Join Remi Cohen, CEO and Stacey Ellis, Capital Projects Manager at Domaine Carneros in a live conversation with mentee Jon Priest, Senior Winemaker & General Manager at Etude, about key considerations, needs and first steps to create a combined solar & battery microgrid. Microgrids generate onsite renewable energy, shave peak loads, can keep the winery running during power shutoffs and outages, reduce electricity and diesel use and cost, and build operational and financial resilience. Remi and Stacey will share insights and lessons learned in installing their new microgrid and help their mentee develop an initial plan of action.
Remi Cohen joined the Domaine Carneros family as CEO in 2020, bringing with her a diverse, over
twenty-year track record of experience in all facets of the fine wine business, from sustainable vineyard
management and winemaking to sales, marketing, and brand development. The role brings Cohen’s
career full circle, for it’s in Carneros where it all began.
Cohen is also a certified sommelier, which makes her adept at providing luxurious and educational
hospitality experiences. She served as the President of the Stags Leap District Winegrowers Association
for five years and was previously a Board Member of the Napa Valley Grapegrowers Association. Cohen
was recognized as one of Wine Enthusiast’s 40 Under 40 in 2015 as a tastemaker and influencer in Napa
Valley. She resides in Napa and enjoys traveling to wine regions around the world, sampling diverse
cultures and cuisines, and loves dance, hiking, yoga and world music.
Stacey has worked for Domaine Carneros for twenty-four years in numerous winemaking and facilities roles, most recently as Capital Projects Manager. She was the Sustainability Team Lead for many years and assisted in the sustainable certification of the winery and vineyard through Certified California Sustainable Winegrowing, Bay Area Green Business, and the Napa Green programs. With the increased threats of power disruption from wildfires, earthquakes and other power outage events, she researched the feasibility and logistics of a Microgrid and in December 2019 the decision was made to install a Microgrid at the winery. Stacey has worked closely with Powerflex/EDF Renewables on the Microgrid installed at the winery.
A native son of California’s Central Coast, Jon Priest’s interest in wine was ignited after a very brief stint in a San Luis Obispo tasting room following college. Soon after, he took a job in wine sales at Wine Cask, a multi-faceted restaurant with an iconic reputation as Santa Barbara’s culinary and wine landmark. His experience there cemented his passion for wine and set him on a future career path with some
of California’s leading Pinot Noir producers.
Longing for a hands-on connection to the winemaking process, Priest joined Wild Horse Winery and Vineyards in 1989 as part of the harvest crush crew. He eventually worked his way up to become Winemaker in 1999 and oversaw the crafting of more than 30 varietals. In 2002, he received critical acclaim at Adelaida Cellars in Paso Robles, particularly for his estate red wines, before joining Taz Vineyards in
Santa Barbara as Winemaker and Director of Operations in 2003. Etude’s Founding Winemaker Tony Soter personally tapped him to be his successor in the Spring of 2005.
For almost two decades, Priest has crafted Etude wines with a simple creed. “Pinot Noir exhibits true transparency to the land and conditions where it is grown, and that careful and attentive winegrowing and winemaking is necessary to capture this sense of place in the glass. Understanding soil types, microclimates, and how to be the very best steward of the land is also key to preserving our community, our ecosystem and our vineyard for generations,” he says.
Whether sourcing from our sustainably certified estate, Grace Benoist Ranch, located in the northwest corner of Sonoma’s Carneros, Fiddlestix, and North Canyon vineyards in California’s Central Coast; Yamhela in Oregon’s Yamhill-Carlton AVA, or in the Central Otago of New Zealand, he is focused on carefully highlighting the very best from each vineyard. This practice is elegantly revealed in every glass of Etude wine.
In addition to being a winemaker, Priest is among an elite group of California equestrians who compete in racing events covering great distances over legendary trails once crossed by earlier pioneers. Today, it’s not uncommon to spot him trail running or riding on horseback through Etude’s Carneros Estate Vineyards, keeping a close eye on the vines.
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