This page is regularly updated as Wine & Spirits’ News In Brief section, where we publish news from around the wine world. A new thread of this section is published annually.
January 21, 2022
Anthony Barton, the longtime owner of Bordeaux’s second-growth Château Léoville Barton and third-growth Château Langoa Barton, has died at 91. Barton is survived by his wife Eva, along with their daughter Lilian, Lilian’s husband Michel, and Lilian and Michel’s children Damien and Melanie.
January 21, 2022
Ridge Announces New Monte Bello Winemaker
Ridge Vineyards has appointed Trester Goetting as the new Monte Bello Winemaker. Working in collaboration with Head Winemaker and COO John Olney, Goetting began taking over all winemaking duties at the Monte Bello winery on January 18, 2022. He is taking over the role after long-time Monte Bello Winemaker Eric Baugher left in March 2021 to join Merus in Napa Valley. Goetting has a quarter-century of experience making wine in California, most recently as Winemaker at Robert Biale Vineyards. Prior to that, Goetting worked at Napa’s Krupp Brothers Stagecoach Vineyard, Ladera and St. Clement.
The Monte Bello winery was built by Osea Perrone in 1892; the vineyards were replanted to cabernet sauvignon by William Short in the 1940s. In 1959, the winery was bought by four Stanford engineers who bonded Ridge Vineyards and made their first vintage of Monte Bello in 1962. Ridge Monte Bello gained international recognition after the 1971 vintage, made by Paul Draper, achieved fifth place at the Judgment of Paris tasting. Ridge Vineyards is among five wineries in the world that have earned more than 20 Top 100 awards from Wine & Spirits, most recently in 2021, when critic Joshua Greene called out the 2017 Monte Bello as “one of the greatest vintages of the wine we’ve tasted on release.”
January 12, 2022
WSET Announces New CEO
The Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET) has announced Michelle Brampton as its new CEO. Brampton previously served as Managing Director Europe, Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) at Treasury Wine Estates and has served on the boards of both The Drinks Trust and the Wine & Spirit Trade Association (WSTA)—D.P
David lives in New York City and is always looking for the next wine story worth sharing.
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