West Pinnacles, California, February 25, 2019 – Veteran winemaker Bill Brosseau announces the launch of Brosseau Wines from his family’s estate in Monterey County’s Chalone Appellation. From their estate vineyard high in the Gabilan Mountain Range, Brosseau Wines will be showcasing limited releases of estate Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, old vines Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, Chenin Blanc, and Grenache Rosé.
In concert with the new releases, Bill Brosseau is debuting his ‘Adventures’ program that will offer a select group of wine sensory thrill seekers personal access to Bill, Brosseau Vineyard, and other sensory-inspiring venues. The Brosseau Wines Adventures program is more than a wine club — it is an immersive viticultural and enological exploration, hosted by Bill himself. More information on the Adventures program is available online at brosseauwines.com/wine-adventure
Bill was inspired early-on by the wines of Chalone Vineyard co-founder and family friend, Richard Graff. Bill has spent over twenty wine harvests on the iconic mountain near the Pinnacles, continuing the winegrowing journey begun there by Graff, and later by his parents at Brosseau Vineyard. Jon and Jan Brosseau fell in love with the remote location following a single taste of a Chalone Chenin Blanc. In the mid-1970’s, they invested in available land on the mountain.
Bill had always led a dual life: weekday winemaker in the Bay Area and weekend farming warrior. “I just loved the adventure of creating wine, but also working on the vines themselves, or just riding my dirt-bike through the vineyard,” he remembers. Bill began his winemaking journey with hands-on experience and studies at the UC Davis Viticulture and Enology program, completing three harvests before graduation. Following graduation, Bill began working for the Jensens at Testarossa Winery in 2000 and was promoted to winemaker at the Pinot Noir-specialized brand in 2003.
Bill’s dual expertise in the vineyard and the cellar allows him to holistically fine-tune wines at every step of the growing and winemaking cycle. Over the past two decades, Bill has become one of California’s most respected and awarded Chardonnay and Pinot Noir artisans, garnering more than one thousand, 90+ point reviews.
In addition to his winemaking role at Testarossa, Bill took over vineyard management at Brosseau Vineyard, and shortly thereafter transitioned it to a certified organic property. Bill comments that “late in his life, Graff began to farm organically at his ranch. This just seemed like the natural step for us to do at our estate, given this organic model closely matched our family’s philosophies for nurturing our home vineyard.”
In response to the question of why he waited twenty years to officially launch his own label, Bill replies “I knew that I had only one chance to get everything right. I kept pushing back this important, personal project until I felt the vineyard and I were ready. Our vineyard is now a wonderfully mature forty-years old and the time is right.”
Bill is proud to carry on not only his family’s dreams, but also the legacy of Richard Graff. Phil Woodward, co-founder of the Chalone Wine Group comments that “I have enjoyed Bill’s wines from his very first Chalone appellation vintage. Bill, like Dick Graff, captures the essence of the Chalone terroir, especially in his Chardonnays and Pinot Noirs.”
You can learn more at brosseauwines.com
Brosseau Wines
Brosseau Wines is a boutique winery and estate vineyard in the Chalone appellation, West Pinnacles, California. All wines are estate grown and made by veteran winemaker Bill Brosseau, who has produced twenty harvests as winemaker at Testarossa and his family’s Brosseau Vineyard, achieving over one thousand, 90+ point reviews. The winery focuses on producing small lots of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, including old vine lots, as well as very small allocations of Chenin Blanc and Grenache Rosé. Learn more about Brosseau Wines and its unique Adventures viticultural and enological experience program at brosseauwines.com
