Casa Dumetz Autumn 2012

LOS ALAMOS, CALIFORNIA
Casa Dumetz Wines
2012 AUTUMN
CASA DUMETZ WINES
AUTUMN 2012
CONTENTS
How I got here (and how did you find me?)........................................................................ 3
Mission Statement............................................................................................................... 4
On the 2012 grape harvest horizon..................................................................................... 5
Fun at Casa Dumetz Wines at Babi’s tasting room............................................................. 6
CONTACT INFORMATION:
Casa Dumetz Wines: 448 Bell Street, Suite B, Los Alamos, CA 93440
Ph: (805) 344-1900 Email: smee@casadumetzwines.com
www.casadumetzwines.com
2010 Grenache and Syrah
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CASA DUMETZ WINES
AUTUMN 2012
How I Got Here.
I would have never imagined this to
be my life, but now I can’t imagine
this not being my life.
Master’s degree in Journalism.
Fulbright Scholarship to the Republic
of Macedonia to study ethnic issues.
Writer for an agricultural magazine.
What do you do when you’ve
Freelance writer for Malibu Magazine...
finally found it? It is both incredibly
The list goes on so I won’t bore
intimidating and wonderfully
you, but needless to say, I did not
challenging at the same time.
have any plan. I should confess that I
Someone recently told me that to
still don’t have a plan, (though I do
have a plan is to have a recipe for
have goals). I will also admit loud and
failure. This advice was quite contrary
proud that life finally makes sense.
to what most astute businesspeople
And that everything that I have done in
would advise, though this made
my life has a direct application to what
complete sense to me. I have
I am currently doing: Making authentic
subsequently posed this question to
wine and creating authentic
many people, and surprisingly most
community with Casa Dumetz.
people who are happy and fulfilled
Perhaps I’ve discovered my plan, after
with their work report that they did not
all.
have any long-term strategy for
Forward motion.
success. They were simply satisfied
We are the sum of our parts and if
with the challenges and trajectory of
we are lucky we are able to shape
their work, which kept propelling them
them into a whole. Something
forward.
recognizable. Something definable.
Now, I should say that these
Though this, too, isn’t for everyone.
people didn’t enter their work blindly For me, I have finally discovered the
they understood the risks and their
missing piece to the puzzle that was
strengths - and most importantly they
thrust into the corner under the sofa all
understood their place in their
these years. Yes, it came late(r) in life,
environment. They were able to
but thankfully, I got the message and
answer the question: Why do you
ran with it. Most importantly, I am
exist?
thankful that I have had the
For me, because I had never quite
tremendous support of family, friends
found that thing, that it, that piece that
and the tremendous family of new
made me want to carry it with me into
friends I have met in the winemaking
the future and structure my life around
community and the wine-tasting
it, I found long-range planning difficult.
community. Every one of you has been
Primarily because I didn’t understand
incredibly giving, open and gracious.
why I existed, though I had plenty of
Thank you for putting your trust in me.
ideas and interests that captivated me,
Because really....
as well as themes that motivated me
We never had a plan when we
forward. My resume will attest to this.
began this journey. This is the truth.
Bachelor’s degree in Political Science.
Our goal was to grow something. My
fiance Emilio Estevez and I met
planting a vineyard in what is now our
front and back yard. That was 8 years
ago in 2004. My oh my, does time
pass quickly. Literally, he was digging
the holes and I was carrying a bucket
of pinot noir vines in water planting
them one by one behind him. All 800
vines over the course of 2 days. It was
exhausting, exhilarating and
experiential.
Who would have thought that a
half-acre of vines would change a life?
You can’t tend to something so
brilliant and not be intimately affected
by its glory and its natural instinct to
be. Just like people. After planting and
nurturing, it is important to allow room
for expression. I am understanding the
importance of this freedom, as we
each have our own story to tell.
Making wine is just like telling a story.
While you may have a template you
hope to follow, you never quite know
exactly where the last line will take
you. Though you need to ask the right
questions to find the right answers
that fit comfortably into your own
story. Or plan. Or goal. Or whatever
you’d like to call it.
Special thanks to Alfredo Koch at
Allan Hancock College for allowing me
to ask as many questions as possible
during all your viticulture and enology
classes. Without you I would not be
here. And my parents, Kalce and
Dobrila Magdevski, my rock stars.
And, my love, Emilio.
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CASA DUMETZ WINES
AUTUMN 2012
Working on my Mission Statement
LEFT: Mixing the sugar into the Sonja’s
Suds Sparkling Syrah Rose before
bottling for secondary fermentation.
TOP: A luscious, chilled glass of
Clementina Viognier.
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CASA DUMETZ WINES
AUTUMN 2012
Harvest News 2012
Processing Viognier at Brewer-Clifton
Taking grape samples at Tierra Alta vineyard
Winery update
Since I began making wine
commercially in 2008, it was Joey
Tensley of Tensley winery who allowed
me to make wine at his facility in
Buellton. It was an incredible
environment to work in. The lessons I
Iearned were instrumental in making a
career in winemaking. Basically: You
are on your own, kid. Now, Joey never
said these words to me, but his
confidence in the winery was an
inspiration. It taught me to stand
behind my own choices. Every
decision I make rests on my
shoulders. When to harvest. What
vineyards to select fruit from. How to
process. How to age. When to bottle.
The list goes on. I am responsible for it
all. Which is why this is so exciting in
the first place. My decisions directly
result in the product that reaches
peoples’ lips. How cool is that?
Opportunity for change
For the 2012 harvest I made a
decision to change winemaking
facilities. I had an opportunity to work
in a different environment with new
challenges and I decided to go for it. It
was difficult to leave the team at
Tensley, particularly Assistant
Winemaker Zac Wasserman - who is
one of the most astute and dedicated
young winemakers in the valley today it was simply time for a change.
Through a mutual friend I met with
Greg Brewer of Brewer-Clifton and
Diatom wines, toured his facility and
felt instantly comfortable in this new
space. Hopefully, many of you will be
able to come for a visit.
Vineyard Updates
This year I am thrilled to be adding
new vineyards to my portfolio. I am
still in love with Tierra Alta vineyard in
Ballard Canyon farmed by John Belfy
of Buona Terra Farming where I source
the majority of my fruit from - Viognier,
Syrah and Grenache - and this year I
have added a new clone of Syrah from
Tierra Alta. I am also excited to be
sourcing a small amount of Grenache
from Larner vineyard, also in Ballard
Canyon, as well as Grenache from
Estelle Vineyard in the Santa Ynez
Valley. And through another great
friend and mentor Mikael Sigouin,
winemaker for Beckman Vineyards
and his own label Kaena Wines, he
came upon a lead and helped me
source Roussanne (finally!) from La
Presa Vineyard in Santa Ynez.
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CASA DUMETZ WINES
AUTUMN 2012
2012 Calendar Full of Events
The Casa Dumetz Connection
The tasting room has
always been about
bringing the community
together.
I meet the most
interesting people at Babi’s
Tasting Room (named in
honor of my grandmother
Babi Ilinka who loved to
socialize and gather people
in her home). Which is why I
started the Words To Live
By Speaker Series held
every Friday night at 6:00
pm. It is so easy for all of us
to say, “Oh, I think I’ll stay
home tonight,” when a short
venture out can be that
much more enticing!
It all started back in May
with our incredible Bonsai
Lecture. That night George
Muranaka taught us that
Bonsai simply means “Tree
in Pot.” As he discussed the
history of Bonsai and his
personal history with his
father and their field-grown
bonsai nursery, his father
wowed us by shaping a
bonsai in front of our eyes while 30 people gathered for
the experience. And we
were off!
We are up to 40
sessions now - covering
topics from organic farming
to immigration to Moroccan
wines, in addition to artisan
cheese, bread fermentation,
thoroughbred horses and so
many more. We are going
strong thanks to the
generosity and spirit of all of
our speakers!
Upcoming Speakers
include:
Coffee Sourcing,
Perfume Creation, Goat milk
Soap, Fashion and Publicity,
Yoga, Cycling and Nutrition
(just in time for the holidays),
the island of Atafu and its
vanishing culture, and much
more. Check our facebook
page and website for regular
updates. Or sign our guest
book to join our mailing list.
We will also be
celebrating our one-year
anniversary on December
1st with an excellent concert
by Jesse Pappas. Definitely
one not to miss.
Though we do miss our
very own Austin Fallin - an
incredible singer-songwriter
who is off on a new
assignment in St. Louis. He
charmed so many of us
numerous times in the
tasting room with his silky
voice and his swaying guitar
strumming. Hopefully, he’ll
return for an encore.
AND...if many of you
have not met Ms. Chloe
Leigh Yost, our Vino
Vaquera and consummate
hostess here at Casa
Dumetz - I hope you all get
a chance to do so. She has
been such an incredible
help to me since she joined
Casa Dumetz in June. Her
energy is boundless. And I
thank her from the bottom
of my heart for being here.
Bonsai with the Muranakas
Hand drawn bags at Casa
Sonja in the Old Day’s Parade
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