Mendocino County’s Premiere Boutique Winery Announces Lauded Industry Veteran as New Winemaker
PHILO, CA – (June 14, 2017) – Lula Cellars, a limited production, ultra-premium winery located in the Deep End of the Anderson Valley, has appointed Matt Parish, a heralded winemaker and wine executive with more than two decades of global winemaking experience, as their new Winemaker.
Most recently Matt was Chief Winemaker for NakedWines.com, where he continues to sell his “Matt Parish” brand. Prior to that he was the Vice President and Chief Winemaker for the Americas at Treasury Wine Estates that included Beringer, Stags’ Leap Winery, Chateau St. Jean and Etude. Matt has also held winemaking roles at Constellation Wines US and various companies in France, Italy, Spain, Argentina, Australia and New Zealand.
Matt’s reputation as a top-tier winemaker in the US and around the world made him a clear choice as Lula’s next winemaker. His brilliance has particularly shone with Pinot Noirs, which he has crafted for many years and most recently for his own label. He has produced numerous 90+ rated wines and earned countless accolades, including Hot and Impact Brand Awards and hundreds of wine show medals across various brands, varietals and wine styles.
A native of New Zealand who has called Northern California home for the last 15 years, Matt has a far-ranging background spanning 25 vintages—from small luxury wineries to the world’s largest publicly listed wine company, and from a wine start up to his own label—that make him particularly suited to propel Lula into the future.
“I’m extremely excited to be part of the Lula label. Their history, the people involved, Lula’s loyal customers and the opportunity to be part of the truly magnificent Anderson Valley all make this a great adventure,” states Matt. “I’ve always loved pinot noir as a varietal and Anderson Valley is one of a few places in the world where I feel it truly expresses itself. Lula’s pinots take full advantage of that originality and I’m looking forward to continuing the great tradition that founding winemaker Jeff Hansen started at Lula.”
Said retiring winemaker Hansen, “I have been fortunate to work in the gorgeous Anderson Valley wine region for many years and to have had the opportunity to make some great wines. I’m pleased to be passing the baton along to Matt, a passionate and dedicated winemaker, who I know will help take Lula Cellars to the next level.”
Lula’s handcrafted Anderson Valley and Mendocino AVA wines—including Pinot Noir, Zinfandel, Dry Gewurztraminer, Sauvignon Blanc and Rosato—garner gold medals and devoted fans. Their customer-friendly philosophy is echoed in every aspect of their business, especially the lively tasting room where guests can be found daily, tasting wine at the hand-hewn redwood bar, with their four-legged friend happily milling at their feet.
About Lula Cellars
Lula Cellars is a small production, ultra-premium label located in Anderson Valley’s Deep End. With an annual case production of around 3,000 cases, Lula Cellars focus is Estate and Anderson Valley Pinot Noirs and Single Vineyard offerings from the greater Mendocino County, California. Since 2010, Lula Cellars has built a reputation of integrity, positive customer relations and stellar wines. The goal of Lula Cellars is simple: to produce quality, world-class wines of great value and sell them directly to consumers through their tasting room and mailing list. Founding winemaker Jeff Hansen, a twenty-eight year wine industry veteran, named Lula Cellars for his maternal grandmother Lula, who was born in 1879 and lived to the age of 89. In June 2017, Lula Cellars announced Matt Parish as the new winemaker for Lula Cellars. For further information, please visit www.lulacellars.com.
About the Lula Cellars Property & Tasting Room
Lula Cellars makes its home on a 22-acre property in Philo, nestled amongst the rolling hills of bucolic Anderson Valley. For festival-goers, or travelers to Mendocino County in general, Lula Cellars’ tasting room offers a unique experience for wine tasting. In addition to a tasting room, the property (with a quarter mile of frontage along Hwy 128 in Philo) features a pond, a 14-acre Pinot Noir vineyard, a small-production winemaking facility, and a newly opened 10,000 square foot ‘Events Area’ available for weddings and other private events. Located at 2800 Guntly Road in Philo (at the corner of Hwy 128 and Guntly Road), next door to Handley Cellars, the pet-friendly tasting room offers stunning views of the surrounding property and the lauded Pinot Noir growing area known as “The Deep End” of the Anderson Valley. The Lula Cellars tasting room is open daily, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. To contact the tasting room, please call 707.895.3737.
