What do you want to be when you grow up? I was always perplexed by that question when I was younger. I think I still am to this day. When you are five, you may want to be a fireman, a ballet dancer, or an astronaut. As a teenager, you may wish to be a rockstar or a writer if you are fanciful, or a doctor or lawyer if you are more practical. By the time you graduate from high school, society expects you to already know what you want to do for the rest of your life. As if you can plan the next 70 years of your life based on the first 18 years. Quite frankly, it’s insane. I guess that is why I am intrigued by people who decide to change their lives midstream and move onto something else. One such person is Kristie Tacey, winemaker and founder of Tessier Winery.

Before becoming a winemaker, Kristie was a published research scientist who studied protein pathways. She moved to the San Francisco Bay Area from her native Michigan to pursue a career in biotechnology, which included working on the Human Genome Project. Kristie eventually came to realize that winemaking was her true calling after working as operations manager and assistant winemaker at an award-winning East Bay winery. She started Tessier Winery in 2009.

Tessier is the result of Kristie’s passion for the art and science of winemaking. She began handcrafting small lots of pinot noir and has added other varieties including pinot gris, chardonnay, cabernet franc, chenin blanc, riesling, and trousseau. Kristie’s appreciation of French wines — especially those from Burgundy and the Loire and Rhone valleys — has shaped her winemaking choices. 

With a background in microbiology, Kristie is fascinated by the cycle of life; each vintage of Tessier wines captures and reflects one year in the lives of the vineyards she works with. She sources high-quality fruit from a strong network of farmers in the Anderson Valley, Santa Cruz Mountains, Arroyo Seco, and El Dorado foothills. She then uses minimal-interventionist winemaking techniques to showcase the unique characteristics of the grapes and the vineyards. For Kristie, sustainability is a priority — not only with the vineyards’ farming practices, but also by having long-term relationships with her growers and customers. These small production wines, an annual production of 1400 cases, get unparalleled attention.

I think you are going to love these wines. Kristie’s care,  attention to detail, and imagination really shine through with each bottle.

Cheers!
Tim

The Wines of Tessier Winery