Generation Two Is Moving Full-Steam Ahead in Downtown Calistoga

How do you help those who have helped you to succeed in the wine business? Well, if you’re August “Joe” Briggs, when you decide to move on from the wine business into some well-deserved relaxation with your wife, you do so by letting your nephew, Jesse Inman, and three key, longtime employees, Colette Milliman, Lisa Salling and Matt Gacso, buy the business. Joe got his start like a lot of others in the Napa Valley: armed with a degree in enology from Fresno State, he started by working for others as a consulting winemaker before striking out on his own. In 1995, he produced his first wines under his own label, and in 2002, he took the leap of faith to buy the land for the winery’s first location on the Silverado Trail. At the end of 2010, Generation Two took over, relocating the tasting room in the process.

The winery’s philosophy was very simple but definitely against the norm at the time: find the best grapes in the best vineyards in Napa and Sonoma and make the best wines possible from them – and not just the usual suspects, either. Joe determinedly sought out unusual but terrific varieties, making a name for his seldom-seen-elsewhere Charbono along the way. Today, these ideas are well represented throughout the North Coast, but two decades ago, they most definitely were not. The belief was that unless you owned it, you couldn’t make the best wine from it, and if it was not one of three or four varieties, why make it? Clearly, neither need be the case nor in the recipe for success since August Briggs has seen loads of accolades for its rare bottlings of Pinot Meunier, Petite Sirah, Syrah and the “Wishes” red blend – all available either only in the tasting room and/or to club members.

The August Briggs brand was built by focusing on restaurants, where a single-vineyard approach to food-friendly varietals was well received and appreciated for its cuisine-matching ability. Today, the winery produces 4,000 cases spread amongst sixteen different single-vineyard bottlings, including four Pinot Noirs, three Cabernet Sauvignons, two Petite Sirahs and two Chardonnays – plus the renowned Charbono and bottlings of rosé, Syrah and Zinfandel, as well as the ultra-rare Pinot Meunier, seldom seen except in sparkling wines. And each, as Colette is known to say when asked in the tasting room, “lets the vineyard and appellation shine through.”

Without a doubt, the new space is perfect for wine tasting. Seeking to be even more in the thick of good things, this second iteration of August Briggs has placed itself in the heart of downtown Calistoga. The new digs put you steps from world-class restaurants and tasting rooms – no need to move the car since there’s a lot going on around you. Jesse says it best, “Our new creekside setting, convenient location and onsite parking make it the perfect place for sharing our limited production wines.” Not to mention the special space never before available for wine club members, who get first – and sometimes only – access to very special single-vineyard bottlings.

The tasting room is definitely a cut above the Valley norm. On any given day, two, three or even all four of the now-owners are on site, pouring the wines. Why change what works? In the same vein, August Briggs has been well known as a producer of excellent wines, and that legacy has continued – no surprise since Jesse has been winemaking beside his uncle for a number years, so they’ve been “his” wines for a while now. And there’s lots to choose from, which is always the operating methodology of the winery: why make only a couple of bottlings when there are so many vineyards producing fantastic fruit from which to make wine? And why produce what everyone else does? Part of the fun is making what others cannot or will not!

Equally, tasting through four different Pinot Noirs, sourced from four very diverse locations in Carneros, Napa, the Russian River and the Sonoma Coast, or three different Cabs from Dry Creek, Napa and Sonoma Valleys, is really unique even today. Since the owners are there, the passion is apparent with every pour, and since these are the folks who have been with the winery all along, they know best what has worked to keep things fun and lively. Generation Two is now mostly adjusted to their new roles, but Lisa is still amazed at the “huge complement” Joe paid the four of them when he let them “keep doing what we love,” but spend some time around these folks and you’ll see it wasn’t an accident. Come visit August Briggs yourself and taste the wide-ranging goodness the four ex-employees and now-owners are happy to share with you: journey to Calistoga and taste their success yourself. Enjoy!

August Briggs is located at 1307 Lincoln Avenue in Calistoga, pen daily from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information, call (707) 942-4912.