FOUR VINES WINERYFOUR VINES WINERY FOUR VINES WINERY
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First there was one. Winemaker CHRISTIAN TIETJE is a hedonist. He is passionate about wine: making it, drinking it and bringing people together to enjoy it. Chris learned to love balanced, food-driven wines as an aspiring young chef in Boston. In the 1990's he moved to San Francisco, determined to pursue his passion and become a winemaker. Christian worked as a cellar master for Carneros Creek in Napa Valley, and furthered his wine education under Wine Masters in France. He fell head over heels for old vine Zinfandel, and began planning for bigger things.
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Then there were two. In 1994, Christian met SUSAN A. MAHLER (a.k.a. SAM). Working on her Masters in Earth Science at Cal Berkeley, SAM took an immediate interest in vineyards. Together they created Four Vines Winery featuring eclectic, appellation-specific Zins, and one kick-ass no-oak "Naked" Chardonnay. They named their Zins Biker, Sophisticate and Maverick. Rich, succulent, fruit-generous wines that pair incredibly well with food. They relocated the company to Paso Robles where they began experimenting with Rhone varietals; bigger, headier wines that are positively explosive in flavor and form, as in the rogue Rhone blend "Anarchy."
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A third joined the team. someone to help share the load. They connected with an old friend from Christian's childhood, BILL GRANT, a successful entrepreneur and financier. Bill joined Four Vines as an advisor and financier in 2002 and joined the partnership in 2004, growing the winery to approximately 100,000 cases and introducing new single vineyard zinfandels and syrahs to the brand. Bill focused on traveling the country developing distributor relationships from coast to coast. No matter the wine, Four Vines has always brought a refreshing, irreverent attitude to the industry. |
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Taking it to the NEXT LEVEL . With Purple Wine's acquisition of the brand, Four Vines is now in position to reach it's full potential as a category leader. It is with great anticipation and excitement that Chris and Bill remain to work with purple making and marketing great wines. |
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Chris, Sam and Bill
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No restraint. No fear. That simple credo sums up the winemaking philosophy of Christian Tietje, Four Vines founder and rogue winemaker with an in-your-face passion for big reds. He founded Four Vines in his garage-cum-surf shack with not much more than determination, a love of Zinfandel and a kick-ass idea: he wanted to make four "killer zins" from the four top appellations for old vine Zinfandel grapes: Napa, Sonoma, Amador and Paso Robles. Four Vines exploded onto the scene with "Maverick," "Sophisticate" and "Biker." Each wine reflects the unique flavors, structure and character imparted by terroir, a reflection of the soil, air, water and surroundings in which the grapes were grown, while also showing the bold, fruit-forward, food-friendly style that would become Christian's trademark. Sultry, velvety Syrahs came next and Christian moved to Paso Robles to build a winery and immerse himself in the wild western frontier of California-grown Rhone varietals. In Paso, Chris went native. He dove head first into the surf of nearby Cayucos (a local break is aptly named "Killers") and into the juice of the big red grapes that thrived in the heat of this valley (in nearby Kiler Canyon he planted Tempranillo, Syrah, Mourvedre). Not to be left entirely out of the white wine conversation, Christian created an equally bold statement in white. Naked Chardonnay was the first no-oak chard introduced in California, inspired by Christian's love of food and past work as an aspiring chef. Crisp, concentrated Chardonnay with all its natural acid, Naked exhibits apple, white peach, and pear, finishing long with hints of citrus and mineral. Soon to follow were some extraordinary single vineyard wines: Dusi, Bailey, One Tree Hill. The best of the Rhone winemakers bestowed upon Christian their highest honor, by choosing his wine, the 2006 Four Vines Syrah Santa Barbara Los Alamos Vineyard One Tree Hill Block, as the best Syrah at the 2009 Hospice du Rhone Syrah Shoot Out. Today Christian Tietje continues to push the limits of full-contact winemaking.
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Four Vines Wines
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2009 "Naked®" Chardonnay, Santa Barbara |
2008 Old Vine Cuvee, California Zinfandel |
2008 "Maverick", Amador Zinfandel |
2008 "Sophisticate", Sonoma County Zinfandel |
2008 "Biker", Paso Robles Zinfandel |
2008 "Dusi Vineyard", Paso Robles Zinfandel |
2007 "Martinelli Vineyard", Paso Robles Zinfandel |
2007 "Bailey Vineyard", Amador County Syrah |
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2006 "Kiler Canyon ", Paso Robles Syrah |
2006 "Los Alamos Vineyard" One Tree Hill Block Syrah, Santa Barbara County |
2007 Petite Syrah, Paso Robles |
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Flights & Other |
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The Story Behind Four Vines Winery
FOUR VINES WINERY PO Box 120, Paso Robles, CA 93447 Winery: 3750 Hwy 46 W. Templeton, CA 93465 P: (805) 277-0865 F: (805) 227-0863 E-mail: 4vsales@fourvines.com Web: www.fourvines.com Founded 1996 Bonded Premises: CA-5846 Personnel: Winemkr. & Owner, Christian Tietje; Owner, Susan Mahler; Owner, William Grant Annual Case Prod.: 50,000 - 499,999 Products: table wine, dessert wine Tasting Room: Yes Wine Club: Yes Top Varietals: Zinfandel, Chardonnay, Petite Sirah, Tempranillo, Syrah AVA: Paso Robles
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