Mirassou saga continues

Wines & Vines, Oct, 1991 by Philip Hiaring

Mirassou saga continues

There is no chance at all that any time soon the oldest winegrowing family in America -- the Mirassous -- will run out of generations. The Fifth Generation -- Jim, Dan and Peter -- is operating the California enterprise now. And two members of the Sixth Generation have joined the business. Plus the Seventh Generation already has two members, with a third on the way.

Wines & Vines published a cover article on the Mirassou tradition in the March, 1979, issue with Fourth Generation patriarch Ed Mirassou on the cover. The family first planted vineyards in 1854. In 1979 the American Society for Enology and Viticulture recognized Ed as the recipient of its highest honor -- the Merit Award -- given him for his myriad good works both in the wine industry and in his Santa Clara County community. Example: Ed Mirassou was the first chairman of the now defunct but the hugely successful Wine Advisory Board and held the post a quarter-century.

Ed was 61 in 1979 and his brother, Norbert, was 64. Even 12 years ago the two had turned over much of the responsibility of marketing the Mirassou label to the Fifth Generation. Ed's three sons head the winery, Daniel as president, Jim as vice president for finance and administration, and Peter as vice president in charge of winemaking and vineyards.

Jim's son and daughter represent the Sixth Generation. They are Heather, 23, administrative coordinator in charge of the Mirassou Tasting Panel of almost 3,000 subscribers (Heather and her husband are parents of the oldest member of the Seventh Generation -- a 4-year-old son, Brandon), and David, 20, a sophomore at San Jose State who also is chain sales manager in northern California. Two other Sixth Generation members have winery experience -- James, Jr., 25, who was involved in restaurant and wine shop sales, and Peter's daughter-in-law, Leslie, 23, in administration (they both left in 1991 to gain knowledge in other businesses).

While none of Daniel's or Peter's adult sons is directly involved in the family enterprise, all have winery ties dating to childhood. Daniel has two sons, Marcel, in Long Beach, and Maximilian, in Washington State. Peter has four sons: Paul, viticulturist/pest control advisor for Smith & Hook Winery in Soledad, Calif., (he also is secretary of the Monterey County Wine Grape Growers Association); Mark, vineyard supervisor for Pacific Vineyard Co. in Santa Maria; Andrew, a refrigeration installer in Salinas, and Greg, a vineyard pest control advisor for General Vineyard Co. in Gonzales.

Heather Mirassou has been employed at the home winery in San Jose since 1980, when she worked part-time on the gift-pack line and later helped the champagne crew riddle and disgorge. Out of high school in 1985, she began fulltime. Besides the Tasting panel of 3,000 subscribers Heather also handles compliance and licensing for out-of-state shipments. When Mirassou decided to resume marketing on its own in 1990, ending a sales agreement with Seagram, Heather re-licensed the label in every state receiving product and did it in two weeks time. Her goal is to follow in father Jim's footsteps and help run America's oldest winemaking family, and to encourage her children to do likewise.

David, a business major with a marketing minor at CSU-San Jose, is intent on selling successfully. He has two years of college to complete and looks forward to a marketing career in the family business.

The home estate in San Jose is on Aborn Road. In 1989 the Mirassous leased the former Novitiate of Los Gatos winery and converted the buildings and grounds into a handsome Mirassou Champagne Cellars (the '89 earthquake almost put a damper on that development, but more on that later).

The 750 acres of vineyards owned by the family are in Monterey County except for 35 acres adjacent to the home winery. All the top cultivars are grown, including Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Pinot blanc, Riesling, Zinfandel, Gamay Beaujolais and Chenin blanc. Merlot was planted as recently as 1989 in Monterey at Soledad and additional Chardonnay as recently as last year. Current wine production is about 225,000 cases of which 25,000 are methode champenoise champagne.

The Fourth, Fifth and Sixth generations all are intensely interested in the new Champagne Cellars. The family first made champagne in 1952 when the late Max Huebner was winemaker. The first release was in 1954 -- 100th anniversary of Mirassou winemaking. The limited production was sold only at the Aborn Road location. Two years later, the champagne made its official debut at the Palace hotel in San Francisco for a Wine and Food Society dinner. In 1961 the first Pinot noir, Pinot blanc and Chardonnay were planted in Monterey County. In 1962 came the first Mirassou "Au Naturel" champagne, "totally dry." (Ed Mirassou wanted to call it "naked"; the BATF nixed that but settled for "Au Naturel," French for the same thing.)

Over the years new styles including Late Disgorged champagne (now Brut Reserve) were introduced. Tom Stutz became the winemaker and Sean Lin the champagne maker. Both are U.C.-Davis graduates. Their first vintage was 1982.