooms alongside The Salon at Heitz Cellar. We’ll drink to that! 

In Brendel updates, this month we joined the Napa Chamber of Commerce. I will be networking with other local businesses and the city of Napa promoting leadership and gaining education while representing Brendel. We also installed two projectors in our tasting room so stop in for a glass or two and watch your favorite sporting event or music videos. We may even be showing your favorite movie.

And finally, the Grand Opening Party was a huge success! Brendel celebrated in style on October 29th and festivities included a ribbon cutting with Mayor Scott Sedgley and the Napa Chamber of Commerce. DJ Soigne had the party pumping with great music as guests were welcomed with a glass of Young Leon Frizzante Rose. Ox and the Fox provided small bites and Los Agaves Food Truck came in strong with their taco game. A massive “thank you” to all who joined us for this special event!

Cheers,
Amy Jabin, Hospitality Manager

What a harvest 2022 was! We began picking on August 10th with Quartz Creek Chardonnay for Burgess sparkling, quickly followed by Trailside and Valley Oak Sauvignon Blanc for Heitz and Ink Grade. The following week we began chipping away with reds across the properties for all our wineries.  August brought us warm days with cool nights, perfect ripening weather.

 As we entered Labor Day weekend, we prepared ourselves for the heat wave coming. This included giving blocks that still had fruit a deep irrigation prior to the heat event as well as putting up shade cloth in select blocks to alleviate the clusters from direct sun exposure. The heat wave began on September 4th and lasted until the 8th with the highest temperatures on September 6th ranging from 109 to 122 degrees. The following Sunday on September 18th, it rained in Napa around 1-inch. During the heat, having natural shade from our canopies over the fruit provided aid in retaining fresh flavors and acidity. After the rain we needed to remove these leaves to provide air flow for prevention from any rot or mold. When the heat wave started, our wineries were approximately 70% in with fruit, whereas a majority of other Napa wineries had not even started. This is a huge testament to our winemakers and our philosophy of picking on the earlier side for the wines we are collectively wanting to make. 

Once the fruit is harvested, the vines must now be put to bed for the winter. We spread compost across the soil and spread a selected blend of cover crop seed that will together feed the soil and ultimately the vine. On our hillside vineyards we prepare for winter rains by spreading straw on the soil to act as a blanket to reduce erosion. The leaves are now starting to turn color and senesce and begin for their winter rest.

I cheers to you all for another vintage at Lawrence Wine Estates and to the 2023 that is on the horizon!

-Macy Stubstad, Director of Vineyard Operations

LWE North

Since July, LWE has welcomed Vanessa Bito (HR & Compensation Manager) and Aaron Baker (Inventory Control Manager) to the team. We are thrilled to have them and I hope you all have had the opportunity to meet them in person. 

Starting the first part of December, I will be initiating training for all employees and managers on the new Paylocity payroll system, I know this has been long awaited for. We look forward to an enhanced experience for all employees. If you have any questions, please let me know.

As a reminder, the LWE 899 Adams St. office will be closed through the middle of January for remodeling and we look forward to welcoming you all once we re-open. 

We look forward to welcoming you all to the Lawrence Wine Estates Holiday Party on December 15th at Auberge-Stanly Ranch to share in the cheer & merriment of the Season.

- Rayna Baker, Head of People and Culture

LWE SOUTH

Updates from your Lawrence Wine Estates Sales & Creative Marketing Team

The team at LWE South Sales & Creative have been busy! We are proud to announce the newest addition to our team, Nadine Nettmann. Nadine joins us as our Head of Editorial content, where she works on email marketing, writing and producing content for our website, emails and printed pieces. With a wealth of experience, we are excited to have her join us!

In addition we are pleased to formally welcome Christine Lilienthal to team in the role of Marketing Coordinator. Christine supports the team in a variety of ways with her bright and lively approach to all things marketing. We value her experience and expertise immensely and her always appreciate her supportive nature.

And with the holidays quickly approaching, we are excited to share that holiday is live for Heitz Cellar, Burgess and Stony Hill!  – around the office, one of our favorite times of the year is OND (October, November, December), and this year is no exception! Kudos to the team for producing stunning and creative holiday content this year. 

We also recently wrapped up harvest creative content for all our brands, executing photos and videos of key moments happening all over the valley at our estates and vineyards. On the digital front, Heitz Cellar website received a home page update and a new website experience for Stony Hill is also underway. The landing page for Haynes Vineyard has also gone live as we work to launch the brand in spring 2023. All of the estate socials have been looking great, we love every comment and ‘heart’ we receive!

The Lawrence Wine Estates LinkedIn has been recently updated, we invite you to join us and post to our page.  

As we look ahead to 2023 – we have so much on the horizon: the grand opening of The Pavilion at Ink Grade, the re-launch of hospitality at Stony Hill and Burgess, and being able to share the wines from Haynes with our guests. We are grateful for the support of all our teams and the culture of collaboration and partnership we have been able to foster.

-Burroughs Blind, Senior Vice President Sales & Marketing
-Chloe Tyer, Executive Director of Guest Experience & Marketing

The Demeine Estates team has had an eventful few months, as we’ve continued to grow and embarked on new projects. In September, Andrew Deitz joined our team as the Senior Vice President of Sales, and has quickly made decisive moves in growing market presence and increasing collaboration. Andrew is based in Boston, and brings his vast experience in the three-tier system as well as his entrepreneurial spirit to Demeine. In additional team news, Michele Manahan joined us as the Front Office Administrator and Executive Assistant on October 17th. 

Our Marketing, Sales and Operations teams gathered in September for 2023 planning and brand education across our rapidly expanding portfolio. We took an immersive look at our import partners, which will be launching over the course of the coming year, as well as the upcoming vintages of the each Lawrence Wine Estates winery, and the launch of Haynes Vineyard to the trade. With activations including La Chablisienne, Castello di Fonterutoli, and Domaine Roc de l’Abbaye coming up in 2023, we have also launched a quarterly Demeine Estates Newsletter that is distributed to our wholesalers and customers to keep them up to date with the latest Demeine Estates developments. 

Demeine Estates has received some exciting accolades recently, including a nomination for Importer of the Year by Wine Enthusiast’s Wine Star Awards in recognition of our portfolio development and distributor relationships. Additionally, Philana Bouvier was recognized by the San Francisco Business Times as one of the Most Influential Women in Business in the Bay Area, which recognizes top executives, C-suite leaders and entrepreneurs across industries. Cheers to closing out the year successfully! 

-Philana Bouvier, President

People often consider themselves good communicators but consistently fail to understand why breakdowns happen. "The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place." - George Bernard Shaw. Most of the time, it's because we have different personalities and communication styles. What is clear to one is not always clear to others. Some prefer specificity, while others prefer the big-picture. Some prefer bluntness and being direct, while others prefer to be more warm and open. Whatever your preference is, understand that just because you operate in a specific way does not mean others understand that way. Your filters affect how you say something; mine affect how I hear it. 

Research has shown that good communicators display the following characteristics:

• They are approachable

• They are generous listeners

• They are clear and concise

• They are authentic and honest

• They inspire those around them

• They are reliable, and they follow-through

• They are patient

While you may see yourself in some of the above, is that how others would describe you? One of the characteristics people struggle with most is being clear and direct. When they have difficult messages, they often beat around the bush or avoid being direct not to hurt someone's feelings. On the other hand, some people are so straightforward that they don't consider how the message will be received. 

Brene Brown says, "Over the past several years, my team and I have learned something about clarity and the importance of hard conversations that has changed everything from the way we talk to each other to the way we negotiate with external partners. It's simple but transformative: Clear is kind. Unclear is unkind." A Gallup survey found that 46% of employees rarely or never leave a meeting knowing what they are supposed to do next. When we are unclear, we diminish engagement, trust, and performance goes down significantly. We can also increase unwanted behaviors, including gossip, passive-aggressiveness, and sarcasm.

So how do we change this? The first step, drop the ego. The ego is the thing that insists on your desire to get your way. I'll be blunt, all of the world's problems stem from someone's desire to be right. When focused on being right, you miss out on creativity, innovation, and opportunity. We aren't always going to agree, so we must learn to disagree well. That means you hear what someone is saying and let them know what you hear. When people feel heard and understood, they are more likely to buy into the goal or vision you are discussing. What makes you feel heard and understood?

The second step is to stay objective. Objective listening means you are hearing what is being said. You are focused on the facts and not influenced by your personal feelings, interpretations, or biases. Allowing yourself to listen this way encourages openness and transparency. People are more likely to come to you with concerns when you are approachable. Reflective listening, also known as active listening, is being able to listen and communicate to the sender what they just said. It helps ensure mutual understanding and lowers the risk of losing your message. You can practice this skill by repeating back the main points of the message and asking them if you understand them correctly. 

In summary, great listeners have better relationships, get more done, and are more resilient. They are present, curious, and set aside any judgments to hear the content. They articulate the message back to the speaker and why it is important to them. Great communicators do these things because they recognize that when people are listened to, they are more productive, effective, and better team players. John Powell said, "Communication works for those who work at it." Incorporating these skills into your daily life will help your team, organization, and, ultimately, you. 

- Dustin Beasley, Second State Leadership

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ONCE ON THE PAGE

• Create an account or sign in to your existing Calm account
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Lawrence Wine Estates has a Planet Fitness Corporate Membership at the following locations for Full-Time Employees:

NAPA • PETALUMA

If you would like to take part in this benefit and your Planet Fitness is not listed above, please reach out to Rayna Baker so an account can be set up.

Instructions:

• Visit your local Planet Fitness (Where an account has been established)

• Let them know you’re with Lawrence Wine Estates

• Provide your name and either your company email (if you have one) or your personal email address

That’s it! It’s that simple!

For questions, please direct them to Rayna Baker, Head of People & Culture

Team Member of the Month

Congratulations to our winners for AUGUST 2022

Ashley Cutler - Administrative Director – Lawrence Wine Estates
“Ashley is always quick to lend a hand, especially in assisting Demeine Estates while they are without an EA. Ashley always approaches her role with a positive attitude, consistent communication and quality work. She has jumped right in and proved to be a huge help in coordinating the LWE office remodel project and provides HR with support. She is thorough in her tasks and holds herself to a high standard of work. She is dependable and has exceeded all expectations in the short amount of time she has been with LWE.”

Mary Stump – Assistant Winemaker- Ink Grade Estate Vineyard
“Mary is an inspiring leader for her team and peers at Ink Grade. She keeps a positive energy despite the strong demand that this harvest has caused and her and her team. She keeps a strong focus, she is meticulous in her work. She provides quality regardless of being submerged in crushed times. She is always available and here to support. She provides insightful feedback with an open mind and open heart. She deeply cares about her team and our project.”

Nominees:
Sierra Zeiter- Enologist- Burgess Cellars
Shaeda Marashi- Membership & Guest Services Specialist- Heitz Cellar
Mary Stump- Assnt Winemaker- Ink Grade Estate Vineyard
Ashley Cutler- Administrative Director- Lawrence Wine Estates
Jay Keller- Sales Analyst- Demeine Estates
Erik Griffin- Cellar Master- Heitz Cellar

Upcoming Birthdays

October:

1. Mariana Larsen- Southern CA Regional Manager- Demeine Estates- October 9th

2. Joe Grabski- Wine Curator- Heitz Cellar- October 16th

November:

1. Megan Currie- Director of Membership & Fulfillment- Heitz Cellar- November 5th

2. Aaron Baker- Inventory Control Manager- LWE- November 10th

3. Sabrenah Benson- Hospitality Manager- Stony Hill Vineyard- November 16th

December:

1. Scott Diaz- VP of Global Marketing- Demeine Estates- December 7th

2. Erik Elliott, M.S. - Estate Director- Heitz Cellar- December 15th

3. John Lodge- Wine Curator- Brendel – December 16th

4. Nico Cueva- Winemaker- Haynes Vineyard- December 21st

5. Carlos Bradley - Director of Digital Marketing & E-Commerce - LWE - December 23rd

6. Angela Berlogar- Membership & Guest Relations Manager- Burgess Cellars- December 30th

7. Toby Halkovich- COO – LWE- December 30th

Upcoming Anniversaries

October:

1. Allison Hudak- Hospitality Manager- Heitz Cellar- 1 yr

2. Michaela Kelly- Estate Director- Stony Hill- 1 yr

3. Audrey Marek- Demeine Estates- 1 yr

4. Shannon Pestoni- Demeine Estates- 1 yr

November:

1. Ted Weisser- Assistant Winemaker- Heitz Cellar- 1 yr

2. Toby Halkovich- COO- LWE- 4 yr

3. Martin Cirigo Chavez- Landscaper- Heitz Cellar- 27 yrs!!

4. Jay Keller- Sales Analyst- Demeine Estates- 1 yr

5. Richard Norman- Wine Curator- Stony Hill- 1 yr

December:

1. Jaimee Motley- Winemaker- Stony Hill- 2 yr