Mauritson Wines – Part 1
Clay Mauritson hard at work during their 2010 release party
My harvest trip was very last minute planned, so when I got the idea that I should do it, I contacted all my connections from Domaine Serene in Oregon to Orin Swift in Napa to Mauritson Wines in Dry Creek Valley, everyone responded with open arms. Although I never got to go up to Oregon and work at Domaine Serene, I realize now that I had my hands full with the four weeks ahead of me and a lot to write about!
My first stop was with Mauritson Wines and I’m so thankful that they were my first experience because they set the bar for the rest of my trip. I don’t know where to start because there are so many wonderful things I have to say about Clay Mauritson and his establishment, the way he runs his business and the way he treats his people and people in general. Clay is sharp, intelligent, incredibly humble, family oriented, patient and has a lot of integrity. If you haven’t listened to my interview with him, you should.
The Mauritson name is a respectable name throughout Northern California because they’ve been growing grapes, making olive oil, vinegar, raising lamb and all sorts of things since 1888. You can read all about the Mauritson history here. Today the Mauritson’s grow grapes, make wine and raise sustainable beef–Painted Hills Natural Beef–on a Ranch in Oregon. In my opinion, Thom Mauritson has done a fantastic job passing his passion for farming onto his four boys. In fact, I had the chance to meet Thom and that is one thing I talked to him about and he was grateful that he was able to do this. I think it pains most parents who have spent their entire lives working to build something with no one to pass it on to. What an accomplishment for a father to be able to pass on such a legacy to his children. But it doesn’t surprise me at all because Thom is a pretty humble guy himself. What I was even more impressed by was the closeness and camaraderie between all the boys. While Clay’s focus is on winemaking and operating his custom crush facility, his father Thom and brothers focus on grape growing and management. Their grapes are purchased by some pretty renowned winemakers in Northern California. They are especially known for their Rockpile vines.
Some of the female Cellar Workers! Caroline, Mandy, Jackie & Jessica
I really enjoyed spending time with the Mauritson family and meeting all of them, they all had different perspectives to the winemaking and wine growing industry that were very educational. I learned so much from the two weeks that I hung around the winery. One thing that I walked away with was a new respect for winemaking and the people who make the wine. It is a commitment and the work is not easy. The wine industry is notorious for being male dominated, yet everywhere I went I saw women leading the way! Mauritson Wines was no exception. Most of the cellar workers were female and they had to pull their own weight. These girls were tough and strong. I certainly couldn’t keep up, and as much as I work out, I couldn’t lift half the stuff they did and that is when I realized I was allergic to work.
Stay tuned as I spend the next several posts sharing pictures, introducing you to the Mauritson winemaking team, and explaining what I learned. I especially want to focus on the other side of the grape business, and the yearly risk that grape growers take. That was quite the education. This year in Northern California many farmers experienced so much loss. I want to explain as best as I can how this effects the farmers, the winemakers and the consumer. Also want to focus on why all grapes are not created equal. I visited probably close to 50 different vineyards and tasted grapes from all over and there is definitely a sense of terrior which explains why some grape districts are more expensive than others. Until next time… check out all the photos I captured while working at Mauritson.
Mauritson Wines Tasting Room
2859 Dry Creek Road
Healdsburg, CA 95448
707-431-0804
MauritsonWines.com
Clay Mauritson with Mauritson Wines
Join Freda, The Wine Wench, as she interviews head winemaker, Clay Mauritson, from family owned and operated Mauritson Wines. Known for their Zinfandels, Mauritson is a winery, like many other of the family owned winery’s, that prides itself on preserving terroir and refraining from manipulating the grapes for the sake of a rating. All but 35 years-old, Clay has been working with wine since he was in diapers. His family has been growing grapes for over 140 years and owns some of the best vineyards in Sonoma Valley. Listen to Clay tell his story about how he got into winemaking, his vision to take his family vineyard to the next level and open a winery, what is important to him as the head winemaker and get enlightened about how corporatization within the wine industry is starting to take its toll on the growers and the winemakers.
Listen to full interview here.
Wine Radio!
Join me each week as I interview some amazing people/wine personalities from the wine industry. Learn about their techniques, their passions, hear their stories and fall in love with their wine! Listen live or later!
-Thomas Houseman, head winemaker from Anne Aime Winery, talks about making great Pinot Noir.
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