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Coleman Nicole

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Wine as a part of life.

I grew up in one of those families that always had wine on the table. Back in the seventies and eighties it was Inglenook, Beringer, and a lot of Mondavi Cabernet Sauvignon. My Grandpa bought cases of Gruner Veltliner and Eiswein back in the 70's. (I still have two bottles) I would have my own tiny glass on the table by the time I was eight or nine and my parents stressed the value of a good wine pairing with a meal. In college many of my friends were out to find the rarest micro-brew they could find and they would all taste the newest and exciting ales. This was when the micro-brew craze was at it's height. I was just trying to build the base to my wine collection with bottles of S. Anderson (Now Cliff Lede), Heitz, Silver Oak, and Beaulieu Vineyards.

I kept collecting Cabernet through much of the nineties until I walked into the back wine room at David Berkleys. I asked one of the salesmen what to look for in a good Burgundy and he picked me out his favorite. I let it rest for a couple of months and then popped it. The flavors were so much different than what I was used to and the Earthy components on top of mineral and Cherry had me hooked. I have been hooked since and Pinot Noir has been a life passion of mine.

Around the year 2000 I noticed a big change in California wine. It may have happened much earlier but I started to notice higher end Pinot and Rhone varietals so I began to expand my palate to all kinds of wines. When I tasted a bottle of Truckee River Winery Gary's Vineyard somewhere around 2002 I was hooked on California Pinot Noir for good. As a wine collector at heart, I continued the never ending hunt to fill my perfect Pinot Noir list: Kosta Browne, Sea Smoke, Rhys, Kutch, and many others fill my office and home.

My passion for wine continued to filter into every part of my life - from family dinners to vacations centered around wine and of course a wedding with a wine theme. Friends and family began to drop hints that maybe it was time that I should use my passion and knowledge to get into the business and start my own label. At the time I let it roll off of my back but as I thought more and more about the possibility I became obsessed with the idea.

In early 2008 I formulated a business plan and put the word out to friends in the industry that I would be looking for grapes. There were a few possibilities but nothing that really got my juices flowing. I wanted to make a Sonoma Coast or Russian River Pinot Noir and everyone I called was contracted out. Then I received a phone call from my friend Jason Moore. James Hall (Patz and Hall) had some Sonoma Coast grapes for sale and was willing to take us out to the vineyard. We went, liked what we saw, and with a hand shake to Mr. Hall I was officially ITB! (In The Business).

My goal with Coleman Nicole is to make small lot Pinot Noir from single vineyard sources and to make it with the utmost care - a goal of making the every day wine drinker a connesueir when they taste what a wine can taste like when there's only eight barrels made.

I wouldn't have come even this far without the love and friendship of quite a few people and while we haven't yet bottled our first vintage, many thanks are in order. Keith and Taryn Gordon, Pat and Sheri Cannon, Peter and Linda Gordon and my wonderful wife Denyce are the corner stones of Coleman Nicole. Without these people Coleman Nicole is merely a dream. David Grega and Justin Moulton, two friends who helped me jump and networked me to all of their wine friends. Jason Moore, owner of Modus Operandi and Coleman Nicole winemaker who lets me call him and bug him all the time with stupid questions. James Hall of Patz and Hall for giving us the opportunity to purchase top notch grapes. Gary Vaynerchuk for being truly interested in what I'm doing and giving a little footing to stand on. Andy Byers of Six Cellars for letting me bounce ideas back and forth, and friends like Glen Levine who have helped with the little things like spray painting our bins.

We're looking forward to putting Coleman Nicole on your table, please enjoy!

Brandon Miller - Coleman Nicole Wines

Last edited on 7/13/2009 by chateaumiller

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