Go offline with the Player FM app!
Napa Cabernet Reinvented: Kelham Vineyards’ Ron Nicholsen on Releasing Decade-Old Wines
Manage episode 493372287 series 2521231
At a recent Cabernet Sauvignon tasting in Los Angeles at the famed Republique restaurant, I spied this cool cat pouring off some aged wines. In that I fancy myself as a off-beat jacket guy, I had to engage Ron as to the provenance of not his wines, but of his jacket. And that is when the story began to unfold.
Naturally, on the next trip to Napa, I had to get the whole story on the podcast. And here it is.
Ron Nicholsen is the kind of vintner who makes you wonder if patience truly is a virtue—or just a wild gamble in the wine world. In this episode, you’ll uncork the remarkable journey of a winemaker who dares to hold back his Cabernet for a full decade before release and whose devotion to authenticity runs deeper than sediment at the bottom of a hand-aged bottle. You’ll hear how Ron’s childhood, shaped by a grape-growing family and the steady, idiosyncratic hand of his stepfather, set the stage for an unconventional, legacy-driven pursuit: crafting age-worthy Napa Valley wines that aren’t just tasted, but experienced. From his first steps at Camus under suspender-clad Charlie Wagner to the invaluable lessons at Spring Mountain and Cane Cellars, Ron’s story is one of grape-to-glass transformation, family dynamics, and taking risks most wouldn’t dare. Paul Kalemkiarian guides the conversation with the insight of someone who’s seen a hundred thousand wines cross his glass, probing the economic and emotional weight of aging wines for years while resisting the fruit-forward trends dominating Napa’s mainstream. Listeners will come away with an understanding of what it means to champion an “unblended, independent product” and the philosophy behind refusing to rush a wine to market—all while weathering personal and business upheaval. Expect to learn how terroir, tradition, and a stubborn sense of pride fuse into a singular tasting experience, why Ron believes fine wine is a three-dimensional, not a two-dimensional, pleasure, and how legacy can be bottled, aged, and passed down—one thoughtful vintage at a time.
Some thoughts:
🍷 Aging Wine Is an Extreme Sport: Holding onto your cabernet for a decade before release isn’t just “having patience”—it’s risking insanity (and your accountant’s sanity). But, as Ron Nicholsen’s wines prove, sometimes crazy ideas turn into liquid gold. 🍷 Wine Sediment Isn’t a Defect—It’s Flavor ‘Protein Powder’: If your Kellem Vineyards cabernet shows up with “stuff” floating in it, don’t panic! That’s the mark of an unfiltered, un-fined, authentically high-quality wine. Sure, sediment can look like it’s got more shake than a snow globe, but it’s all part of the charm (and character). 🍷 In Wine and Life, Legacy Trumps Trend-Chasing: Whether it’s inheriting Dad’s questionable fashion sense or his love for old-school Bordeaux aging, sticking to a meaningful legacy will outlast any passing fruit-bomb trend. (But seriously, those vintage sport coats? Iconic.)
Kelham Vineyards https://www.kelhamvineyards.com
Caymus Vineyards https://www.caymus.com
Cain Vineyard & Winery https://www.cainfive.com
Spring Mountain Vineyard https://www.springmountainvineyard.com
French Laundry (Restaurant) https://www.thomaskeller.com/tfl
Robert Mondavi Winery https://www.robertmondaviwinery.com
Wine of the Month Club https://www.wineofthemonthclub.com
Republique (Restaurant in Los Angeles) https://republiquela.com
Tattinger Champagne (Clovis Taittinger reference – note possible typo in transcript) https://www.taittinger.com
#NapaValley #KelhamVineyards #AgedWine #CabernetSauvignon #WineLegacy #UnfilteredWine #BordeauxStyle #WineBusiness #WineAging #RonNicholsen #PaulKalemkiarian #WinePodcast #CaliforniaWine #FamilyWinery #WinemakingPhilosophy #VineyardHistory #UniqueWine #DirectToConsumer #WineDistribution #WineExperience
www.winetalkspodcast.com
431 episodes
Manage episode 493372287 series 2521231
At a recent Cabernet Sauvignon tasting in Los Angeles at the famed Republique restaurant, I spied this cool cat pouring off some aged wines. In that I fancy myself as a off-beat jacket guy, I had to engage Ron as to the provenance of not his wines, but of his jacket. And that is when the story began to unfold.
Naturally, on the next trip to Napa, I had to get the whole story on the podcast. And here it is.
Ron Nicholsen is the kind of vintner who makes you wonder if patience truly is a virtue—or just a wild gamble in the wine world. In this episode, you’ll uncork the remarkable journey of a winemaker who dares to hold back his Cabernet for a full decade before release and whose devotion to authenticity runs deeper than sediment at the bottom of a hand-aged bottle. You’ll hear how Ron’s childhood, shaped by a grape-growing family and the steady, idiosyncratic hand of his stepfather, set the stage for an unconventional, legacy-driven pursuit: crafting age-worthy Napa Valley wines that aren’t just tasted, but experienced. From his first steps at Camus under suspender-clad Charlie Wagner to the invaluable lessons at Spring Mountain and Cane Cellars, Ron’s story is one of grape-to-glass transformation, family dynamics, and taking risks most wouldn’t dare. Paul Kalemkiarian guides the conversation with the insight of someone who’s seen a hundred thousand wines cross his glass, probing the economic and emotional weight of aging wines for years while resisting the fruit-forward trends dominating Napa’s mainstream. Listeners will come away with an understanding of what it means to champion an “unblended, independent product” and the philosophy behind refusing to rush a wine to market—all while weathering personal and business upheaval. Expect to learn how terroir, tradition, and a stubborn sense of pride fuse into a singular tasting experience, why Ron believes fine wine is a three-dimensional, not a two-dimensional, pleasure, and how legacy can be bottled, aged, and passed down—one thoughtful vintage at a time.
Some thoughts:
🍷 Aging Wine Is an Extreme Sport: Holding onto your cabernet for a decade before release isn’t just “having patience”—it’s risking insanity (and your accountant’s sanity). But, as Ron Nicholsen’s wines prove, sometimes crazy ideas turn into liquid gold. 🍷 Wine Sediment Isn’t a Defect—It’s Flavor ‘Protein Powder’: If your Kellem Vineyards cabernet shows up with “stuff” floating in it, don’t panic! That’s the mark of an unfiltered, un-fined, authentically high-quality wine. Sure, sediment can look like it’s got more shake than a snow globe, but it’s all part of the charm (and character). 🍷 In Wine and Life, Legacy Trumps Trend-Chasing: Whether it’s inheriting Dad’s questionable fashion sense or his love for old-school Bordeaux aging, sticking to a meaningful legacy will outlast any passing fruit-bomb trend. (But seriously, those vintage sport coats? Iconic.)
Kelham Vineyards https://www.kelhamvineyards.com
Caymus Vineyards https://www.caymus.com
Cain Vineyard & Winery https://www.cainfive.com
Spring Mountain Vineyard https://www.springmountainvineyard.com
French Laundry (Restaurant) https://www.thomaskeller.com/tfl
Robert Mondavi Winery https://www.robertmondaviwinery.com
Wine of the Month Club https://www.wineofthemonthclub.com
Republique (Restaurant in Los Angeles) https://republiquela.com
Tattinger Champagne (Clovis Taittinger reference – note possible typo in transcript) https://www.taittinger.com
#NapaValley #KelhamVineyards #AgedWine #CabernetSauvignon #WineLegacy #UnfilteredWine #BordeauxStyle #WineBusiness #WineAging #RonNicholsen #PaulKalemkiarian #WinePodcast #CaliforniaWine #FamilyWinery #WinemakingPhilosophy #VineyardHistory #UniqueWine #DirectToConsumer #WineDistribution #WineExperience
www.winetalkspodcast.com
431 episodes
All episodes
×Welcome to Player FM!
Player FM is scanning the web for high-quality podcasts for you to enjoy right now. It's the best podcast app and works on Android, iPhone, and the web. Signup to sync subscriptions across devices.