Alex Pitts & Marty Winters
Maître de Chai translates to cellar master, or the person responsible for the development and aging of wine. By extension, the humble cellar master is the person responsible for the management of the winery.
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Established in 2012, Maître de Chai is the personal project of Marty Winters and Alex Pitts, two friends who met in the kitchen of the famed two Michelin star Cyrus in Healdsburg, California. Their focus is on showcasing old-vine, organically farmed classic varietal vineyards. With experiences on the floor of The French Laundry and The Restaurant at Meadowood and in the cellar of Abe Schoener’s Scholium Project, Marty and Alex had a tri-fold education with a focus on classic cooking and wine producers while experimenting in the cellar with varietals and winemaking techniques.
Together they look to make wines of high quality in a way that best showcases the sense of place where the grapes are grown and the personality of the vineyard. From the ground to the bottle, the character of the wine is the focus of their endeavor. They source grapes from unique and distinct single vineyards that are impeccably farmed here in California.
In this episode we mention…
Maitre de Chai
Cyrus Restaurant in Healdsburg, CA
Douglas Keane, chef/owner of Cyrus
Nick Peyton
Back Room Wines, Napa Valley
Abe Schoener, Scholium Project
Steve Matthiasson Interview
Emidio Pepe interview with Levi Dalton
John Kongsgaard
Jim Duane Interview
David Ramey quote from Proceedings of the Ninth Australian Wine Industry Technical Conference from 1995.
Ian Brand interview
Massa Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon
