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 Pierre Seillan's commitment to growing and crafting fine wine began in Armagnac working with Cabernet Franc and Merlot at his family estate. Pierre's experience extended to Château de Targé in the Saumur-Champigny AOC of the Loire Valley where he also made wine from the fickle Cabernet Franc variety. Pierre then focused on Bordeaux where he spent two decades as Technical Director and Winemaker for seven châteaux in Lalande de Pomerol, St. Emilion, St. Estèphe, Haut-Médoc, Premières Côtes de Bordeaux and Bordeaux Supérieur. Pierre arrived in California in 1997 as vigneron of Vérité. "…I had a chance to come back to California after studying here many years ago…I am very excited by the opportunities and potential of mountain terroirs here, especially in Sonoma…". Pierre embraced the opportunity to freely blend varietals and appellations in order to craft superior wines. 2004 marks Pierre's seventh harvest at Vérité. His work has focused on traditional Bordelais varieties including Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, as well as Cabernet Franc and Malbec. Pierre's time has also been consumed by the development of Jackson Park, a 110 acre mountain vineyard property in Sonoma's newest appellation, Bennett Valley. Jackson Park, located 600 to 1,400 feet above the cool Bennett Valley region of Sonoma County, is one of the finest sites in California to grow Merlot due to its long growing season and soil diversity. As the visionary for this unique vineyard property Pierre directed all aspects of winegrowing including as soil mapping, trellising system development, vine spacing, rootstock and clone selections, as well as the actual planting of the vines. |