Clos Pepe Leased by Hall/Walt Wines -- Wes Hagen Leaving

WINE TALK
#1

Just got an email that Clos Pepe has entered into a long term lease to Hall/Walt Wines. Wes Hagen will no longer be making wines there and it looks like they will be selling off all of the inventory.

Very sad, one of the great pinot producers in California.

#2

Leased, I thought

#3

True, sorry about that. Change made.

#4

Wes will announce his new gig this week. Stay tuned.

#5

Sorry to hear that Clos Pepe is ending its run. Terrific wines. Look forward to Wes’ new landing spot. Wish the entire Pepe and Hagen families the best.

#6

Hey All,

A couple of thoughts…

I recently toured and met with the Hall/Walt folks down at Clos Pepe (along with Stephen Pepe and Brian Loring and others). I am very excited about the quality of fruit going forward and the legacy of the Clos Pepe name under Hall’s stewardship of the grapes. I think that there will be even greater wines bearing the Clos Pepe designation in the future. That’s exciting to me.

Having said that, I really loved the Clos Pepe Estate Vigneron Select that we had at lunch. It was the best wine I can remember from Clos Pepe Estate. Fantastic juice.

Adam Lee
Siduri Wines

#7

We are excited about our long term relationship with Hall/Walt. They have been buying fruit from us for five years. We know each other quite well and we are very compatible with their vineyard philosophy. They own, lease or rent over 3,000 acres of vineyard land. They have a very solid vineyard team with a deep bench. We are confident they will take CP Vineyards to the next level. Wes did a great job as our vineyard manager and winemaker. He put us on the map along with our excellent producers like Adam, Brian Loring, AP Vin and lots of others who vineyard designated our grapes. Wes is ready to move to prime time and the national stage, an opportunity which we could not provide him. His new opportunity will be announced next week. We will continue to live on the vineyard and now have all the benefits without any of the burdens and even a positive cash flow. Life is grand champagne.gif

#8

Congrats, Stephen! Sounds very exciting!

#9

Wes Hagen’s new gig… J Wilkes.

“If you’ve heard me speak on wine, you’ve heard me challenge single-vineyard wines as a bit premature in an American wine culture that constantly legitimizes itself with the French accent," Wes wrote. "AOCs in France took centuries to develop and understand, and American winemakers are often the arrogant thieves: We steal Europe’s grapes and use them like brand names before we truly understand how to grow and craft them. Then add to that the fact that we vineyard designate wines with no history or track record, trying to legitimize sites that have yet to make it past a single generation of growers.”
–Wes Hagen

#10

I wish him the best and hope he continues posting his YouTube videos.