Winemaker Notes: 
Truly exploding from the glass with remarkale aromatic purity of red cherry, strawberry, spiced plum, and hints of delicate rose petal, this Pinot Noir from the Russian River Valley is luscious and expansive as it coats the palate. A rich mélange of juicy red berries, dominated by raspberries, blended with violets swirl with delicate notes of clove, cocoa and vanilla bean adding complexity, while waves of silky tannin and fresh acidity contribute to a stunning finish.
 
The Appellation:
This Russian River Pinot Noir delicately balances the finest attributes of two distinct areas within the Russian River appellation: Santa Rosa Plain and Green Valley. This cuvée is comprised of small, individual row selections of two Russian River Valley vineyards, each influenced by their own unique relationship with the cool, maritime microclimate of this hallowed AVA. Clusters ripen slowly, allowing them to achieve perfect ripeness, intense aromatics, velvet-like tannins and an array of red fruits. This is a perfect blend between the Wedding and the Ritchie vineyards, of clones 115, 667, 777 and Calera.
 
In 2015, Bibiana was awarded “Winemaker of the Year” by the San Francisco Chronicle, just over a year after being named one of Wine Enthusiast’s “40 Under 40 America’s Tastemakers”.
 
THE STORY
“At the age of 14, Bibiana González Rave knew that she wanted to be a winemaker. Although she had little to no exposure to the wine world in her home country of Columbia, she knew that wine, considered by her family as a luxury, revealed an incredible amount of history and tradition. Bibiana was hooked. In Columbia, she studied chemical engineering and business after which she excelled in her studies of viticulture in Cognac, and oenology from the University of Bordeaux, graduating with honors. She worked with some of the most highly regarded wineries in France and learned that “what you give to the land and your day-to-day dedication will always be present in the wines you craft.” Driven by the tenacity which first took me to France, I pruned vines during ice-cold winters, trimmed shoots in sweltering summers, and tended to the vines that cling to the sheer slopes of Côte-Rôtie—first at Domaine Stéphane Ogier, then at Domaine Clusel-Roch. At the famed estates of Château Haut-Brion & La Mission Haut-Brion, I completed research for my thesis.
After an enlightening experience working at Château Haut-Brion, she moved to California in 2004, gaining winemaking expertise while working fourteen harvests at wineries that included La Crema, Peay Vineyards, Au Bon Climat and Qupé, before becoming the Director of Winegrowing and Winemaking at Lynmar Estate in 2009. Bibiana would leave Lynmar Estate in 2011 to become the winemaker for Pahlmeyer’s Sonoma Coast project, Wayfarer. At Wayfarer she crafted exceptional Pinot Noir and Chardonnays that won widespread praise from the wine press including All-American awards from the PinotFile. 
 In 2012, Bibiana started her own label, Cattleya Wines, as well as the Shared Notes joint venture with her husband Jeff Pisoni and became a Consulting Winemaker.
Alma de Cattleya, her latest endeavor, signifies the “soul of the land that gives life to her wines as well as her own soul put into each drop of wine that makes it to the bottle.” (Alma is the Spanish word for “soul.”)
Bibiana González Rave wants her wines to be accessible, affordable and, of utmost importance, to be shared and enjoyed with friends and family. With each sip, these wines embrace the soul of her California home with its vineyards, orchards and farms and the love for her homeland and those who are important to her there.