After 40+ years, Mike Tierney has “retired” as President of Taft Street Winery. While his title has changed to President Emeritus, he is still our chief cook and entertainer. Mike will always be a part of Taft Street, and we look forward to celebrating with him and the rest of the Tierney family every chance we get.
As a small family-owned brand, we’ve decided the State of the Street blog series should become a team effort. Each month, you’ll hear from one of our owners or employees. From the tasting room to production to sales, you’ll get a different perspective on the inner workings of our winery.
I volunteered to write the first monthly installment. My name is Jake Martini, I’m a second generation winery producer raised in Sonoma County; working with my family as the Head of Operations & Controller. A better description would be “the person keeping tabs on the first generation.” In 2021, Taft Street celebrated 40 harvests; I’ve been a part of the last ten. Prior to coming back home to Taft Street, I cut my teeth in corporate finance in San Francisco.
We’re wrapping up summer bottling and ramping up for harvest with the first picks scheduled for mid-August. I stopped by Hopkins River Ranch with the team to check in on growers Bob and Whitney Hopkins as well as our Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, and Pinot Noir fruit. Bob’s vineyard off of Eastside Road is one of my favorite places in the Russian River Valley. It’s on my commute and the way fog falls into the valley along the river is a daily reminder of the incredible beauty of the Russian River Valley.
We’ve got a lot of video and content in the works, so stay tuned. Our community manager, Toby, posts daily on Instagram so be sure to follow along or, better yet, swing by and taste all our current releases. My current favorite is our 2021 Russian River Valley Garagistes Sauvignon Blanc which was just awarded 90 points by Jeb Dunnuck.
The 2021 Sauvignon Blanc Garagistes is a more savory expression of Sauvignon Blanc, with more reserved aromatics of beeswax, chive, lemon rind, and wet stone. The palate has a softly rounded texture and more concentrated mid-palate weight, with fresh peach, pink grapefruit, and delicate oak spice. Drink 2022-2028.
– Audrey Frick, Jeb Dunnuck, August 2, 2022
If you have any questions, want to know more about any specific part of the business, or just reach out to say hi, my email is [email protected]. I’m excited to continue this decades-long pursuit, but I’m more excited you’re here to share it with us.
Jake Martini
Head of Operations, Controller, and generational cat herder.