Eric Guerra Wines: winery information
Winemaker: Leslie Sisneros
Sisneros brings many years of experience in the wine industry ranging from small boutique to large fast-paced wineries.
She joined Kendall Jackson Winery in 1993 when the Vinwood facility in Geyserville, CA was acquired. She began in the lab as an Enologist and quickly advanced to Assistant Winemaker in charge of operations along with the title of Flavor Winemaker for Pinot Noir. She remained with Kendall Jackson for 13 harvests.
Prior to Kendall Jackson, she spent 4 years at Vinwood—then a custom crush facility. There she gained a wealth of experience working with numerous winemakers learning a variety of different styles ranging from cool-climate white wines to warm-climate reds. Also, throughout her travels, she has spent time at Rodney Strong, Chateau St. Jean, Haywood Winery and the John Culbertson Winery in Temecula.
At Kendall Jackson she crafted four tiers of Pinot Noir varying from 120,000 cases to 48 cases and was responsible for crafting the #1 selling Pinot Noir in the US today. Throughout her tenure, she gained unprecedented experience in the vineyards and terroirs of the most renowned wine regions in California including Sonoma County, Napa Valley, Russian River, Anderson Valley (Mendocino) along with the unique microclimates and soils of Monterey and Santa Maria (Santa Barbara) counties. As a result, her mission is to work with the most intensely flavored clones and berries to provide the perfect elegance and structure which signifies the ultimate wine. In addition to her Pinot Noir duties, given the size and scope of her responsibilities, she also gained extensive knowledge with many other varietals including Chardonnay, Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc, Viognier, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Syrah, Sangiovese and Zinfandel.
Currently, Leslie is a consulting winemaker for some of the top boutique brands in Northern California, once again expanding upon her already extensive knowledge of various varietals and regions.
Leslie received her BS in Viticulture from UC Davis and spent 2 years prior at UC San Diego. She is a native of Southern California and currently resides in Sebastopol with her husband and 3 children. She is an orchid hobbyist who enjoys getting her hands dirty as often as possible.
Most importantly, Sisneros is a winemaker of immense passion and pride. She is committed, talented, knowledgeable and very capable of crafting world-class wines. She is considered a key contributor to the overall success of the Company…our Blend-Diva.
And a little extra . . .
Leslie is not your typical artist. Yes, she’s firm in her direction, onerous in sharing her thoughts, passionate about her creations and somewhat quirky like most artists. However, unlike most artists, she has a distinct uniqueness.
Leslie began crafting wine years ago. Though she was passionate about her craft, the wines she created where largely controlled and dictated by profits and the bottom line. Though she fully understood the value of a successful business, many times it was this business that forced her to make challenging creative decisions. Envisioning the life she wanted, rather than the career she had to follow, Leslie took the bold steps and created a situation where she controlled the artistic decisions, painting the picture she envisioned.
Now, about her uniqueness.
Leslie does not deal with a blank canvas where she brushes on the colors to create her work. It’s much more difficult than that. Her ‘canvas’ comes with a history that she needs to understand, embrace, then shepherd into what she envisions to be her final creation. You see, she has many factors that are not in her control. As a short list of examples: the weather, the barrels, the grapes, the vines, the vineyard location, etc. Each harvest, Leslie needs to look at what mother-nature has given her, envision the wine she desires to craft then lead this ‘grape juice’ to an end result that exceeds even the most discerning palates.
Now, tell me how many other artists out there are willing to first embrace the ever-changing tools and have the talent to craft something as magical as a fine wine. You won’t find many.
Annual Production: 600 cases
Futures
Eric Guerra 2005 Alexander Valley Ispiri (450 cs) – release Jan 2008.
Eric Guerra 2005 Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon (100 cs) – release Jan 2008.
Eric Guerra 2005 Russian River Pinot Noir (75 cs) – release April 2008.
Grape Varieties Planted