Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/1037369
56 { THE SOMM JOURNAL } OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2018 { regional relation } ON A RECENT DAY in Alexander Valley, winemaker Domenica Totty resembled a kid in a candy shop as she sampled berries from Cabernet Sauvignon clusters at the Cloverdale Ranch vineyard. In addition to sa- voring the avors, Brix, and level of sweetness, she aimed to get a sense of the seeds' and skins' development. This critical process will help her determine when the grapes should be picked to make a world-class wine for Folie à Deux, a respected label established in St. Helena in 1981 that recently made an impressive transition to Sonoma County. As a child growing up in the countryside near Sebastopol, Totty recalls developing her palate by eating fresh berries and apples she picked near her house. She later honed these skills in the Viticulture and Enology program at University of California, Davis, and applied them over the past two decades as part of the winemaking team at Beaulieu Vineyards in Rutherford. "It feels great to be back and doing what I love in Sonoma County," says Totty, who joined the Folie à Deux team in early 2017. The wheels behind this status quo seem to have been set in mo - tion in 2004, when Roger Trinchero and his family, the owners of Sutter Home Winery in St. Helena, purchased Folie à Deux Winery. It was then best known as a medium-sized brand with fanciful labels and an assort- ment of fruit-forward wines, including a Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, Amador Zinfandel, and playful series of red, white, and pink wines called Ménage à Trois. FOLIE À DEUX WINES SHIFTS ITS FOCUS TO SONOMA COUNTY by Christopher Sawyer / photos by Will Bucquoy Cabernet Sauvignon grows on Folie à Deux's estate. The Folie à Deux Cabernet Sauvignon from Alexander Valley ages 22 months in French, American, and Hungarian oak. Crossing the MAYACAMAS