The Sweepstake Winemaker Award is awarded to the winemaker that produces a Sweepstake wine award at the San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition.
Pauline Lhote
Chandon
Blanc de Pinot Noir, California, $27
As head winemaker at Chandon, Pauline Lhote is responsible for every part of the winemaking process from grape to glass. To say that Lhote is passionate about bubbles is an understatement as she grew up in the Champagne region of France.
At 14, she told her parents she wanted to be a winemaker with a focus on sparkling wine.
Lhote earned a National Diploma of Winemaking in Reims and early in her career, she focused on crafting rosé champagnes. Lhote then set her sights on Chandon in Napa Valley, the first French-owned sparkling wine house in California. She arrived in Yountville in 2006 and fell in love with the Napa region.
At just 41 years old, she will celebrate her 19th harvest at Chandon. Lhote has been working to create a new Chandon “house style,” and she also works closely with her fellow winemakers at Chandon’s wineries in Argentina, Brazil, Australia, China, and India.
She has been hailed as a female leader in the industry by the likes of Glamour, Marie Claire and Nylon, as well as named a “Rising Star” by the Drinks Business and acknowledged in Wine Enthusiast’s 2017 40 Under 40 and Create & Cultivate’s 2019 100 List. Recently, Lhote was awarded the medal of the Order of the Agricultural Merit by the French Republic for her accomplishments and promoting the French savoir faire.
Brent Amos
Las Positas Vineyards
2023 Verdelho
Livermore Valley, California, $42
Brent Amos grew up in El Dorado County, and some of his best memories are of running through vineyards as a kid while his parents were wine tasting. While studying engineering in college, these fond memories kept resurfacing, and he quickly realized that wine is where his future lay.
So it was that at the ripe old age of 20, he started his wine career as a harvest worker in Sonoma County, then finished his enology degree. He has been making wine in the Livermore Valley since 2005 and is the winemaker, general manager and partner at Las Positas Vineyards.
Drew Damskey
Annadel Estate Winery
2022 Reserve Chardonnay
Gap’s Crown Vineyard, Sonoma Coast, California, $58
Drew Damskey comes from a family with a long history of making exceptional wines in Napa and Sonoma. His grandfather started as a grower in Napa Valley, and his father, Kerry Damskey, became a renowned winemaker known for producing exceptional wines globally. Drew Damskey has followed in their footsteps, creating outstanding wines from exceptional sites.
His talent has been recognized on numerous occasions. For the past four years, he has been crafting fine wines at Annadel Estate Winery, a 19th-century vineyard located in the stunning Sonoma Valley. Damskey, together with owners Katie Honey and Dan Whalen, has been instrumental in producing exceptional wines and creating unforgettable experiences for visitors.
Tim Jones
The Four Graces
2022 Rosé Wine
Willamette Valley, Oregon, $20.99
Tim Jones spent most of his life in Northern California and the Pacific Northwest. He was born in Ashland, Ore., and grew up in Eureka. Jones first became interested in winemaking while he was a student at Willamette University in Salem, Ore. On weekends, he would go wine tasting in the Yamhill and Dundee region. A bachelor’s degree in Spanish gave Jones the opportunity to study wines in Chile and Argentina. His growing passion led him to harvest work in Sonoma County.
After working in Sonoma wineries, Jones went to UC Davis to study viticulture and enology. He also worked as a tasting room manager for Fiddlehead Cellars, and met his wife, Katrina, while pouring wine at an event.
They graduated, got married and moved to Eastern Washington. Jones worked for Ste. Michelle Wine Estates as a winemaker. He earned an MBA at Washington State University, then moved to McMinnville last May. The couple has two sons, Will and Benjamin.
Jones joined The Four Graces team in May 2018. At a small winery like the Four Graces, each day is unique and challenging.
“It has given me the chance to develop a close connection to the wine through all stages of the winemaking process,” Jones said. “With our two estate vineyards at Doe Ridge and Foley Family Estate, we get to taste and compare some of the best grapes in the Willamette Valley.”
Michael Roser
Cooper Vineyards
2021 Barbera
Amador County, California, $33
Winemaker Michael Roser has been with Cooper Vineyards since the inaugural crush in 2000 when three varieties of Cooper fruit were sent away for custom crush at the winery where Roser worked in the cellar.
At the time, Cooper Vineyards was a winery in concept only: various thoughts, drawings and paintings were evolving while four vintages of wine were fermenting. When the doors opened in 2004, Roser accepted the position as winemaker and has touched every vintage of grapes that have been harvested since.
A Chicago native, Roser attended the Hyatt Culinary Training Program where he was trained by Walter Staib, an education he finds more important in winemaking than the biology and chemistry he studied at Western Illinois University. An employment opportunity brought Roser to California but his continued passion for food and the opportunity to explore its relationship with wine led him into the wine industry where he just celebrated his 24th harvest.
Sharing the same goals as Cooper Vineyards founder Dick Cooper, Roser produces wine from estate grown fruit and firmly believes that the secret to crafting wine to its fullest potential is to stay true to the varietal.
David Nagengast
Cinquain Cellars
2013 Touriga & Tinto Cao Dessert Wine
Nagengast Estate Vineyard, Paso Robles, California, $100
David Nagengast started his winemaking training with studies at Fresno State University, acquiring his winemaking degree in 1985. He continued his training with assistant winemaking positions at San Martin Winery, Mirassou Winery and Storrs Winery & Vineyards.
In 2000, Nagengast and his wife, Beth, began development of a small vineyard and winery in the Estrella District of Paso Robles. With the help of their three sons, they built a 13-acre vineyard and 1,500- case winery. In 2008, they opened the doors of Cinquain Cellars with a focus on Bordeaux, Rhône and Portuguese wines including a Port-style dessert wine.
In 2004, Nagengast took a position with Scheid Vineyards in Greenfield, Calif., as winemaker where he helped design the winery and developed the wine program that has grown to one of top wineries in the Central Coast. Since 2018, Nagengast has held the vice president of winemaking position at Scheid Family Wines.
The Sweepstake-award winning 2013 Touriga & Tinto Cao Dessert wine was made as a vintage port. However, two barrels from this blend were retained in the cellar and bottled separately after 10 years of extended cellar aging. It is a concentrated and complex dessert wine that we are thrilled to share with you after 10 years of waiting.
Chase Vienneau
Arrington Vineyards
2022 Sweet Gewurztraminer
Honeysuckle, American, Tennessee, $25
Chase Vienneau, a Tennessee native from Clarksville, is a dedicated husband and father to two beautiful daughters who serve as his daily inspiration. Vienneau embarked on his professional winemaking journey in 2001. His passion for wine was ignited during his early years as an employee at Beachaven Vineyards & Winery in Clarksville, where he mastered the intricacies of wine production from vineyard to bottles.
In 2008, the opening of Arrington Vineyards (in Arrington, Tennessee) captivated him, driving him to contribute to their mission of crafting premium wines from grapes sourced from across the nation.
With 22 years of winemaking experience in Tennessee, Vienneau has played a pivotal role in producing millions of bottles of premium wine, garnering over 50 Gold Medals from international wine competitions as well as other accolades for his exceptional contributions to the wine industry. Vienneau enjoys golfing, fishing, kayaking, skiing and spending quality time at the lake. He currently resides in Brentwood, Tennessee.
Grant Peterson
Blair Estate
2020 Muscat Ottonel
Arroyo Seco, California, $75
Grant Peterson is the principal and owner of Peterson Design, a design consultancy that provides cross media branding, environmental graphics and advertising to a very select group of high-end clients in a broad range of industries.
His small firm offers world class design and focused attention to client needs in all aspects of their marketing communications from the initial branding and identity development to the collateral print campaigns, to the design of the online experience.