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May 16, 2008
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2008-05-16
Winemaker Profile: Aminda Winery
JEFF GAFFNER
by Sue Straight The Wine Wench
“I love making wine. I love the art of it, the science of it and most of all the tradition of it. I continue to be fascinated by wine’s capacity for reflecting the subtlest of influences from the vineyard environment to the winemaker’s touch. And my goal is always to produce a wine that is true to the varietal and growing site.” This statement really sums up winemaker Jeff Gaffner’s passion for what he does.
Jeff joined the “A” Team (What Armida Winery lovingly refers to as their core staff) as consulting winemaker at the end of 2003. He told me “They think outside the box at Armida and are very receptive to new ideas – I get a lot of creative freedom.” Jeff is really excited about the boatload of positive changes that are happening at Armida as we speak. I could almost see his tail wagging as he said “We have taken the wines to the next level, in fact, these new vintages just coming out are the strongest groups of wine ever made here.” Inside tip – start looking to Armida for some killer Pinot Noirs. You heard it here first, folks!
Jeff is a 25-year veteran of the wine industry, although his grape-growing roots go deeper than that. As a second generation Sonoma Valley farmer, he and his family have managed their prized 100-year-old Casa Santinamaria Vineyard in Sonoma since 1934. These roots show in his winemaking – Jeff is passionate about capturing the vineyard’s essence in his wines. He believes that each vineyard has its own unique “signature” that it imparts to the wine and that the finished wine should evoke memories of that vineyard site.
Along with wearing the consulting winemaker hat at Armida, this dynamo also owns his own winery (Saxon Brown Wines, founded in 1997), consults for Black Kite Cellars and Xtant Wines and owns a vineyard management company. Whew! When does this guy sleep?
I asked Jeff what he does for fun and he told me “kids, wine, basketball and baseball – that’s about it!” Jeff is a family guy – he owns Saxon Brown Wines with his wife Terisa and loves hanging out with her and his sons, Jason and Tyler. He coaches Little League baseball whenever he gets the chance.
Jeff is a down-to-earth kind of guy. When asked what his wine pet peeves were, he told me, “It bugs me when people ask if they should save a particular wine for a special occasion. If they wait too long, the moment is past and the wine may not be showing as well as it was in its youth. Just drink it – I’ll make more!” Jeff believes that wine is a bridge to a memorable evening, even if it’s Tuesday night and you’re having pizza or hamburgers. I gotta agree with him there – just drink it!
Another notable quote from Jeff is “Winemaking must consume you, or your wines may not be worth consuming.” Wow! Talk about passion and dedication!
To find out more about Jeff Gaffner and Armida wines, visit www.armida.com.
Armida Winery is located at 2201 Westside Road in Healdburg and is open daily from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information, visit the website or call (707) 433-2222.
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