Fotinos Brothers Winery Featured on WineOhTV
03/01/2011

Fotinos Brothers Winery Wins Gold At The 9th Annual Pinot Noir Shootout
02/24/2011

Fotinos Brothers Winery 2007 OSR II Block, Los Carneros Pinot Noir has been chosen by this year's Pinot Noir Shootout panel to win a GOLD MEDAL and to be featured on February 26th at the upcoming Pinot Noir Summit in a blind tasting brought to you by Affairs of the Vine and CRN Talk Radio. Sixty-four of the top wines selected by the panel will be featured at this tasting and only one will be the Grand Award Winner.

In fact, I'd like to quote one of the judges observations after judging the Pinot Noir Shootout finals on Saturday. Rusty Gaffney, The Prince of Pinot, commented,"They used to say consistently good Pinot Noir was an oxymoron, but it has become a truism!" Congratulations Fotinos Brothers Winery..."

Both the 2006 and 2007 vintages have received gold medals and finished in the top 1.5% of all wine contest entries. A truly amazing accomplishment for a new winery. This award winning wine is estate grown on a single vineyard and  barrel aged in the finest French oak for 16 months. Tasting Notes: The wine opens with perfumed aromas of ripe red fruits(plum,cherry and raspberry), an array of spices with a hint of smoke and toasty oak with subtle hints of evergreen and minerals. This gives way to a balance of similar flavors with a sneaky length and a velvety smooth finish.

Fotinos Brothers Winery on "The Tasting Room" with Tom Leykis
03/30/2010

2006 Pinot Noir in 'Chef'
09/01/2010

Click to see full size image 

Copyright  2010 Talcott  Communications.  Reprinted with permission. All rights reserved

'Greek' Wine in Napa Valley
08/26/2010

'Greek' Wine in Napa Valley 

By: Maria A. Karamitsos 

The Greek Star 

Napa Valley is synonymous with wine. For decades, thousands of tourists have flocked there annually. More recently, neighboring Sonoma has also become a famous wine region and popular destination. Straddled across Napa and Sonoma is Carneros AVA - an American Viticultural Area - just north of San Pablo Bay. Cool fog and breezes off the bay create a cooler and more moderate climate, ideal for wines like Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Nestled in Carneros is the Fotinos Brothers Winery, which has been in their family since 1968.

Fourth-generation wine makers Tom and Chris Fotinos trace their roots to the island of Lefkada. Their grandfather, Christos, learned the art of winemaking from his father. When Christos immigrated to America in the early 1900s, he settled in San Francisco. The grandfather began growing grapes in Carneros in the 1950s. Papou Christos taught his son, Tom, who in turn, taught his sons. “Computers and controlled fermenting tanks, among other things, have changed winemaking over the years. It’s now not only an art, but a science,” said Chris. The hearts of their forefathers still beat in the vineyard. “Many of the traditional things we were taught in the vineyards with our father, we use today. We tweak it a bit because we’ve learned some things over time. My grandfather and father always said ‘a balanced vineyard creates a balanced wine.’ Well, computers can’t do that. You have to know your property, the vines, etc.”

The sons have found great wisdom and utility in the growing techniques passed down through the generations, and with the infusion of contemporary knowledge from the vineyard manager and winemaker, a unique – and well-balanced – wine has been created.  Today, Tom Jr. is president and vintner, and has been running the vineyards making private label wine for more than 20 years. He studied viticulture and under the tutelage of top wine producers of the region, has honed his craft. Brother Chris – who owns and operates a successful cosmetic dental practice in Orange County – is Director of Sales and Marketing.

The two grew up working in the vineyard. “From like four or five years old. Dad would take us there on weekends. Depending on what part of the season, we’d clear weeds, prune vines, plant grapes,” Chris remembered. “Every weekend, my grandparents would have a big dinner, like 40-50 people. Back then, we’d have a party and stomp grapes in the barrels. They even had a barrel room where they had olives and feta. It was a neat way to grow up.”

In 1973, along with their father, they began producing wine for friends and family, as well as for some small restaurants in the area. Their father passed on in 1983, and he always wanted his sons to carry on the tradition. “We were busy doing other things; Tom was in construction, I’m a dentist. We were doing it for fun, and then finally decided to take it public,” recalled Chris.

The Fotinos Brothers Winery was officially created in 2006. That year’s vintage is currently on the market, and is almost sold out. Their 2007 Pinot Noir is out now, and their 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon will be released in September. The family has properties in other areas, where they grow different types of grapes. Pinot Noir is grown in Carneros, since the grapes are more delicate and can’t withstand drastic changes in temperature. “Cabernet Sauvignon requires more seasonal heat. It’s a smaller grape and it’s thick-skinned, so it can handle the heat. We grow it in Northern Napa,” explained Chris.

We’ve actually been drinking wine made from their grapes and never knew it. For many years, they’ve been growing and selling Pinot Noir grapes to well-known Napa wineries, including Robert Mondavi – “he was a good friend of our dad’s.” Years ago, they sold to Christian Brothers and Acacia, among others. They also sell grapes to Domaine Carneros for their sparkling wines. “You can make sparkling wine from Pinot Noir or Chardonnay. A portion of our vineyard is dedicated to this,” Chris described.

He discussed the timetable, from planting to pouring. “In terms of Pinot, you actually plant grapes four years before you get any grapes mature enough to use for wine. In the third year you start seeing fruit, but it’s not usable. In that fourth year, you get usable fruit, which you blend with older grapes. Our 2006 wine is a blend from 12-25 year-old vines.” After that first harvest, the vines can be harvested each year. He indicated that they harvest in September, and it ferments for a few weeks. From there, wine is aged in oak barrels for up to 14 months. “We bottle-age ours for a minimum of one year. We test every month to see if it’s ready.” Wine can stay in barrels up to two years, then may be bottle-aged for an additional year. “So it’s about 6-1/2 years from that first planting until you have a product to sell. Think of it as a seven-year investment of front-loading money. Then you try to sell an unknown brand. This is why the industry is having difficult times, especially in this economy. You have to have a passion for this. Winemaking is an art form, and it takes time. You must believe in it, and stick with it until it’s profitable,” he told The Greek Star.

The brothers are joined in this venture by Tom’s wife Danielle, whose winemaking pedigree is most impressive. Her family settled the Carneros region – in the 1860s, they were the first ones to receive a land grant to farm the area. “We have been able to utilize her skills to learn more about our vineyards and what we can do.”

They’ve also been able to tap into the experience and wisdom of Jim St. Clair, a “guru” of farming in the Carneros region for the past 80 years. “He said we had the best piece of property in Carneros for Pinot Noir,” Chris declared.

Thus, four generations of wine knowledge, modern oenology, a prime location and knowledge from local experts have been blended to create their wines. Their Pinot Noir was a gold medal-winner at the Finger Lakes International Wine Region Competition in NY – very rare for a first-year vintage. It’s also won two top competitions in San Francisco. The 2007 vintages will be entered this fall for spring competitions.

Fotinos Brothers wine has become a favorite of celebrities. “I have some friends that are celebrities, and I asked them to try it. I had this idea for a celebrity taster-ofthe- month. People like to be associated with celebrities. We include a different one every month in our newsletter.” Their wines have been tasted and critiqued by actors such as Ian Ziering of “90210” fame and old Tony Soprano himself - James Gandolfini.

The feedback from customers is very positive. “Our wine is a happy wine. People tell us it makes them feel a bit different than when they are drinking other wines. We call it the ‘Fotinos Effect.’ People tell us they had our Pinot and it put them in the best mood.”

Currently, they have distributorship in seven states, including California, Nevada, Texas, Illinois, New York, New Jersey and Florida. It’s a great food-pairing wine and quite versatile. This is perhaps why the majority of their market is restaurants, plus small wine shops. If you don’t see it, ask for it by name. In the future, they plan to have a tasting room and tours. Right now they’re concentrating their efforts on making a good product and growing the brand.

The brothers also actively support charity. “It’s something that’s very important to us.” Therefore, the winery makes donations to many philanthropic causes.

The fifth generation is now learning the business. “Tom’s daughter Charley’s been riding on the tractor, learning about the vineyard since she was two. My sister’s kids too.” Their 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon will be out September 1.

“We’re very excited. It’s tasting unbelievable right now,” Chris stated. “It’s probably the best wine in the vineyard in 12 years.” For more information about Fotinos Brothers Winery, visit their website at http://www.fotinosbrotherswinery.com.