Rolanda Herrera Reaches Pinnacle of His Profession
NAPA, California (July 25, 2016)—In 1997 Rolando and Lorena Herrera had a dream. They called it Mi Sueño Winery. From a humble inaugural vintage of just 200 cases of Chardonnay, the couple has turned that dream into a 10,000 case winery that regularly wins the praise of other winemakers and critics and has been represented on three separate occasions at the White House. In 2003, another of the couple’s dreams was realized, with the birth of a reserve label of 100 percent single-vineyard, single-variety wines in honor of their children. The name is simple, to underscore the point: Herrera.
Herrera wines are to Rolando and Lorena “gifts from Mother Nature” and epitomize their devotion to family. This ultra-premium reserve label represents the couple’s desire to take the gifts that Mother Nature gives them every year and interpret them in a way that expresses the personality of each one of their children, for whom the wines are named. Herrera wines represent a very talented winemaker at the pinnacle of his professional life, putting his experience, heart and soul into six incredible wines.
“For us, Herrera represents the ultimate challenge in winemaking,” explained Rolando Herrera, “and that is to make 100 percent single-vineyard, single-variety wines at a consistently high level year after year. Not only does each wine showcase its individual terroir, but each has a ‘family terroir’ as well.” The Seleccíon Rolando Jr., a Cabernet Sauvignon from Frog Tree Vineyard, shares with its namesake a certain concentration, boldness and muscularity and, like Rolando’s son, has great depth and substance. Perla, Rolando and Lorena’s second-youngest child, is a vibrant young lady with a joyful spirit whose namesake Chardonnay from the Pugash Vineyard is bright and balanced. The Herrera portfolio also includes Seleccíon Rebecca Cabernet Sauvignon, Seleccíon Victoria Malbec, Seleccíon Esmeralda Pinot Noir, and Seleccíon Valeria Petit Verdot, all as unique as the children’s personalities.
To create these highly individual wines, Rolando Herrera harvests specific rows from particular vineyards, ages in a proprietary selection of French oak barrels, and develops different fermentation regimens for each wine. Given the numerous variables that Herrera encounters each vintage, it’s only after he has a chance to taste through each barrel that he gains a genuine appreciation for the nuances of each year’s “gifts.” Those barrels that prove to be distinctive in evoking his children’s personalities will ultimately represent the limited production, ultra-premium Herrera label. Due to the painstaking nature of this process, production of each wine is limited to an average of 65 cases per vintage. These highly sought-after wines are only available at the winery or through the winery’s elite Herrera Wine Club.
“Almost every winery makes a reserve wine,” observed Lorena Herrera, “but my husband’s Herrera Wines are something different. Each is a great wine in its own right, but I’m amazed how each wine shares the personality of the child it is named after. I don’t know how he makes that happen.”
About Mi Sueño Winery
Rolando and wife Lorena began their “dream” (“Sueño”) project with 200 cases of Chardonnay in 1997. They have worked and grown that humble dream; today Mi Sueño Winery produces 10,000 cases of estate-grown premium wine, including the very limited reserve Herrera label, and has garnered many awards. Mi Sueño Winery is open for tasting (by appointment only) from 10:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m., Monday through Sunday.
