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Levendi Newsletter - February 2023

From Our Founder

Winter is my favorite time of year at the vineyard. When everything appears dormant and the cellar is quiet, our families return from holiday travels and take the time to be quietly reflective on the year that has passed. By mid-winter, we come together as a team sharing our vision for the upcoming season and committing ourselves once again to the vineyard, to the wine, to each other, and to what is Levendi.

Wineries possess a unique skill set to successfully curate, create and sell wines. What you see and taste in the glass is a direct reflection of the commitment referenced above. It is the effort of our vineyard workers, those who work the vines and rows, our incredible winemaker Alison Doran, as well as the production managers that you taste within the glass, see on our bottles, and appreciate in our foils and labels.

It is the ability of these incredibly talented people, each with their own special expertise, to work together in unison despite working independently of one another for months that makes Levendi so special. For these reasons, the winter’s work of corralling all of these incredibly talented individuals and shaping what is to come for the Levendi vision brings me my greatest joy as a leader in the business. It is the enthusiasm generated during this time and the thrill of the challenge that inspires and unites all of us that sets the tone for the new year!

Alison Doran, our longtime winemaker, along with our vineyard manager will decide when it is time to start pruning our Estate Chardonnay, Merlot, and Pinot Noir vines at the Chardonnay Golf Club. We are featuring that critical function in the journal this year. Pruning is where the annual wine-growing cycle for Levendi begins. The process ends in the capable hands of Steve Ebol, who purchased the first bottle of Levendi 19 years ago. Steve is now the much loved and respected manager of our Levendi Winery Tasting Room located in downtown Napa.

From the sounds of workers in the field pruning the vines to the angelic sound of Levendi being poured into the glass, we are all united in our dedication for the enjoyment and appreciation of Levendi by all our friends and family. Yassou Levendi and Happy New Year!

David Gianulias