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Episode Notes: A trio of powerhouse winemakers-Sally Johnson Blum, Molly Hill, and Ashley Hepworth—come together to discuss their groundbreaking project, Abloom, on this episode of Sip with Nikki.

They're bringing a fresh perspective on the often under appreciated Grenache and their luxury rose made from it. You'll hear why they created this label, the challenges they faced, and the joyful spirit that fuels their unique collaboration.

From the intentional crafting process to the unique stories that each bottle tells, it’s a chat that promises to be as rich and layered as the wine itself.

You'll Hear:

• Each winemaker answer the questions "Why Does Wine Matter?"
• Behind-the-scenes anecdotes about the meticulous and unique intentional process that went into crafting Abloom
• What it was like to collaborate as 3 celebrated women winemakers in the Napa Valley
• Why this limited wine release represents a pivotal moment in the world of wine
• Listener questions including "When did you find your calling as a winemaker?"
• What they believe differentiates Napa Valley's winemaking culture from the rest of the world
• How Abloom Wine represents a bold new direction, focusing on Rosé of Grenache in an area known for Cabernet Sauvignon.

Episode Links:

Abloom Wine- sign up to receive an invitation to purchase during the June 2025 release

Follow Abloom on Instagram

Sally Johnson Blum (SJB Winemaking)

Ashley Hepworth Wine Consulting

Molly Hill and Gro Wines

Nikki's Links:

Follow me on Instagram to get the scoop on upcoming episodes

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Because I think all three of us have grown up in industry. It's easy for us to collaborate on a project together. It was easy for me to ask them to say yes.

But it's also what this wine is about, is it's able to tell our story of where we've come from, the story of Napa Valley, the story that Napa Valley is about collaboration, and that's part of what makes Napa Valley so incredible.

Well, hello. Welcome to this week's extra special episode of Sip with Nikki. I'm Nikki Lamberti coming to you from Sonoma County, California.

And not that every episode is not special, whether it's me solo or some exciting guests, but, man, this week is such a treat. Not only, I hope, for all of you, but it was a really big treat for me. If you're a regular listener, I see you and I thank you.

And the name Sally Johnson Blum should not be new to you. You've hear my friend and winemaker Sally on multiple episodes as recently as just a couple of weeks ago.

And in that episode, she mentioned an emerging wine project that she's been working on with two other wonderful female winemakers here in the Napa Valley. And that's called Abloom.

So this week we are diving into Abloom and talking about what makes this luxury different than all of the other beautiful that are out there. And I got to sit down with all three of these owners and collaborators of this project. So Sally, and then also Molly Hill and Ashley Hepworth.

Now, for those of us who live and work in the wine industry out here, that's kind of a who's who list of names. But if you are not familiar with them.

Molly is the proprietor of Grow Wines, but she has worked for over 25 years in the Napa Valley as a winemaker at places like Barringer Domaine, Carneros Seasmoke in Santa Barbara, and for the longest part of of her tenure, Sequoia Grove, which is a fantastic winery out here. And Ashley Hepworth started in the culinary world, which I always think is so fascinating.

She worked at Charlie Trotter's restaurant in Chicago, but then sidestepped into the wine world and was the winemaker at Joseph Phelps winery for over 15 years. She now has her own business, Ashley Hepworth Wine Consulting, where she helps other people elevate their winemaking.

So between the two of them, and then of course, Sally, with her experience at St.

Francis and then Pride Mountain Vineyards, where she and I met, moving on to Robert Mondavi and now Tambour Bay and her own SJB winemaking and new label Stereograph.

These three powerhouse winemakers that I was surrounded by at this table have over 70 years of combined experience making wine in California and all around the world. So it was such a special treat for me.

You'll hear our sip spotlight as we taste this highly coveted, very anticipated wine, abloom, that is just about to release. And we talk about what makes it different, what makes it special, what makes it groundbreaking. What does luxury mean in wine?

And we have a lot of fun along the way. And they share some stories about working together and collaborating as three women winemakers. Did it go well? Were there some bumps in the road?

You're just gonna have to listen to hear how that went. And they will share how you can get your hands on this very highly limited production that's coming soon.

So here we go with Molly, Sally, and Ashley from Abloom Wine. So this is a first for me, having three guests looking at me from across the microphone. Hello, ladies.

Hello.

Hello.

Thank you for being here. Thank you so much for having us. This is incredible.

Yeah. We are surrounded by horses, which is a unique recording environment. So let's start with this beautiful setting.

Sally, since this is where you've been spending a lot of time, although you guys have been as well. Where are we, and what's going on with all the horsetails that I'm looking at?

We are here at Tambour Bay Vineyards, where I am the winemaker for the Tambour Bay wines, and I also produce wines for my own projects, including a Bloom and a couple other small clients here. It's a working horse ranch. It's a very peaceful and restful environment, and lots of great wine is produced under our roof.

I love it. I just feel very at peace from the equine energy as I'm sitting here. Ashley, is this your first podcast appearance ever?

It is. I'm super excited.

Sally knows she's done it three times now. It is totally painless, and we're gonna have lots of fun.

And I'm just so excited for our listeners to hear all about this amazing project that I've already got a little taste of at your soft launch party that I somehow scored an invitation to. Thank you. And, Molly, you have been on some podcasts before.

Yes.

Okay.

Yes.

You look less nervous than her so far. Good.

Then I would love to start with you, because from what I have learned, this beautiful partnership, this abloom that we're going to talk all about and taste together in just a Minute came out of your brain. So tell us a little bit about the origin story of what it's all about and why we're sitting here.

I've known these two amazing women for many years at the beginning of my winemaking career, and we all left our longtime wineries about the same time, and I wanted a way to joyfully tell the next chapter of our careers.

She just used my favorite word, joy.

I know. And that's what we want this wine to make. But I proposed this idea to them, and they bravely jumped in with two feet.

And fast forward two years, and now here we are sitting with an actual product to talk about. Very exciting.

So we're gonna get into the project itself, to the dynamic of three rock star winemakers coming together.

I have so many questions about the process, but before we get that granular, I want to stay 30,000ft for a minute, and I want to throw a Karen McNeil question at you, because I think this is so important for us. Before we peel it all apart, why is wine important? Why does it matter?

And why is this all such a big deal, not only to us, but the people who are listening to this? Why does wine matter?

I think wine is the most magical beverage because it is both the complete encapsulation of a single moment in time and also something timeless that can outlast the people who were involved in producing it.

Like, I had goosebumps. I feel like she's answered that question.

And I just have to say that.

Now two of my favorite words in our vocabulary have been used while we're sitting here. Joy and magic. You ladies might not know, but I worked for Disney for many years before moving out here to get into this world with all of you.

So things like joy and magic get me excited. That was beautiful.

I feel like wine, similar to what Sally said, really brings people together. And I think it's the one beverage that really does bring people together. Water doesn't. Coke doesn't.

But I think the idea of sharing something, as Sally mentioned, like a moment in time and enjoying it with friends and family is such an amazing opportunity.

And as we all know, because we've all traveled to a lot of different countries and wine regions all over the world, but wine isn't always taste the same when you bring it home. So it is also about the sense of place where you are.

And I think knowing that wine's been around for thousands of years, that it's just so amazing to think that people thousands of years ago were making wine, even in a concrete vat, and now we're doing the same thing now, but we're a thousand years forward. So I think it's timeless, like Sally said, but it also, it brings people together, it brings friendship.

Yeah. And I think one of the things that you're alluding to, which is one of my favorite quotes about wine, is wine was not invented, it was discovered.

It just happens naturally.

Like you said thousands of years ago and vats and there was a basket of fruit and in Croatia or Rome or wherever, and they were like, oh, this has been sitting in the sun. And now I feel happy when I drink it. Let's figure out how to harness that. Right.

And yet what we're going to talk about is how the three of you who have studied this and done this for how many combined years altogether have been able to elevate it. But at its core, it's simple but beautiful because of that simplicity.

Absolutely.

Why does wine matter?

Wine matters because there's a reason why a wine bottle is not a serving for just one person. So wine, to me is important because it's the purity of connection. My favorite meals are family style meals.

But even when you're sitting down with a family style meal, you're probably not having the exact same bite at the exact same time.

But when you open a bottle of wine and share it with friends, you are experiencing the same flavor profile at the same time as the other person that you're with that's taking a sip. So that is really rare. And then you can talk about it and you can connect about it if you so choose.

Or you can talk about a completely other subject but still be in the same flavor space together with whoever you're with. So I think that to me is what is really magical and joyful. Ba Bam. Now you're pinning about wine.

Now you're playing to your audience. And I think, Molly, what you just said, I feel like you just created a new hashtag which is in the same flavor space. And you talked about time.

So there's like time and space and everything's moving so quickly.

And then when we actually sit down with friends and family and are tasting, you said the same flavor profile, time can stop and we can all be on the same page for a minute. And that's why we do this, right? Like, how cool is that? Okay, so let's talk about Abloom.

So we know a little bit about how you wanted to have the next chapter for all of you, because you all were. Have already been very successful in the Napa Valley making beautiful wines, top scoring wines for top producers.

And you all have your own projects besides Abloom, that you're doing your own labels and consulting and making wine with other people. Tell me a little bit more about why, because this is a very pale, salmon pink, gorgeous girl in the glass.

And why you were also passionate specifically about Grenache.

Okay. Because this was my crazy idea. And I'm so grateful that Ashley and Sally came along with me.

I wanted to do something that had never been done before and that was making with intention, making in the way that we have during our careers at, like you said, very famous wineries that had never been done. You know, all the attention that we put into $300 cabernets that we make making in the same way. So I love.

I drink it fairly regularly, but it's never quite perfect. So maybe it's a little too dark or a little too acidic or a little too sweet.

And I think when you take amazing winemaking like Sally and Ashley and I have the experience to do, and you put that intentionality behind it, you can make something that's pretty close to perfect and something that can compete with these very high profile Cabernet Sauvignons and red wines. And the additional factor of this is helping to tell the Napa Valley story, because our is from Napa Valley.

These expensive, high profile Cabernet Sauvignons that we've made in our career are mostly from Napa Valley. And Napa Valley can grow more than just Cabernet Sauvignon.

So being able to highlight this old vine Grenache and then what it can do with lots of attention and care, and then we want to share that with people.

I just wanted to add that I think that there are a lot of underutilized grapes in the Napa Valley or maybe just undiscovered. And Grenache is certainly one of those. There's a very small amount of Grenache planted in Napa Valley. It's rare.

And we've seen some of our other colleagues make some really luxury, laser focused Chardonnays or Chenin Blanc or Pinot Noir.

And I think it's really important to note that there's maybe some other varietals that winemakers can laser focus on and make something really luxurious for the three of us.

When we stepped onto the Paris vineyard on Mount Veeder, I remember Ashley saying to us in the email that when she found out that these grapes were available, this is it, ladies. Because we actually started looking for these grapes a full year before we produced this wine.

We visited numerous vineyards and we said no, even though people were really excited to work with us.

Oh, my God, these rock stars are going to make wine from my vineyard. And were you only looking at Grenache or you were open to different things from the get go?

We were only looking at Grenache. We knew that that's what we wanted to do, and we knew that it had to be really special in order to produce the serious flavor profile that we wanted.

Something really intense and elegant and balanced. So when we finally found this vineyard, thanks to Ashley and her connections with Kelly Mayer and Josh Clark, we were just absolutely floored.

It's so gorgeous. It's up at about a thousand feet elevation, and it overlooks the Napa Valley. The vines are 30 and 35 years old. Alban Clone.

This was going to some amazing red wine producers. And when we were able to work our little arm twists, did your cars.

Get egged or your houses get TP Stepped in front of them?

It was pretty nice and nice.

Yeah, yeah, it's good. We're willing to share tastes for our friends, so it all worked out. But yeah, that was really like.

We knew what we wanted to do, but we had to really wait and search to find the right grapes for our project.

The other word that you mentioned was intentionality or intentional. And so for my listeners who have heard past episodes where I've talked all about. I actually introduced that term to them.

About can be made in multiple ways. Hey, I'm making a red wine and I need to bleed some off and concentrate. That's one way. And that happens a lot.

Or you can set out to intentionally make a from the get go. So can you talk a little bit about that and how your process was very intentional, meaning this end product is what you wanted all along.

This was not in addition to something else that you were also doing, if that's correct.

I think one thing that we really wanted was to make a bandol style that is an afterthought that we actually utilize the grapes in a pressing cycle on the press and that we're thinking about that from the get go. We're not making a seigne French word for bleeding blood.

Bleeding off. For my listener.

We actually spent so Many hours developing all the decisions throughout the whole fermentation process. Molly and Ashley have a lot more experience making than I do. So it was really exciting for me to pick their brains.

I think we each brought our own things. Molly had so much experience with getting the color just right. And you can see in this glass, it's like, that is the spot on.

How many minutes or hours of skin contact are we talking about?

We did.

Are we allowed to know?

Yes. And then Ashley has a ton of experience with these really exciting nutrients that brought out the gorgeous aromatics.

Molly had a lot of experience with different acid techniques. In order to really develop that balance, I brought my concrete globe.

Of course you did. You don't leave all what happens.

We talked a lot about that the other day, and I wanted to do a little bit of carbonic maceration.

That was something that I have done in some of my reserve Cabernets at Pride, which is not typical for Cabernet, But I do feel like that really brought a beautiful texture to the wine. And so when we say intentional, I think that winemakers are all, to some degree, control freaks.

But when you get three control freaks together and they happen to be women, just the communication process was so seamless. We really shared every decision. It was such a collaboration. It was really amazing.

I love that as a woman, and that makes my heart happy. But there had to be a few moments where someone had to sacrifice or there was some negotiation or just difference of opinion in technique.

So did anybody have to pull back on something? They're all, like, looking at me like.

No, no, Honestly, I don't think so. Our meetings were long. I've never worked so hard on any wine in my entire life.

Or such a small quant.

Yeah. Which the quantity is it's 100 cases. Okay. All right. So we're talking about four wine barrels. People who do not know.

Very rare.

Yeah. Very small. That's my kind of quantity. Like, that's what I make. So you're, like, in my realm.

Yeah.

So really no difference of opinion? No having to convince or pitch to the other two to get them on board to any specific part of the decision making process.

I feel like when there were things that we weren't necessarily aligned on, we just kept talking about them until the answer really presented itself.

This is something. I haven't shared this with you two, but lean in. Well, the fact that there are three of us, I think, makes decisions move really quickly.

Because if there are two that are in agreement, we're moving forward. And I don't think we ever had to come out and say that.

But if there were four of us, I think that would be a little bit more cumbersome on the decision making.

Or two, because then you're a disallient or two.

So three is a lovely number in many ways.

Nice point.

I can relate to that as the middle of three sisters, that the often two versus one help to move things along.

And our label has three points on the fleur de lis.

Oh, because we're talking about the label. Just even a bloom. Where did the name come from? What is it supposed to evoke?

What do you want people who are purchasing this and enjoying this to feel when they see that bottle before they even have the wine in the glass?

We can talk about our amazing label designer, Madeline Courson. So she is another opinionated, amazing female. And we were thinking of another name before she told us, no, it's going to be a bloom.

And we did hesitate and then she said, no, really, it's going to be a bloom.

Okay.

And it grew on us. And the definition of a bloom is flourishing, thriving, abundant.

And when we realize that, and again, this is a joyful way to tell the next phase of our careers, that definition really hit home for us.

The naming can be hard, right? Sometimes it's harder than the making.

I 100% agree with that. Just for my own brand, I feel like it's so easy to make the wine because that's what we do every day.

But all of this other nuances, her decisions to make.

Sally.

Yeah. I love all the symbolism that Madeline packed into our label.

There's some birds on our label too, and that symbolizes that birds of a feather flock together. Our actual company name is House of Moss, and that's Molly, Ashley, Sally. But it also means farmhouse in French.

So it's a little nod back to the south of France and the wines that inspired us.

I love that symbolism. And that's important that you have that at the root and the foundation.

Right.

I just wanted to mention one more thing about the package because I think it's really important when you have a product that is something luxurious, that's rare, you really have to think about the packaging as well. And so we thought about a lot of details with our packaging. And it wasn't just the three of us.

It was a lot of people that helped us get to where we are. Madeline just laser attention to detail with the label and her team.

And they also designed this absolutely amazing peony ranunculus tissue paper that we had made. That the bottle will be wrapped in. And then we've made an amazing three pack box as well. So it's a gift box. And we can also ship the wine in it.

Luxury. Yeah, luxury.

Luxury because you drink with your eyes first. So it has to look good, taste.

Good, it has to sound good, look good, taste good.

Good. I like that.

Yeah. All of those things certainly contribute to the luxurious feel. And is the ideal customer that you think should be enjoying this? Who are they?

Where are they? What are they doing? What do they do for a living? What do they drive? What do they wear? Give me a vision board. Who's that luxury customer?

I personally think that it's somebody that enjoys fine wine, Understands that fine wine can be produced everywhere in the world, not just in the old world. And I also think it's gotta be somebody with a sophisticated palate that wants something that they can't get a lot of, so they're gonna want it.

And so I think that is an alluring fact too, about the wine.

There is that scarcity and collector mindset on this because we're talking about 100 cases. Do you know how many bottles or are they numbered?

Yeah, 1,188. Sequentially numbered.

That's amazing. And special.

Hand labeled and waxed, hand packed. Lot of hands touch a bottle of wine.

And that's a big differentiator right there. Okay, so now let's talk about what's inside the beautiful, luxurious package. And we're gonna move to our segment that we call our Sip Spotlight.

Sip Spotlight. Joe was out of tune this time.

No, you were so cute. When we were recording Sally and I at my house, I said, oh, now we're gonna do the Sip Spotlight. And all of a sudden she sang.

And I was like, oh, my God, Sally's singing. So. So we're gonna do our Sip Spotlight Sip Spa Light. First of all, these glasses are gorgeous.

I feel like this glass is a bloom in and of itself with this big bowl. Would you say this very large bowl that tapers into the top is ideal for this wine.

These are the Riedel tulip bulbs. So they are called tulip because of the shape. So that's quite synergistic with our wine.

They're actually designed for pinot noir, but because our wine is so aromatic, we think that it really does benefit from having this wide surface area where you're really expressing and releasing all of those aromas into the glass. And then the little narrowing at the top kind of keeps it right there, like a beautiful perfume.

Yeah. When people ask if the glass matters, I always am an advocate for that. And I think in this wine, it is just directing that gorgeous glass.

Oh, my God.

To my nose. I take this. Bumps a little bit with this.

Okay, so, ladies, what are we getting on the nose as we swirl this gorgeous tulip Rideau glass with this perfect salmon pink that. And now, in the late afternoon sun, as it's coming across our table, the color of this wine is even more spectacular than when we started.

What are we getting on the nose?

One thing that really inspired us was this goal. You mentioned Karen McNeil before. I think about her a lot because we trained with her at Pride Nikki, but the choreography.

So we wanted a wine that was going to continue to evolve and present different Personas over time in the glass. Right now, I'm getting this beautiful floral rose petal, lilac. There's some citrus there.

Molly mentioned a walk on the beach, and I do think there's that beautiful salinity, almost like the crushed oyster shells and that sea air. There's just so much going on. And it does change in the glass for me over time.

Whenever I am at the ocean, whether it's here in California, Florida, the Jersey shore, where I'm from, which, yes, does smell beautiful. I promise. And in Hawaii recently, I'm always like. Like, I want to keep that smell, that seaside smell on my nose. I want to bottle it up.

It's in there. It's in this glass for me, which is so interesting because it's Napa Valley.

This is not a coastal vineyard, but there's definitely that salinity and that fresh ocean note.

It evokes memories for me more than a defined aroma, feeling, nostalgia. Yeah. Really complex sense of place.

Recently got to smell ambergris, which is this my favorite smell. It was amazing.

I don't even know what that is. Ambergris.

A lifelong.

Teach me.

It's basically sperm whale.

Like, what are we talking about, ladies? The wheels are falling off. Where are we? Sperm whales.

Yes.

So you probably have trained with Alexander Schmidt in the past. Yes. He is a perfumer who works with winemakers on sensory, on communicating what's there. It's very French.

We have all the strips that we're smelling and identifying.

And so I mentioned to him that it has been a lifelong goal of mine to smell ambergris. And the next time I got the opportunity to Triton with him, there was something passed around, and I was like, I don't know what it is.

It's kind of saline. It's fresh.

It's heady, though. It's like. It's almost tuberose and slightly fecal.

Yes.

And then sounds so weird, right? Yeah.

Y' all are talking about poop now.

No, but, I mean, look in a positive way.

Tuberose is an amazing smell, but it is slightly fecal.

It's like a flower that is slightly past its prime, but it has this saline quality and this oyster shell. And, yeah, technically, it is something that a sperm whale vomits up. It floats across the ocean. People find it on the beach.

One kilogram is worth, like, a million dollars. Something crazy. I don't even think more than truffles. Yeah. It is worth more than gold. They make perfume out of it.

Wow.

Are you getting that in your glass right now? I do get it.

Mine is getting.

Not the fecal part. No.

I'm getting a little bit more, like, of a gardenia. Like, tuberose is heavy, and I think I'm getting white. I'm getting, like, a jasmine, a bit of gardenia. It's not as.

As heavy as a gardenia, but there's a slight, like, breeze of gardenia.

We like very fresh almonds. Yeah, I'm getting that a little right now, but so fresh.

Ooh, I love that. And that is not a typical note that people would expect from a wine period, much less a.

Let's take all those things that we just said we're smelling, which is a pretty amazing list. Does this wine taste like it smells?

I think there's an added dimension on the palate that you wouldn't necessarily, necessarily expect from these beautiful floral fruit and sea breeze notes. You mentioned almost being so complex that you could mistake it for a red wine. I think that it takes it to a whole nother level.

So it's deeper, it's more complex, it's more textural on the palate, even, than I would expect from the aromatics.

Yeah. I love the texture of this wine so much. Usually with red wine, I love the nose, and I want to keep smelling and smelling.

And then probably because I'm a winemaker, my job is to pull apart red wine. I struggle the palette. It should be a little more this or a little more that, but this palette is what really draws you in. It is so gorgeous.

And that little very fresh spring cream note is just stunning.

I do feel like there is a lot of the aromatics that follow through on the palette. For me, it's like there's a beautiful sort of wild strawberry and, like, a just ripe peach, like, almost slightly unripe.

And I think the floral Component really comes through in the palette.

Yes, I agree, but in a beautiful, subtle way. Not like I just put my prom corsage in my mouth. Just like hints of those floral notes lingering on the palette, which is really beautiful. I.

I really am not just saying this. And I said this at your soft launch a few weeks ago when I tasted this for the first time.

It is unlike any that I've ever tasted and I have drank my share of, and it's just stunning.

I remember when we were doing our blend trials in this very room, and it was this rainy day. We kept walking back out to get more samples, probably, I don't know, 30 times.

And then we went somewhere else to work on something, and we came back into this room, and it just. Just the powerful perfume that hit us as we stepped through the door was really quite striking.

Oh, my gosh.

And then there was a rainbow.

And then there was a rainbow. Yeah.

So it smells like rainbow.

Yeah. For me, I love texture. I'm very about the mid palate, and that was something that I wanted to bring to this.

So I do think it's very silky and mouth coating.

Partly that comes from the barrage of different fermentation techniques, cakes that we threw at it, including this beautiful light toast, dami barrel, French oak, the ceramic, as I mentioned, we did some stainless. We did the carbonic maceration, too. We were really very laser focused.

I like that term on our press cut and our handling of just the best quality juice and all of the ways that we tried to capture all that beautiful flavor that was there in the vineyard.

When you talk about blending trials, people that know a bit about generally how, let's say, Cabernet Sauvignon is made, you think about, like a pride when you were blending. Oh, we grow Cabernet Sauvignon on different lots, and we have different soil, different clone.

And then maybe I want some Merlot and I want some Petit Bordeaux. So there were a lot of different lots and components and things that were different from each other to layer and blend.

In a trial with this, we're talking about one grape Grenache, one vineyard. And I think you just answered the questions. But is what you were so diligently deciding to blend your different fermentation vessels?

Yes. And we actually didn't use 30 gallons of our wine because we wanted exactly the ratio that we developed over that four hour day.

But that was our one shot too. So your listeners may not know that there's a lot more forgiveness in making red wine than in making white wine or you have this one shot.

There was one pick date, one harvest red wine. You can age it in barrels. You can blend it early, you can blend it during elevage. You can blend it at the end. There's a lot more flexibility.

You can pump it over more, you can pump it over less. You get one shot like you're vulnerable.

It's vulnerable. There's not a lot that you can hide with aging oak, blending other components, things like that.

And I think that's what's so unique about what you guys have done with this is it's just laser focused was a term that you used earlier. And it's focused to be what it is without hiding in the corners. So when were these grapes picked, and when was it in the bottle?

So we harvested our grapes in early September, and then we bottled in the end of March. Yes, pretty quickly.

And that's another thing that was really important to Molly, which she brought up in the planning stages, was that that this is a wine that's going to taste great right away. So it's luxury that you can go ahead and enjoy. We are guilty, as many wine collectors are, of buying these legendary wines.

And then we lay them down in our cellars, and maybe we taste them five, eight, ten years later. We wanted something that was ready for the moment to be enjoyed. I don't know if I can tell the story about the car wash. Oh.

Yeah, go for it.

Okay.

One of our inspirations.

So in the early stages, we were. We still text each other probably 50 times a day, just every little detail.

Seven in the morning.

And Molly texted us, and she was like, something happened, ladies? And we're like, what? And she's like, a Ferrari pulled out of the car wash. And I texted my husband, oh, my God, a Ferrari.

And he responded back, tell him you like his car. And I responded, it's a female.

Assumption.

And then she's like. And then after that, a big truck pulled out of the car wash, and it was so big and, like, giant tires, and it was like a monster truck.

And then this woman walked over and grabbed the keys, and they got in their cars and they tossed their hair and they drove away. And she was like, that's the spirit that I want in our.

I want a wine that is, like, sassy and amazing, and it's not made for women, actually, the first bottle of wine that we sold to a man, but it is made for anyone who wants a really killer, beautiful, complex, delicious bottle of wine that has been crafted just for them and is ready to drink tonight.

Oh, my gosh. That's a perfect story, actually, about what you're trying to embody with this.

And I think, again, for people that are not in the business and living in this world as we are and just listening from their homes, there are still stigmas with pink wine being light and sweet, and it's for the bachelorette party, and. And this is anything but that for so many reasons.

One of which, while you were telling that story, I took my first sip because I was just making out with the nose, because every time I smelled it, there's something different. That's what we mean by complexity and layers, and all of your different ferments are just layering those aromatics.

But when I finally took a sip and you were telling the story, I wrote down texture temp red. So this is fairly warm for a right now. And I want to ask you the ideal temperature, but I like that because I'm getting more from it.

And if I was doing a blind tasting, if I did not know the color of this wine, and especially if it was at this temperature and I sat with it in my mouth, I would think it was red, because the weight, the curve of that strong truck driver woman who's tossing her hair, it is sitting in my mouth in such a rich way that it is anything but a, quote, porch pounder, which is what old rose and white zinfandel and pink wines have. That just single dimensional. Quaff it back, drink it cold, refreshing.

Ladies and gentlemen, this is not that the layers are peeling off and coating my mouth as much as any of your Cabernet Sauvignons probably would.

Wow.

Wow.

Thank you. We couldn't have asked for a better reaction than that. That gives us so much joy.

The wine isn't light, it's not heavy, but there's.

The color is light, but I think that's the only thing light about it.

It's true. It's not your average, like $10 bottle of or even 20 or 30. It has a little bit more weight and more depth than your average, but.

Also not as much because we tasted a lot of for this project, and there are a lot of made of Bordeaux varietals, so Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc. And those Ashley's Bakey faces, those have.

Those are some of my favorite.

Yeah, those have a heaviness. The tan, I think, is a little too pronounced.

And this tan, I would call more of, like a tension all throughout where it draws you in, but it's not clunky. It's really important.

Yeah, I agree. And by the way, the varietals that you mentioned should not be made into.

Bam.

There it is.

I'm fighting words.

Yeah, but they are often. Because people have that as a byproduct when they are making those wines in their rent forms.

Right.

Yeah. Some of the descriptions on your website, which is now live. It's a brave new wine. What's brave about any of this?

Because nobody's done it before.

Nobody's done what?

Nobody has done an ultra premium out of Grenache in the Napa Valley before.

Boom.

Which is why the second line on your website, it's a pivotal moment. Because of that. Because no one's done that. This kind of goes back to the car wash story.

But the word authoritative is on your website describing this wine. What makes it authoritative? Is it because the three of you are authoritative with your oodles of experience and knowledge?

Yeah, I think we made it from a place of confidence. And as women, I think that is really important to embrace the experience that we have.

We can't say how many years experience we have together because it's too big of a number.

No, say it, say it. Be proud of it and don't apologize for it.

It's almost. It's over 70 now.

Yes.

Between the three of you.

But shortly thereafter.

Shortly thereafter, Molly and I met. She worked at Sequoia Grove and I was at St. Francis. And those are both part of the same organization.

And we also went to UC Davis.

That's right.

So listeners, again, who are not in this world would hear that and say, oh, so you guys were competitors. You were competing with each other making wines at these counterpart wineries in the Napa Valley.

We know that's not the case, but why do you think it's not that? And that you were actually collaborating before you were collaborating?

That's a huge thing for me.

Collaboration's like my middle name because I feel like, like all of the places that I've traveled to in the world, there's no collaboration like there is in Napa Valley.

And I think because we don't have hundreds of years of winemaking experience like the old world does, but I do think that the collaboration brings people together here in so many different organizations. And there's just so much more openness to. It's not a tell all, but it's like a really open conversation. And I think that's.

That's how I personally got to where I am. I ask everybody millions of questions, and if I didn't, I wouldn't be where I am today. And it.

Because it wasn't me, it was a lot of people that helped me along the way.

It gives me chills because Robert Mondavi spoke at my graduation from UC Davis in viticulture and analogy. And when I was young, I like 19, 20. At the time, I took him a little bit for granted because Robert Mondavi.

Robert Mondavi in every building at UC Davis, like, it's so. Starts to kind of blend.

Yeah, he produces a lot of amazing wine, but he really led us on this path of collaboration. He would come to Sequoia Grove, ask what we're up to. We have a lot of friends and colleagues in the industry.

Any of who would be generous enough to share with us. And because I think all three of us have grown up in industry, it's easy for us to collaborate on a project together.

It was easy for me to ask them to say yes. But it's also what this wine is about, is it that's able to tell our story of where we've come from. The story of Napa Valley.

The story that Napa Valley is about collaboration, and that's part of what makes Napa Valley so incredible.

I think we should toast to Robert Mondavi.

100%.

Yes.

Would it have been as collaborative if it was three dudes?

Good question.

We had some benchmark wines that we were inspired by, and one of them was a collaboration between some male winemakers. And our marketing consultant actually said, I think the tone of this website is a little arrogant.

And the tone of your project is nurturing, supportive, joyful, magical, celebratory. It's about flourishing. It's about collaboration. So that was something I thought was really interesting.

I don't think that it worth the.

Oh, I'm leaving that in. Yeah. Guys, we love you. The dynamic is different, that's all. We love you. We all have one of you at home, I think. But we know it's different.

I think their meetings wouldn't have been as long as ours.

That's true.

I think in my other half, Michael would be like, so many words. Why. But they were long.

As my favorite coffee mug says, this meeting could have been done in an email.

These really couldn't have been done in an email because we all had so much to bring to the table that it was like too much for an email, too much for a Text.

Yeah.

And just the fact that you all found the time for these meetings, your eyes just got really big when I said that, because, as our listeners will have heard in the introduction, where I share more about everything that you guys are doing right now and family and children and relationship. I mean, I have been since we started recording 45 minutes ago, but I just had an extra moment sitting here of being, like, a little bit of awe.

I'm a joy crier, so when I get overwhelmed with joy and positive emotion, I get a little weird. But my listeners have heard me say less than 15% of the winemakers on this planet are women.

And I'm sitting here with three of them who just collaborated in a joyful, magical, supportive way to make something that really is like nothing I've ever tasted before.

So just thank you for the privilege to pull the story out of you, because it's really special, and I hope that people get it in their glass so they can experience it. So thank you for that. I have some listener questions. Listener questions.

So I have ways to connect with our regular listeners ahead of time and say, oh, we're going to record this. What do you want to know? So the first one is from Allison, and she's from Massachusetts, and she wants to know why is an underappreciated fine wine.

I personally, through a career of working with red wine, those wines are so big, they're so tannic. You're thinking ahead. You're trying to craft wines that are going to age 25 years in some cases.

And when I would go home after those blending sessions, I just wanted a great glass of something refreshing, lively, and fresh. I would generally default to white wine because I never found a that that had this type of complexity.

So for me, I think it is a wine that is very easy to enjoy.

Beautifully said.

And I feel like those who understand True Rose would gravitate towards the Rhone and understand, ooh, let me, like, go to Kermit lynch because they have some of the best and buy a few and taste them. And some are a blend of other varietals, or it could be mostly Grenache, but there's some other amazing varietals, like some Syrah and Counoise.

And sometimes there's a little bit of Viognier, too.

Viognier. Sorry I have to sing, but I.

Think that it's just an underappreciated wine in California. And that was another reason for us to do this collaboration.

And I'm gonna say was underappreciated until now.

Mike, no, don't drop that mic on the floor. But, yeah, figuratively drop the mic. So that is a great segue, actually, to the second listener question, which is from Andy from Arkansas.

And it has to do about when to enjoy, because again, historically, when it was underappreciated until this groundbreaking new one, people think pool, boat. Like I said, girl, party outside, porch, sun, warm weather. I'm gonna come to you. With your culinary background. She's so excited to answer this.

When do you think specifically with a bloom, when is the ideal time that people should enjoy it? How and with what?

Certainly it is a beautiful wine. With food, I definitely think you can be eating something light on the sort of first course side, like fish or even a soup.

But I think you can also trail this into some of your entrees as well, because I think there is that weight that we talked about that I think could do really well, could be a bit of a chameleon and actually work with a lot of different foods. I also think you can enjoy this with, like, a charcuterie plate on your beach trip.

Yep. It could go either way.

It could go either way.

This last one is from Jason from Rhode Island. And Jason wants to know, and he requested that all three of you answer this. At what point in your life did you know that this was your calling?

I'll go first. I got into wine, as I mentioned, because I had this life changing trip to France, and I decided, oh, this feels right for me.

But honestly, I felt so intimidated for so many years in this industry. I think that I really did suffer from some imposter syndrome as. As a young woman in an industry that I hadn't grown up in.

And we were side by side with the people whose names are on some of the most renowned wineries in the Napa Valley. I really did feel like, oh, I don't know if I know enough about wine. I don't know if I'm as talented, skilled, experienced as these people.

And it took me a really long time to embrace the fact that. But I actually have been doing this a really long time, and I feel like I do know what I'm doing.

You're not bad. Really not bad.

Not bad. And I know you're incredible. You're pretty dang good. And I don't put out wines that I don't believe in.

And that is something that has been important to me throughout my entire career, and that gave me this amazing sense of belief in myself that I've been able to continue to channel in the last last two years.

You found that voice, and that voice is strong, and that voice is influencing others in ways beyond what you even know.

So that voice is probably talking a little too much sometimes. But I do feel like I have things to say, and I've been freed to say them.

Yay.

I experience lots of life through reading.

So I was 19, not legally able to drink, but I read a book about Pinot noir, the heartbreak grape, and how hard it is to make and how hard it is to grow, but how beautiful it is when done right. So that really intrigued me. And then I talked to another female, Alison Crow, who is in the industry now, and she said, winemaking is really hard.

It's a lot of work. Cleaning. And I said, but also living in beautiful places, enjoying food with other people, getting to travel. Sign me up. So I went abroad.

I studied in New Zealand, and then I came back, and I changed my major to viticulture and enology. And there were 40 people in my entire class, half of which were women. People were so welcoming, kind, talkative, encouraging.

And I went, this is the best decision I ever made. And I think I was 20. Wow.

And so, like Ashley said, I had a lot of amazing mentors that helped me along the way, that lifted me up, that shared things with me, that taught me things. And this industry is really a mentorship. And you, Even if you don't believe it, you are part of the club. Don't believe it.

Sally.

You're part of the club because it takes. Takes a lot of hard work, and your passion carries you through.

And so we all need to carry each other through on this journey of making and producing something that we love.

Beautiful. No pressure.

Okay. Last but not least, bring this home.

Ashley.

And I remember doing a whole project about American and French oak barrels, and that was really cool. So I went to Charlie Trotter's because I was really interested in being a chef more so.

And I worked there, and I saw some amazing wines going in and out of that cellar. And friends with the sommeliers and learning about wine really trajected me to apply for a position in 99.

And I was a cellar intern, and then I was hired into the lab, and that's where my career started. And I remember my first boss in the wine industry saying to me, the last chef that came in here never really worked out.

And they put me on night shift because, of course, that was, like, my deal. And I remember he yelled at me one day, and he said, you know, there's no romance in winemaking.

And I said, I beg to differ, because I've fallen in love with this industry.

Yes.

And I think that was really my telling moment.

I had a bit of a path to take to decide if I was gonna go back to school and get a master's at UC Davis or just continue and learn from the ground up, which I did. I did an internship at chateau Angeles in St. Emilion, and I did a lot of the UC Davis classes. I got a certificate in winemaking at Davis.

I did a lot of the classes at the Napa Valley College, all of which are amazing programs. And I feel like all of those, in addition to all of my discussions with friends that help to form my knowledge.

Beautiful. So if people are able to get their hands on it, because it's super limited.

Yes, I know. Thank you. Less now, because it's so limited. If people.

People, once they do sign up, if they do receive an invitation to purchase, they'll see the price is $150 a bottle. Can we talk a little bit about what went into that? Because that might be surprising for some.

People, because, like we talked about, the wine was made with such intention, with these rare old vine Grenache grapes that we had to twist the arm of Kelly and Josh in order to get.

And with all the attentionality, the beautiful nude French oak de me barrel, the ceramic egg, the carbonic maceration, all of the love and care that goes into hand labeling it, hand waxing it, hand packaging it. It's a real labor of love. And the price point reflects all of the incredible experience that the three of us have in winemaking.

We know what we're doing, and I think the price reflects that.

Absolutely.

And so many people would not blink at that price at a red when they think about all of the intentionality and time and cost of a new French oak barrel, and all of that goes into that. So I commend you for really changing the way that we think about that.

This was made in that same way, with that much just your time alone, the time of the three of you from your meetings and everything. Right.

Like that is pro bono. We don't pay ourselves.

I know.

But for sure, clients, this would cost more like our $300 cabernets that we do produce for other people.

So I think that's so well aligned with what it is and just the experience that I've had with it. So congratulations to all of you. Congratulations, listener, if you can even get your hands on some good luck.

But make sure that you sign up up on the mailing list and make sure that you follow them on Instagram Bloomwine. The website is abloomwine.com and I'll put the links in the show notes for all of these things so people can find them easily.

I'm inspired and I cannot wait for our listeners to get their hands on this wine, which is releasing soon, early June. We're recording this mid May, so in the next couple weeks, this will be live.

So go to the website and sign up to then receive an invitation to purchase.

I'm also going to put in the show notes the links to all of your other projects that you guys do to your own labels, because people need to watch what you're doing and be a part of it because it's amazing. But cheers to this beautiful wine. Wonderful job. Napa Valley is more than just cabernet, right?

Cheers. Cheers.

Thank you, ladies.

Cheers.

Thank you so much for having us. Yes. Really special.

My pleasure.

Thank you so much.

I'm still digesting the fact that I had the opportunity to sit down and learn from the three of them and hear their story. And speaking of digestion, ambergris. Who knew that was something new to me? Just in case you're curious, it's one word. Ambergris.

Gris is G R I S like the French word for gray. And dictionary tells us it is a solid, waxy, flammable substance of a dull gray or blackish color produced in the digestive system of sperm whales.

It has a marine fecal odor and acquires a sweet, earthy scent highly valued by perfume makers as a fixative that allows the scent to last much longer. You learned it here today, as did I. I was today years old when I learned that.

I hope that you enjoyed hearing not only the exciting story of how abloom has come to fruition, but the really inspiring way that these three highly accomplished women with very different personalities have worked together to bring something as special as this to all of us. Like I mentioned, the best way to get your hands on it is to visit their website. Abluebloomwine.com and sign up for the mailing list.

That way you'll receive an invitation hopefully fingers crossed for you to purchase this. And yes, it really is as special as we were all saying that it is. And be sure to follow them on Instagram Bloomline.

I'll also put in the show notes links for all three of their projects that they have so SJB Winemaking and Stereograph Wines for Sally Grow Wines for Molly and Ashley Hepworth Wine company.

Check them out, support them, follow them because not only are they highly skilled winemakers, but what I learned from our time together, they are just kind, generous, supportive human beings that I would be honored to spend more time around in the future.

If you haven't already checked out my website, solavatowines.com I also make a very small production and hand numbered bottle, but mine is not pink, it's red and it's Sangiovese, the beautiful Italian grape.

And whatever you do between now and next week, I hope that you sip well.