Winemaker Profile:

MICHAEL TARUJILLO

by Charles Neave
When Michael Trujillo, director of winemaking and president of Sequoia Grove Winery, one of the more famous labels – especially for red wine – in all of the Napa Valley, first started his career in agriculture, it was a long way from grapes. In fact it was in the ranch country and farmland of Southern Colorado, where he grew up and where the growing cycle and the soil first became a part of his daily life.
Fast forward a bit. The year is 1982 and Michael is on spring break from college. He decides to visit California and, more importantly he decided to stay, and things at Sequoia Grove have never been quite the same. He took an entry level job with the winery and rose steadily though the ranks until reaching the position as winemaker and then, beginning with the 2002 vintage, he became both the winery’s head winemaker and president.
“I tend to make my wines so that they require a little patience,” he explains. “Which means that while they are approachable and very nice to drink on release, they evolve beautifully as they age in the bottle over the years. That doesn’t mean that the wines have to sit for five or ten years, it simply means that they continue to get better over that period of time and even longer.”
Sequoia Grove Vineyards sits on 24 acres of prime Rutherford land, on the site of a century-old farmhouse that holds a stand of some of the last of the towering Sequoias left in the valley. Today, the vineyard grows the traditional Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Malbec and Petit Verdot varietals that are used to blend the winery’s famous Cabernet Sauvignon. As the years have gone by the wines have developed a loyal following and a reputation for quality, elegance and a distinct style.
Depending on the varietal, the fermentation process is carried out in oak, stainless steel, or a combination of the two. Cooperage is in both small and large oak barrels. Some American oak is also used, but only with the Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, the rest of the time it is French oak. Every wine at Sequoia Grove is then aged in the bottle a minimum of one year before going to market; the highly-prized Estate Reserve bottlings are held slightly longer before their release and all are made in relatively small lots.
The winery produces two Cabernets (one of them the Rutherford Reserve), a Chardonnay using grapes from the cooler Carneros District of the Napa Valley, the Rosé Sunset Syrah and small lots of a Syrah made from grapes grown up at Stagecoach Vineyards on Atlas Peak on the Valley’s eastern side. There is also a stellar Sauvignon Blanc. These last three wines are in very limited supply and are only sold at the winery.
“I look to create wines with varietal expression, structure and balance,” Michael says. “Stylistically I look towards traditional winemaking, no question about it, but this is California, so in the end it is our own style of making wine that defines our wines.
“For me vineyard balance is first, which means location makes a huge impact: the soil types, the physical location of the vineyard, and the climate ... balance includes everything from the roots of the vines to the canopy to the fruit itself.”
The latest expression of the Sequoia Grove philosophy is their newest wine, the 2005 Rebellious Red, which is a Cabernet Sauvignon blended with a non-Bordeaux varietal. As the winemaker says, “It’s a way to step outside the sandbox and play. It’s about creating something new and different every year. And besides, everyone has a little rebel in them, and we winemakers are no exception. This is the wine we make to shake things up.” This wine will be available only at the winery (not surprising, since a mere 296 cases were produced) with the first release scheduled for the end of this month.
The tasting room at Sequoia Grove Vineyard, where you can try these expressive, balance and flavor-filled wines is open every day of the week from 10:30 a.m. until 5 p.m. It is located at 8338 St. Helena Highway (also known as Highway 29) in Rutherford, between Yountville and St. Helena. For directions or for more information they can be reached at 1-800-851-7841 or (707) 944-2945 or look them up on the internet at www.sequoiagrove.com.

Related Information

• Sequoia Grove Vineyards