Paul Draper | |
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 Paul Draper thieving wine from a barrel at Ridge Monte Bello. | |
| Born | 1936 (age 88–89) |
| Occupation | winemaker |
Paul Draper (born March 10, 1936) is aCalifornia winemaker who has been the chiefwinemaker atRidge Vineyards in California since 1969. Without any formal training in winemaking, Draper first gained recognition for his 1971Monte BelloCabernet Sauvignon when it placed fifth at theJudgment of Pariswine tasting.[1] Draper has played a significant role in thehistory of California wine through his pioneering work in popularizing "vineyard-designated" wines as well as instigating the resurgence ofold vineZinfandel.[2] Along withRavenswood Winery's Joel Peterson, Draper is considered one of the most important figures in the history of Californian Zinfandel, rescuing the grape from obscurity and demonstrating its full potential as a serious wine.[3] Draper was featured in ashort film titled Terroir and directed by Christopher McGilvray which was shown at the 2017Cinequest Film Festival.[4]
Born inEvanston, Illinois in 1936, Draper was raised on a farm and exposed toagriculture at an early age. He graduated fromThe Choate School (now Choate Rosemary Hall) inWallingford, Connecticut andStanford University, where he majored inphilosophy and first became aware of Ridge Vineyard, which was then owned by a group ofStanford Research Institute engineers. After graduation in 1959, Draper joined theArmy where he was stationed atItaly. During that time, in a desire to see the sights from his favorite filmLa strada, Draper rode through the Italian countryside on a motorcycle, learning about the local culture, cuisine andwine. Following his release from the Army, he spent some time atSorbonne studyingFrench cuisine andnutrition. On his return to theUnited States, Draper went to work for atChateau Souverain inNapa Valley as a cellar assistant with theharvest.[1]
The next year, Draper went toChile as part of aPeace Corps mission where heleased aChilean winery withFritz Maytag, a fellow volunteer and friend from Stanford. Using Cabernet vines from local vineyards, Draper got first hand experience with winemaking in a very low-tech environment. During this time he also read many books on winemaking to expand his knowledge of the field. In 1968, he traveled toBordeaux where he discussed winemaking with themaître de chai ofChâteau Latour. The experience gave him the confidence he needed to meet withDavid Bennion and accept the chief winemaking position at Ridge Vineyards in 1969.[2]
While Ridge had some success with Cabernet, the mission that Draper was charged with was to make Ridge "respectable". One of the first tasks that he set about was in modernizing the facilities of a winery that was first built in 1886. He then went to focus on Ridge's Cabernet Sauvignon and became an advocate of the potential of cool climate Cabernet in contrast to thevery ripe, highlyalcoholic styles that came out of warmer climates. Located in theSanta Cruz Mountains AVA, the highaltitude of Ridge's vineyards as well as its proximity to thePacific Ocean created a cooler climate that was distinctly different from that found in Napa Valley orSonoma County. Draper also embraced theFrench wine concept ofterroir and began producing single-vineyard wine that was designated on thewine label with the name of that vineyard. As the reputation of his wine grew, consumers soon began to recognize names such as Monte Bello, Picchetti Vineyard, Jimsomare and Geyserville from their vineyard-designated bottlings.[2]
The style of Draper's Ridge Cabernets is often compared to more Old World styles like Bordeaux and have been reviewed by critics in favorable comparisons to the wines of theFirst Growths. That is a style that Draper actively tries to parallel and would often serveblind tastings of his Monte Bello Cabernet with a bottle of Château Latour to get feedback on the differences between the two.[2] Draper retired as the CEO and Winemaker of Ridge Vineyards in 2016, but remained on as the chairman of the board.[5]
The 1971 Monte Bello Cabernet Sauvignon was selected by organizerSteven Spurrier to take part in his 1976 blind tasting that would pit the best of California wines against the best of France's wines. On the tasting notes, Draper describes the 1971vintage as the first vintage that they were able to achieve balance in the wine with less sugar in the grapes prior to harvest and the benefit of small amounts ofMerlot,Petit Verdot andCabernet franc. The wine wasfermenteddry with extendedskin contact and then put throughmalolactic fermentation and aged in small American oakbarrels. The wine was expected to hit its peak after 6 years in the bottle. Prior to the tasting, Spurrier expected the Ridge Monte Bello to be the best performing American red. In the final results it ended up being the fifth best overall red wine (and second best American wine) afterStag's Leap Wine Cellars,Château Mouton Rothschild,Château Montrose andChâteau Haut-Brion.[1]
In the2006 rematch, the 1971 Ridge was the highest ranked red wine beating out the 1973 Stag's tastings of the same vintage wine as the original competition. A second tasting was held of more recent vintage wine in which the 2000 Monte Bello red wine came in second place behind a 2000Château Margaux.[6]
In the late 1960s and early 1970s, Zinfandel was primarily ajug wine grape. Draper sensed the potential of the wine if grown in the right spot and with low yields. Prior to his arrival, Ridge had been making some Zinfandel in small quantities, often blended withCarignane andPetite Sirah, but it was never much of a focus. Elsewhere, in California the grape was also drawing little interest from "serious" winemakers. Remembering the lessons he learned in Europe about the benefits of "old vines", particularly with keeping low yields, he went looking for some of the oldest vines of Zinfandel that he could find and found several vineyards with plantings from the 1880s-1900s. Over the course of his career he would uncover other "ideal" spots for Zinfandel includingSpring Mountain,Howell Mountain,Dry Creek Valley,Mendocino,Lodi,Paso Robles,Amador County andGeyserville. While many of these areas had long histories of Zinfandel production, most of these areas never received much recognition until Draper and Ridge began using them and touting theirterroir with vineyard-designated wines.[2]
Draper is an advocate of natural winemaking, though Ridge is not a certifiedorganic winery. His view stems from his desire to let the vineyards "express themselves" and theirterroir without over intrusiveness by man. He has been a critic of overly-powerful, overoak and highly alcoholic wines made from excessively ripe fruit, preferring his wines to be more about finesse andbalance. He has also been a critic of high wine prices and consumers who purchase wine for speculating purposes rather than to enjoy them.[2] He has been a harsh critic of theUC Davis Department of Viticulture and Enology in their emphasis of more "industrial winemaking" versus the traditional methods that he prefers. In contrast to other California Cabernets, Draper's wines are normally around 13%ABV which is low even in comparison to Bordeaux wines. Though his wines are often more of a French style, he has preferred to use American oak because they seem to perform better with his wines.[6]
Over the years Paul Draper has influenced a number of winemakers, both in California and abroad, with such notablewine personalities asJean-Luc Colombo counting him as among his favorite non-European winemakers.[7]
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link){{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)Darlington, David (1991).Angels' Visits: An Inquiry into the Mystery of Zinfandel. Henry Holt and Company.ISBN 0-8050-1608-2.
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