Vida Valiente is much more than just another winery for Napa winemaker Sam Kaplan. Over the past 20 years, Kaplan has become the shepherd of a growing number of blue-chip Napa wineries, including Arkenstone, Memento Mori and Vangone. His newest project is a joint philanthropic venture with his wife Nancy, along with Memento Mori co-owner Hayes Drumwright and his wife Susana Cueva Drumwright.
Both the Kaplans and Drumwrights: are aware that part of their individual successes can be attributed to generous mentors – - people who gave them an inch, as well as the resources, to turn it into a mile. Which is why the spotlight at Vida Valiente (Spanish for 'valiant/brave life') is on charitable giving. Launched in conjunction with California's Stanford University, the Vida Valiente Foundation provides money and mentoring to new university scholars who don't have the privileges of an affluent family or support circle.
'We aim to help low-income, first-generation American college students lucky enough to be admitted to top US schools, but who typically don't have a sense of community when they arrive on campus,' explains Susana. 'Especially in the Latino culture where you're surrounded by a lot of family at home, but don't have that: support network at school or mentors who can offer guidance on what's possible.'
Vida Valiente came to be largely thanks to the triumph of Memento Mori, whose 2014 vintage was top lot at the 2016 Premiere Napa Valley wine auction (see p65). But that success and the success of other blue-chip wineries he's worked with - is down to the talents of Sam Kaplan.
EARLY INSPIRATION
Born in Boston, Massachusetts, Kaplan spent most of his childhood on a small farm at the edge of a reservation in Oklahoma, where his physician father had planted a vineyard. Every year, they made wine together in the family's garage.
Bu hikaye Decanter dergisinin July 2022 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Giriş Yap
Bu hikaye Decanter dergisinin July 2022 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Giriş Yap
A Resource for the World? - Argentina is unique in the genetic diversity preserved in much of its vine material. With climate change and disease posing increasing threats worldwide, Catena Zapata winery is asking what lessons can be learned to protect vineyards within and beyond the nation's borders
Argentina is unique in the genetic diversity preserved in much of its vine material. With climate change and disease posing increasing threats worldwide, Catena Zapata winery is asking what lessons can be learned to protect vineyards within and beyond the nation’s borders
Great Cabernets of South America
Other varieties may hog the limelight across South America, but the world’s most popular grape for red wines has played a critical role in the continent's wine heritage. We trace Cabernet Sauvignon’s story here, and recommend 16 benchmark wines to try
PROVENCE by train and bike
With rail links to Paris, Nice, Marseilles and beyond, a vast network of cycle paths and quiet roads, and a plethora of historic wine estates, Provence is an ideal destination for an eco-friendly, car-free and carefree) holiday
IN THE MIX
These days most of the world’s vineyards are planted to just a single variety, but what happens when multiple varieties are planted, harvested and blended together?
Malvasia A BUYER'S GUIDE
If ever a grape was hard to pin down, it'd be Malvasia. Indeed it’s not even a single grape variety. In all of its many varied, and often completely unrelated guises, it has been the mainstay of popular wine styles across the centuries. Our expert takes a closer look...
RIBERA ADOPTS THE NEW OLD WAYS
It’s not so much a new direction for winemakers in Ribera del Duero, but a growing recognition that traditional methods and wine styles set aside by the previous generation can now provide a way ahead to revitalise the region
Roussanne around the world
Up for a challenge? For winemakers as much as wine drinkers, getting a handle on a mercurial grape such as Roussanne isn't easy. But wherever it's grown, when the balance is right, it truly repays the effort
Napa Cabernet 2021
There's a lot of excitement about this vintage, in which conditions were relatively calm and temperatures stable through summer. Ongoing drought reduced yields but intensified flavours, but it means quantities are down and you may need to act fast to secure top wines. Our Napa correspondent selects 60 great wines from more than 500 that he tasted, with many very high scores
10 reason to discover Uruguay
Squeezed between Brazil and Argentina on the Atlantic coast, Uruguay has mostly flown under the tourist radar - until now. Once dubbed 'the Switzerland of the Americas', it's a welcoming country that has much to offer the travelling wine lover
Leo Erazo
The old vines and special terroir of Itata, southern Chile, have beena source of inspiration for this intrepid winemaker. The 2023 fires were a setback, but his commitment to this ancient wine land is undiminished
