Mike Seitz: Husband, Father, and Viticulturalist

Mike Seitz, a talented and experienced viticulturalist, began his wine journey in New Jersey. He was lured from the east by the idea of buying his own Napa Valley vineyard and farming his own grapes. Before his dream was realized, Seitz worked as a viticulturalist for several Napa Valley vineyards, taking care of some of the most lucrative harvests the valley had seen. In 2000, Seitz founded his own winery, Brookdale Vineyards, and his dream was realized. Tragically, Mike Seitz died during the 2003 harvest in a farming accident, leaving his wife Kristi Seitz sole proprietor of the wine estate. Despite his passing, his passion and drive for wine lives on in his wife and young son, Charlie.

Mike Seitz was known for putting his heart and soul into his wine. His vineyard was his life; he strove to be the best winemaker he could be, and he died doing what he loved. Seitz worked extremely hard at his wine business, and before his death, he achieved his goal of creating vintages that were beautifully simplistic and harmonious with nature.

Mike Seitz' winemaking philosophy was simple and incredibly important to the success of his wine. He believed that keeping production size low was key to producing exceptional vintages. Production size was as important to him as his vineyard’s soil, which he always maintained with sustainable agriculture methods. His vineyards were also consistently well-balanced.

Seitz' winery was given its start by the assistance of some of the finest Napa Valley vineyards, which sold him small blocks of their exceptional Cabernet Sauvignon grapes. With the help of his close friend and winemaker, Craig MacLean, Seitz was able to create a delicious limited production wine that was a reflection of his dedication to his winery.

Mike Seitz had a simple ambition: to allow the vineyard to express itself through the bottle. His passion and dedication to wine is the major reason Brookdale Vineyards' varietals are so distinctive in their representation of terroir. When he died, he left a hole where an exceptional vintner should be. In honor of her husband, Kristi Seitz dedicates every bottle of Brookdale Cabernet Sauvignon to Mike Seitz’ memory.

Patrick Baseden and Montesquieu Wines

The wine negociant Montesquieu discovers unknown wines from around the world that are steeped in winemaking tradition and reflect the beauty of their terroir and culture. The vintages they import from around the world are not wines you would find at your local store. Their wine tasting panel chooses from among numerous vineyards and vintages to bring the best selections of wines from around the world to your table. Montesquieu draws from hunBordeaudreds of small, family-owned wineries that have been overlooked by United States because of their size and imports the exclusive vintages that are bursting with flavor to our country. The wines Montesquieu’s wine tasting panel chooses are not merely wonderful bottles of wine, but works of art.

Montesquieu’s wine panel tastes hundreds of wines a month to ensure its consumers the best possible wine experiences. On occasion, Montesquieu only chooses one wine out of every hundred they taste, ensuring the quality the brokerage’s exclusive wines are known for. Some of the wines the brokers taste are samples sent to them by prospective wineries, but most of the wine Montesquieu imports are ones the panelists have discovered themselves on their foreign travels and wine tasting tours.

The panelists believe in the intrinsic diversity of wine and choose quality, individualistic wines from only the best wineries in the world. Every member of the tasting panel has in-depth knowledge of the wine industry and brings his/her own unique wine experiences to the wine choosing process.

Patrick Baseden is one of Montesquieu’s exclusive wine panelists. Born in France, he is married to a descendant of the Montesquieu family. He attended an exclusive Parisian university, Paris-Sorbonne, where he earned a Bachelor’s degree in Business Law and his MBA from the European Institute of Business Administration in Fontainebleau. Before he became the founder and CEO of the Montesquieu Vins and Domaines in 1993, Patrick Baseden was the Assistant Vice President of JP Morgan in New York and Paris, the Export Director for Veuve Clicquot Champagne and later became the Executive Vice President. From the Montesquieu family estate in Bordeaux, Baseden, the current Baron de Montesquieu, develops and promotes the Montesquieu wines with his enologist son, Hubert.

Quintessa

In the late 1980s, Agustin Huneeus and his wife, Valeria Huneeus, founded the 280 acre winery estate that would become Quintessa in Rutherford at the heart of Napa Valley. The land exhibits all the characteristics of a great vineyard with microclimates, rolling hills, and diverse soil. After 15 years of growth, the vines have become balanced, needing little encouragement to produce the stellar grapes Quintessa is known for.

Agustin Huneeus believes strongly in remaining true to the terroir of the estate and keeping the wines true to the land from which they are grown. He was born in Santiago, Chile and began his winemaking career there. He is one of the few people who have dedicated his entire career to the passion of winemaking. He started in the wine business in 1960, quickly becoming the CEO of Concha y Toro, which grew to be the largest winery in Chile under his direction. When Chilean politics made living conditions and winemaking too difficult, he left his homeland for America. Before he began his own winery, he worked for a number of other successful vineyards, even becoming Partner and President of Franciscan Estates in the mid-80s, all the while gaining experience and acquiring talent in the winemaking industry. Once Huneeus sold his interest in Franciscan Estates, he bought his dream: Quintessa. Huneeus considers himself an artist of wine and a steward of the land, and his lifelong love of wine has made a significant impact in the wine industry. The award-winning and accomplished winemaker hopes to turn his Quintessa vineyard into a world-class winery.