Pierre Seillan, Vigneron/Winemaker

In 2004 the French Ministry of Agriculture honored Anakota Vigneron, Pierre Seillan, as a Chevalier (Knight) of the Ordre du Mérite Agricole (Order of Agricultural Merit). This prestigious award, Médaille du Mérite Agricole, is presented by the French government to individuals who have contributed significantly to the field of agriculture. In bestowing this honor to a Frenchman at the helm of a California winemaking team, the French government acknowledges that the integrity of Pierre’s work has transcended borders. For over half a decade, Pierre has applied the fundamentals of Old World winemaking and successfully transposed them onto a New World landscape, producing Bordeaux-style wines expressive of their California origins. Pierre now introduces the third of his California wine collection – Anakota. Anakota enables Pierre, as Vigneron, to realize the great potential of Sonoma County’s renowned Knights Valley, focusing exclusively on vineyards located on the flanks and foothills of Mount St. Helena.

The specialized term Vigneron was chosen by Pierre because it defines his role as a craftsman both before and after the grapes are harvested from the vine. As Vigneron, Pierre nurtures Anakota’s Knights Valley vineyards with a vision towards the superior Cabernet Sauvignon wines he will produce from them. Central to his work is a strong sense of terroir, that elusive concept referring not only to the vine, but the subsoil, sitting, drainage and microclimate that together provide the fruit from which the wines are born.

Pierre first learned the essentials of terroir at his family estate in Armagnac, working with Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. He then spent time in Saumur-Champigny in the Loire Valley where he learned to work with the temperament of Cabernet Franc. Pierre then moved to Bordeaux where he spent two decades working at several chateaux and honed his extraordinary blending techniques.

In the mid-nineties, Pierre seized the opportunity to grow and craft wines in California's Sonoma County, enjoying the freedom to blend between varietals and appellations. The introduction of Anakota represents not only Pierre's first single varietal wine as a California vintner, but also Pierre's first single vineyard wine and first single appellation wine as a New World Vigneron.