Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/1207269
maker named Damien Georis in France," his father says. "I contacted him, and we met up in Paris on our next trip there." They found that they were from nearby Bel- gian villages and immediately bonded. Georis invited him to Carmel and the winemaker decid- ed to make this his home. He stayed with the company for more than a decade, helping to build the Georis brand and add Cowgirl and Endless Summer labels to the Georis portfolio. Greg Freeman, formerly of Hahn Family Wines, came on board recently. His first vintage will be 2019. The first Georis release was of a single wine, a Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon blend. "Back then, people in the United States thought of Merlot as merely a blending wine, if they thought of it at all," Georis says. "They would say 'Cab is king'. But speak to any French winemaker and he will tell you that Merlot is the queen. It's softer, a little more refined and ele- gant, but still age-worthy." The brand was expanded to include whites and a rosé (Les Abeilles, "the bees," so-named because its nose is reminiscent of honeycomb) in 1999. Currently, Georis releases between eight and twelve varietals each year across the three brands, including their two estate flagships, Clos des Moutons and La Chapelle. Clos du Moutons is produced from petrus clone, known as some of the world's finest, most coveted— and most expensive—wines. "We make terroir-reflective wines, meaning that they are specific to our region. There are no others like them," Georis says. All are marketed direct from the winery; Georis does not employ distributors. The family maintains three tasting rooms in Carmel Valley Village. Georis is at 1 Pilot Road, Cowgirl at 25 Pilot, and Endless Summer is accross the street, at 4 Pilot Road. For more information and to purchase Georis, Cowgirl and Endless Summer wines, please visit georiswine.com. Photo: Courtesy of the Georis family Photo: Courtesy of the Georis family 194 C A R M E L M A G A Z I N E • W I N T E R 2 0 2 0 To[: The hand-dug cellar under Georis' Casanova restaurant contains more than 2200 different wines from around the world. Bottom: Georis has always been a "hands-on" winery owner, per- forming virtually every task required, including trimming the vines.