For our first release of the year we will be focusing on the wines of Kira Ballotta. A fifth generation Californian from Sacramento, Kira’s love for economics and dream of working on Wall Street led her to the University of Washington, where she interned with Goldman Sachs and received a degree in finance. After graduation, she developed an interest in wine while analyzing winery M&A projects for an investment bank. This curiosity regarding the “goings-on” (in Kira’s words) behind the spreadsheet numbers led to a job with Constellation Brands, the parent company of labels such as The Prisoner, Booker, Sea Smoke, Lingua Franca, and Robert Mondavi Winery. While initially still on the finance side, Kira spent her spare time in Napa, doing cellar work with David Mahaffey for his small label, Olivia Brion. She grew to love the winemaking side, and quit her job to work harvest for The Prisoner, which led to an internship at Quintessa. She also studied microbiology and organic chemistry at UC Berkeley, and worked harvest abroad with Mollydooker in Australia. Upon returning from the latter, she landed a job at Alpha Omega as a production assistant, helping to kickstart the Two Squared line of wines.
As Mahaffey planned his retirement, Kira took over the brand fully in 2019, and in 2021 she started her own brand Cantadora. She found that, while people enjoyed the stories of important women from the past that were told through Olivia Brion, she wanted to celebrate the achievements of modern trailblazing women. For the inaugural Cantadora bottling, Kira chose Sonia Melara, co-founder of La Casa Los Madres, the oldest domestic violence shelter in California (and a place where Kira had done volunteer work), as inspiration and label subject. She also donated 10% of the wine’s sales to the organization, a tradition that continues with every wine, woman and organization in the line. This, along with her focus on organically farmed sites, led to Kira’s inclusion in the Imbibe Magazine’s list, “75 Who Will Determine Food & Drinks in 2024 and Beyond”.
Cheers! - Justin Malesheetz, Fillmore Wine Buyer
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Olivia Brion 2021 Willowside Vineyard Russian River Valley Pinot Noir |
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Region/Country of Origin: Russian River Valley AVA, CA |
About the Winemaking: 100% Pinot Noir from Willowside Vineyard west of Santa Rosa. Aged for 21 months in a combination of 20% new French oak and 80% neutral French oak. Tasting Notes: Medium ruby in the glass, with a heady nose of pomegranate, mushrooms, cola, and dark cherry. Full bodied with silky tannins and balanced acidity, this is a dark fruited and immediately enjoyable wine that still has the complexity to pair well with food. Flavors of dark cherry, pomegranate, and cocoa with a licorice note on the ripe dark fruited finish. |
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Winemaker: Kira Ballotta |
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Price per bottle: $49.99+tax |
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Suggested Food Pairing: Roast chicken or duck, smoked ham, teriyaki miso salmon |
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Olivia Brion 2022 “Vie d’Espionnage” Shake Ridge Ranch Mourvedre |
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Region/Country of Origin: Amador County AVA, CA |
About the vineyards: Organically farmed Shake Ridge Ranch sits at 1500 feet elevation in the Sierra Foothills, northeast of Sacramento. This site experiences warm days and very cool nights with an Alpine Influence dominating. The soil is a blend of Volcanic, Quarzite and Alluvial. The site is farmed by Ann Kraemer, a renowned viticulturist with over 25 years of experience managing vineyards and consulting for such wineries as Domaine Chandon, Cain, Calera, Hobbs, and Shafer before buying 34 acres in Amador County in the early 00’s and planting Zinfandel, Petite Syrah, Barbera, Tempranillo, and Rhone varieties in 2003 and an additional 12 acres planted in 2009. About the Winemaking: 100% Mourvedre aged for 21 months in neutral French oak Tasting Notes: A deep ruby in the glass with a dark savory nose bringing to mind red plum, fresh dark berries, and meaty iron notes. On the fuller side of medium bodied with firm tannins and bright acidity, this wine sings with fresh red and black fruit flavors along with a dark mineral character rounded out with savory herb and meaty notes on the finish. |
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Winemaker: Kira Ballotta |
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Price per bottle: $38.99+tax |
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Suggested Food Pairing: sauteed mushrooms, pot roast, smoked cheddar, baba ganoush, lentils |
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Cantadora 2021 “The Energizer for the Ages” Shake Ridge Ranch Rhone Blend |
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Region/Country of Origin: Amador County AVA, CA |
About the Vineyards: Organically farmed Shake Ridge Ranch sits at 1500 feet elevation in the Sierra Foothills, northeast of Sacramento. This site experiences warm days and very cool nights with an Alpine Influence dominating. The soil is a blend of Volcanic, Quarzite and Alluvial. The site is farmed by Ann Kraemer, a renowned viticulturist with over 25 years of experience managing vineyards and consulting for such wineries as Domaine Chandon, Cain, Calera, Hobbs, and Shafer before buying 34 acres in Amador County in the early 00’s and planting Zinfandel, Petite Syrah, Barbera, Tempranillo, and Rhone varieties in 2003 and an additional 12 acres planted in 2009. About the Winemaking: 40% Grenache, 40% Mourvèdre and 20% Syrah aged for 20 months in 20% new French oak. Tasting Notes: Deep violet with a nose of garrigue, graphite , black plum, and dark berries. Medium bodied and plush with firm tannins and balanced acidity frame flavors of black plum, chocolate covered berries, and a savory finish. |
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Winemaker: Kira Ballotta |
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Price per bottle: $39.99+tax |
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Suggested Food Pairing: carnitas, roasted peppers, beef stew, |
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