Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/1061132
{ SOMMjournal.com } 49 Modern, ultra-premium red blends are hardly new to the scene: Wines modeled after traditional California field blends that rounded out Zinfandel with Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Petite Sirah, and Charbono first appeared in the late 1990s. After The Prisoner Wine Company of St. Helena made its debut in 2000, the category rose to further prominence over the course of the decade as younger consumers' interest in monovarietal wines like Syrah and Merlot waned. Instead, these same varieties were being redeployed as components in sought-after blends. Brand Expansion After The Prisoner Wine Company was purchased from founder Dave Phinney, the transition in ownership ushered in a new phase of evolution: one charged to the capable hands of winemaker Chrissy Wittman. After helping finish out the 2015 vintage, Witt - man officially moved her family to Napa in 2016 to become the brand's Director of Winemaking. In addition to making three successive vintages with no discern - able stylistic shift in the established labels, Wittman has doubled the portfolio, overseeing the addition of Syndrome, No. 39007, Headlock, ERASED, and Eternally Silenced. She also added The Snitch and Dérangé, which are available through distribution. "With blends, we have the ability to maintain continuity," says the winemaker, who sources fruit from more than 100 vineyards from the Central Coast—where she previously made wine at Scheid Vineyards and Wild Horse Winery—up to Mendocino. Trained in ecology, biology, and agriculture, Wittman star ts finetuning her unconventional blends in the field. Tasting through the por tfolio exposes an energy and lift that points to winemak - ing in smaller lots than one would expect. "There are several tasting room–only wines which are by nature small lots, includ- ing our rosé Syndrome and No. 39007, a Chenin Blanc/Viognier blend," she said. With production under 7,500 cases, Blindfold, the white counterpar t to The Prisoner red blend, features Chardonnay, Roussanne, Viognier, Chenin Blanc, Muscat, and Vermentino. The inaugural 2015 vintage of Dérangé, a barrel-selected blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Petite Sirah, Merlot, Syrah, and Zinfandel from iconic Napa Valley vineyards, represents the upper end of the portfolio and retails for $100. "Each variety brings something to the party: Cabernet provides structure and density; Petite con - tributes richness to the mid-palate; Merlot is dark fruit and juicy acidity; Syrah brings floral and spice notes; and Zinfandel is the glue that knits it all together," Wittman explains. Darkne and ht Unveiled in November, the reimagined winery was conceived by San Francisco architect Matt Hollis and interior designer Richard Von Saal, a Napa Valley native. The 40,000 square-foot space just south of St. Helena now unites a production winery, tasting lounge, open-view kitchen, and light-filled studio space dubbed "The Makery" under one roof. Hollis has a stunning track record of winery design to his cred - it—among them Donum, Etude, Laird, Kenzok, and Gamble—and Chrissy Wittman, Director of Winemaking for The Prisoner Wine Company, has doubled the brand's portfolio during her tenure.