 |
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
Erich Bradley - WInemaker |
|
|
A native Californian from the San Francisco Peninsula, Erich Bradley became interested in wine when his family bought a twenty-six acre ranch in Sonoma County’s Valley of the Moon – with eight-and-a-half acres of vineyard and a 500-case winery. As a term of sale, the Bradleys asked to be taught winemaking. This was Erich’s entrée to the world of wine. Prior to that, Erich excelled at tennis and studied Bio-chemistry, Applied Mathematics, Philosophy and Modern European Intellectual History at the University of Chicago and University of California, Irvine. Since moving to Sonoma County in 1998, he has studied winemaking at U.C. Davis and viticulture at Santa Rosa Junior College. And, he has benefited greatly from the mentoring of winemakers Richard Arrowood and David Ramey. In 1999 he worked as harvest lab technician at Arrowood Vineyards and Winery, a position that extended into a full time job. “I touched all aspects of the business there – lab, vineyard, tastings, cellar,” says Erich. While at Arrowood, Erich worked with grapes from Mountain Terraces Vineyard, an exceptional Sonoma Valley property with elevations ranging from 600-1800 feet. In 2002 Erich experimented with Cabernet Sauvignon grapes from eight distinct blocks of this vineyard. These eight barrels of wine became the 2002 Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve for Audelssa, the winery at Mountain Terraces Vineyard. In January 2003 Erich became winemaker for Audelssa, and for two years he worked closely with David Ramey, winemaker and consultant. In 2007 Erich accepted the position of winemaker for Hop Kiln and HK Generations wines. He also continues as winemaker for Audelssa Winery. Excited about working with the fruit from Hop Kiln’s vineyards, Erich says “Russian River Valley sets the benchmark for quality in Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and the Rhône varieties. This is a high quality – not high production – appellation.” He will play an important role in the development of Hop Kiln’s site-specific, estate vineyards. This spring he will help oversee the planting of 14 acres of Pinot Noir and Pinot Grigio, just west of the winery. As for future estate plantings, Erich says “I can’t wait to start climbing the hillsides at Hop Kiln.” Erich describes his winemaking as “New World with Old World sensibilities.” Love of ripeness is one of his New World traits. His production techniques are Old World: touching the wine as little as possible, gentle processing and no filtration. These practices allow a wine to develop earlier,” says Erich. “You shift the prime of the wine forward.” When Erich is away from winemaking and the vineyards, he is likely to be on the tennis court or golf course. A great cook too, he specializes in French and Italian country classics.
|
|
|
|
