Favorite "Less Heralded" Winemakers?

This question occurred to me the other day...are there winemakers who are not "well known" who you feel SHOULD BE?

I want to put a plug in for Kenny Likitprakong, a youngish Thai-American who offers a bewildering array of labels through his HOBO WINE COMPANY. He makes an amazing variety of wines whcih are accessible, but also delicious to the AFWE crew. His 2010 The Guardian Cabernet Sauvignon (Sonoma Valley) was taut and nervy and full of blue fruited cassis flavor, eath, razor-sharp acidity, and a hint of refreshing green. The Architect and Buoy Pinot Noir was delcious in a surprisingly "Burgundian" style...we lapped up three bottles!

The manager at Vintages Elmwood inspired this paen when he showed me an old vine Grenache Kenny produced from 80 year old Alexander Valley grapes!

So...any other unheralded winemakers you want to plug? My apologies if this topic has been "done before".

Anthony Filiberti at Anthill Farms in Healdsburg. He makes very nice old world style Pinot. Wish I could get the stuff.

Anthony Filiberti at Anthill Farms in Healdsburg. He makes very nice old world style Pinot. Wish I could get the stuff.

This is a good one, Sam. I also enjoyed his Syrah quite a bit.

Jonathan Oakes from Leonard Oakes Winery in Medina, NY. In addition to making his celebrated "Steampunk" cider, his winery produces an excellent mix of reds, whites and late-harvest wines. He also lends out his skills to other local wineries to improve their wine making techniques. http://www.oakeswinery.com/
Also, Duncan and Robin Ross at Arrowhead Springs Winery in Lockport, NY. http://www.arrowheadspringvineyards.com/

[David M. Bueker]

Good one on Anthill. The obvious choice is Steve Edmunds.

Brian: AFWE? could you please translate for this old codger? thanks,Jon

AFWE = anti flavor wine elite

I also enjoyed his Syrah quite a bit.

I've never had it, Brian. I have only had the Pinots on a few occasions courtesy of an acquaintance who is on the mailing list. I would love to have a chance to taste more of their wines. The few I have had were very impressive.

Good one on Anthill. The obvious choice is Steve Edmunds.

I've never had Anthill. Agree on Steve Edmunds.

Katy Wilson, owner/winemaker of LaRue Wines. She also works with Kamen Estate Wines. Young and talented. Try her Pinot Noirs from the western part of Sonoma if you have the opportunity. She has also shown ability with Syrah for Kamen.

Howie Hart of Hart Cellars.

Howie Hart of Hart Cellars.

Ditto. Also Lance Silver at Tobin James.

The obvious choice is Steve Edmunds.

Steve Edmunds less heralded? Not in our book!

With all the cultish buzz regarding Anthill, not sure I'd consider them unheralded. Feel like Kenny's wines as well as those of Gideon Beinstock are surprisingly below the radar, but that may just be my perception.

With all the cultish buzz regarding Anthill, not sure I'd consider them unheralded. Feel like Kenny's wines as well as those of Gideon Beinstock are surprisingly below the radar, but that may just be my perception.

Kenny's The Guardian was sold at Vintages Berkeley for $19.95. That was an amazing steal. His Architect and Buoy Pinot was sold out at Vini Wine Bar in Davis at $28.95. Amazing. Simply amazing.

I'm not sure Broc Cellars is fully "unheralded" among wine geeks, but Chris is another lesser known winemaker who makes wines of stunning purity and varietal character. At very reasonable prices, to boot.

the problem about unheralded winemakers is that it is usually because their wines are not readily available so that people from various parts of the country or world can herald them. one such case is Shawn Walters from here in Michigan. his wines have won many best of class honors at competitions under the names of several wineries; but the wineries get the credit not him. anyway, he gets a vote as would a few other winemakers here that likewise aren't know outside our state. (larry mawby is our one exception - he has certainly been 'heralded' aplenty and for good reason)

I'm sure this will get folks fired up.....

I'm really not much of a "winemaker" guy. I think the land/vineyard/terroir and house style are far more important than the actual person. Ridge could have 5 different current employees make the next 5 Geyserville's and they'd likely not miss a beat. I don't even know who currently is the Geyserville winemaker and it doesn't matter to me. I still buy it every vintage.

I believe that Paul Draper is still the wine maker at Ridge, Tom. Perhaps due to his long time influence the wine making at Ridge has been optimized for the terrior and reduced to standard work but I'm not sure how I would bet.

I look at someone like Cathy Corison as an example of the impact a wine maker can have on a winery. If memory serves she has been at four or five different wineries and has put her mark on each of them. Chappellet and Staglin are two wineries that I think she impacted positively.

Oronce de Beler.

Tom, I gotta disagree with you there. A winemaker has more to do with the style of wine produced than the vineyard does, and wines are heralded largely for their style. Any imbecile can crush grapes, add yeast, clean the wine up, bottle and sell it. IF you are saying that once styles are committed to with particular vineyards, and winemaking becomes a matter of house style and recipe, the winemaker becomes less relevant, I'll agree with you. But in order to establish a style, or maximize the quality of wine from given fruit through iterations in style, that is precisely a winemaker's value. And if sources of fruit vary from year to year, the winemaker can tweak production to maximize the wine produced from a given vineyard or adjust for the qualities of a given vintage of fruit to greater reflect the house style that was previously chosen. In the final analysis, the winemaker is probably more important than the source of fruit in the consumer's enjoyment of a wine.