Women of Pinot Series: Simone Sequeira of La Follette Wines

On July 26th, Ponzi Vineyards will host a very special Women of Pinot dinner celebrating women winemakers! Six women winemakers from Oregon, Alsace, New Zealand and California will come together for an incredible night of food and wine. It’s a rare event to have so much talent in one room! In addition to an expertly paired multi-course meal, guests will have the opportunity to taste more than a dozen wines and hear how they are made from the people who crafted them. Join us at one of Oregon’s founding wineries, set in the stunning Chehalem Mountains of the Willamette Valley. Space is limited, so get your tickets now on our website or by contacting events@ponzivineyards.com.

One of the featured winemakers at the dinner is Simone Sequeira of La Follette Wines in California. A California native, Sequeira worked her first harvest at Domaine de la Vougeraie in Burgundy, France, in 2002. In 2006, she worked a Southern hemisphere harvest at Vina Cobos in Mendoza, Argentina, and afterwards ran lab operations at a winery in the Russian River Valley of California. She joined La Follette in 2009.

At La Follette, Sequeira creates site-driven, terroir-focused wines. She possesses an appreciation for site and the unique interplay that art and science contribute to revealing the purest expression of terroir. She also has an acute sense of smell.

“I feel like I’m receiving nonverbal messages and cues all day long from ambient aromas inside and outside of the winery,” she said.

Her philosophy is to create wine that is transparent to the site, pure in its expression and enjoyable to drink. She partners with family-owned and farmed vineyards. Having worked with these growers for nearly a decade, she has gained a deep of understanding of their sites that enables her to craft wines reflective of that place at that time.

A natural multi-tasker, Sequeira finds that the role of winemaker suits her perfectly: “Winemaking is a carousel of vineyard visits, cellar decisions, tasting, traveling, spreadsheets and sharing the wines with others.”

To meet Sequeira and sample her wine, please join us for our Women of Pinot dinner on July 26th. Tickets can be purchased on our website or by contacting events@ponzivineyards.com. Don’t miss this one-of-a-kind opportunity to meet winemakers from around the world in a fun, intimate setting.

Meet all the featured winemakers in our Women of Pinot Series:

• Anna Maria and Luisa Ponzi of Ponzi Vineyards
• Marie Zusslin of Domaine Valentin Zusslin
• Katherine Jacobs of Big Sky Wines
• Isabelle Meunier of Lavinea Wines
• Simone Sequeira of La Follette Wines