Van Staaveren honored as Winemaker of the Year
Wine Enthusiast Magazine announced this month that Chateau St. Jean winemaker Margo Van Staaveren has been selected as "Winemaker of the Year" as part of its annual Wine Star Awards for 2008. The Wine Star Awards recognize excellence in the wine and spirits industry.
The magazine cited several reasons why Van Staaveren was selected for the honor, including, "For a winemaker to not only survive but also thrive at a winery for nearly 30 years is remarkable in itself. For that winemaker to get better and better with each passing vintage, so that the winery is recognized as one of the top brands in America, is even more noteworthy. And for that winemaker to be a woman, in a field long dominated by men, makes Margo Van Staaveren, of Chateau St. Jean, the natural choice for Wine Enthusiast's Winemaker of the Year." Van Staaveren joined Chateau St. Jean shortly after graduating from the University of California at Davis with a bachelor of science degree in fermentation science in 1979. Starting as a laboratory technician, she worked her way to assistant winemaker by 1989, and was later named associate winemaker. She became winemaker and director of operations for Chateau St. Jean in August of 2003, continuing a rich legacy of winemaking as the fourth winemaker in the winery's history.
"This award is a tremendous honor for me personally, but I'm also proud that it brings solid recognition to Chateau St. Jean and to Sonoma Valley. I've been at Chateau St. Jean for 29 years and I can't imagine a more remarkable place to make wines," Van Staaveren stated. Chateau St. Jean's website says of Van Staaveren's work, "As winemaker, she makes the final decisions involving blend and style to produce consistently high quality wines in the super premium and luxury category. Margo is a firm believer that great wines are grown - a conviction she shares with the Chateau founders who led the way for Chateau St. Jean to become a pioneer of vineyard designated wines in the early 1970s. To achieve Chateau St. Jean vineyard designation, the superior quality of the vineyards must be proven year after year and the grapes must consistently exhibit exceptional varietal character.
"The art of blending is the cornerstone of Margo's winemaking philosophy. To her, one of the greatest accomplishments is to create a wine style or signature blend that carries from vintage to vintage while still capturing the uniqueness of that particular growing year."
A feature article on Van Staaveren and her career at Chateau St. Jean will appear in the Dec. 15 issue of Wine Enthusiast Magazine, which appears on newsstands on Nov. 20. She will then be honored at the Wine Star Awards gala dinner and awards ceremony at the New York Public Library on Jan. 26, 2009. There were 50 nominees; five in each of the 10 award categories, and the winners were selected for their outstanding contribution to the world of wine and spirits, with special attention to achievements in the year 2008.
Another Sonoma County winery, Korbel Champagne Cellars, was named American Winery of the Year and will also be featured in the same issue.