Sonoma, Calif., February 23, 2021 — Sebastiani Vineyards & Winery, leading Cabernet Sauvignon producer in Sonoma names Mark Beaman as the new head winemaker, continuing his 20-year wine career, following posts at Valley of the Moon Winery in Glen Ellen, MauiWine, Mendocino Wine Company, and Columbia Crest Winery in Walla Walla.“We couldn’t be happier adding Mark to our winemaking team,” says Gerard Thoukis, Chief Marketing Officer. “Across its long history, Sebastiani has consistently pushed the wine quality to new heights, and we believe Mark will be a great asset in continuing to build upon that, while driving site-specific character in our Sonoma County and sub-appellation wines.”
Beaman has worked in most major growing regions along the west coast, as well as in Hawaii at MauiWine. Here he made six different estate grown varietal wines, several method champenoise sparkling wines, along with pineapple-based wines. Since returning to Sonoma, Beaman has focused on diversifying styles across the many AVA’s of Sonoma County for a multitude of wines; ranging from the old vine Zinfandel in Sonoma Valley, to select blocks of Cabernet from Alexander Valley and Pinot Noir and Chardonnay of the Russian River and Carneros regions. Beaman will utilize this experience in his winemaking practices to focus on the single-vineyard and sub-appellation wines that Sebastiani specializes in.
“I’m ready for a new challenge,” said Beaman. “There is an incredible history at Sebastiani and an unshakable commitment to quality and consistency. Bill Foley has helped continue an esteemed legacy here and I look forward to getting my hands dirty again and helping contribute to Sebastiani’s ongoing story.”
About Sebastiani Vineyards & Winery
For over 100 years, Sebastiani has been making premium wines in Sonoma County. Since Bill Foley’s purchase of Sebastiani in 2008, the winemaking team has taken a number of steps to produce world-class wines that showcase the great terroir and versatility of Sonoma County. One of the first things done under Foley’s direction was to decrease production, allowing for focused wine making efforts on exceptional vineyard sites. The estate vineyards were carefully matched to clones and rootstocks, and the farming protocols to geography, topography and climate. Today, the winery is making the finest wines in its long and proud history with an emphasis on their Cherryblock Estate Vineyard and Sonoma County sub-appellation wines.
About Foley Family Wines
Established by Bill Foley in 1996, Foley Family Wines is a portfolio of highly-acclaimed wines from some of the world’s greatest vineyards. Every brand in the company’s portfolio has a distinct style and legacy. Foley Family Wines owns the following properties in California: Foley Sonoma (Geyserville), Chalone Vineyard (Monterey), Foley Estates (Sta. Rita Hills), Lincourt Vineyards (Solvang), Merus (Napa Valley), Foley Johnson (Napa Valley), Kuleto (Napa Valley), Chalk Hill (Sonoma County), Sebastiani (Sonoma County), Lancaster Estate (Sonoma County), Firestone Vineyard (Santa Ynez Valley), Eos Winery (Paso Robles), Roth Estate Winery (Sonoma County), Banshee (Sonoma County). The company also owns Three Rivers Winery in Walla Walla, WA, Acrobat (Oregon), and The Four Graces in Dundee, OR. In New Zealand, the company owns Vavasour (Marlborough), Clifford Bay (Marlborough), Grove Mill (Marlborough), Dashwood (Marlborough), Martinborough Vineyard (Martinborough), Te Kairanga (Martinborough), and Mt. Difficulty (Bannockburn, Central Otago)
About Colangelo & Partners
Colangelo & Partners specializes in premium food, wine and spirits brands, and has long established relationships with the key press that drive these business categories and help determine the industry leaders. Agency principals have years of experience in retail and distribution as well as communications, a rare combination that gives Colangelo & Partners invaluable insights into consumer purchasing behavior. The agency focuses on ‘closing the loop’ between creative communications programs, distribution, promotion, publicity and the consumer in order to maximize the efficiency of its communications programs and deliver measurable results. Founded in 2006, Colangelo & Partners was honored as one of the year’s top integrated communications firms at the 2013 Agency Elite Awards and for one of the best digital marketing campaigns at the 2014 Digital PR Awards.
