Mijenta
Mijenta

Palate Meets Palette

IMAGERY ESTATE WINERY PAINTS A PICTURE OF MULTIGENERATIONAL TALENT

story by Liz Thach, MW / photos by Thomas Roberts

The entrance to Imagery Estate Winery along Highway 12 in the Sonoma Valley is heralded by bright turquoise banners flapping in the breeze. It’s a fittingly colorful introduction to an esteemed estate known for the eye-catching collection of artwork that adorns its labels as well as its focus on creative blends.

Jamie Benziger is head winemaker at Imagery Estate Winery.

I was welcomed into the tasting room by head winemaker Jamie Benziger. As a second-generation member of the Benziger family business, which established its eponymous winery as well as Imagery in 1986, she’s been on a roll in 2019: Not only was she named the Best Woman Winemaker of the Year in the International Women’s Wine Competition, she was also included on Wine Enthusiast’s list of 40 Under 40 Tastemakers.

Dressed in jeans and boots, Benziger looked every inch the young and energetic talent she is as she led us into a private room where the recently debuted Imagery Wine Collection awaited. “I had a great time working with our winemaking team to develop these, and we stayed true to Imagery’s heritage by including a small amount of a unique grape varietal in each bottle,” she said. “We also created a new label that pays homage to our artistic roots.”

Indeed, all four wines—nationally distributed on- and off-premise—diverge from conventional California blends: The Chardonnay incorporates 10% Chenin Blanc, the Sauvignon Blanc 15% Muscat, the Pinot Noir 15% Petit Verdot, and the Cabernet Sauvignon 20% Petite Sirah. (The white fruit comes primarily from Mendocino and Monterey counties, the red from Lodi.) Sales have already surpassed 100,000 cases, with a suggested retail price of $20.

“We are hopeful that when people taste the new Imagery Wine Collection, the next time they visit wine country, they will stop by to taste the unique wines in our Estate Portfolio,” explained Benziger. With a smaller total production of around 15,000 cases, the Estate Portfolio wines are primarily sold directly to consumers, including the 6,000-plus members of Imagery’s popular wine club, as well as to select restaurants. In addition to blends, the series includes single-varietal wines such as Tannat, Cabernet Franc, Tempranillo, Mourvèdre, Barbera, Albariño, Riesling, Viognier, Muscat Canelli, and Lagrein (whose production is limited to 200 cases).

The new label for the Imagery Wine Collection is meant “to look like a drip of paint on a white canvas . . . [which] allows the consumer to dream about the painting they would like to see on the label,” said Benziger. So far, people have interpreted it as depicting everything from the ears of a fox to a wine glass: “It is a great conversation piece,” she added, noting that the new bottles also feature Pro-Lux screwcaps, which closely resemble a regular capsule and cork.

 

Three Generations of Artistry

During the tasting, Benziger described the history of the estate and the circuitous route she took to her current position. It all began in 1980, when Bruno Benziger and his son Mike moved from the East Coast to purchase the historic Wegener Ranch on Sonoma Mountain in Glen Ellen. Soon, Mike’s four brothers and sisters joined them, and they began to build the legendary Glen Ellen brand—only to sell it for $150 million in 1988, when it achieved 2.6 million cases. After that, they focused on expanding the smaller Benziger and Imagery labels, created in 1986.

“It was my dad Joe who first conceived of the Imagery brand,” explained Benziger. “When he was working as a winemaker at Glen Ellen, he realized that some great single varietals were going into the blends, so he decided to bottle some individually. At about the same time he met Bob Nugent, an art professor from Sonoma State University, at a polo match, where the two of them broke up a fight. After the fight, they got to talking, and came up with the idea of [the Estate Portfolio] to showcase each unique varietal.”

So, taking a page out of the branding book of Château Mouton Rothschild—which began commissioning artists to paint labels for its bottles in 1945—Joe and Bob decided to do the same for Imagery. However, they chose to feature a different artist with each vintage of each expression. Adding 30–35 new artworks every year, they have now amassed more than 500 pieces, around 60 of which they showcase on rotation in the estate gallery. One stipulation of the commission is that each painting must include a likeness of the small Parthenon-style building that’s located on a nearby hill at Benziger Estate. This creates a pleasurable “hunt and seek” experience for collectors of the wines.

“Another fun thing we do here is to feature a different label artist on certain Sundays to sign labels and explain their art to visitors,” Benziger said. “We call it Gallery Days, where wine and art are the perfect pairings. Our customers love it, and it is great for the artists because they receive publicity for their paintings.”

Benziger’s own artistry as a winemaker has developed over time: She was not handed the reins at Imagery without “jumping through a lot of flaming hoops first,” she explained. “My family always encouraged us to pursue our own passions, so in the beginning I studied marketing.” Her first stop was Loyola Marymount, but she missed Northern California and soon returned to finish her degree in marketing and wine business at Sonoma State University in 2009. Then, a few months into a desk job, Benziger became antsy. “I found I didn’t enjoy it,” she explained, “so when my family invited me to help with the 2009 harvest, I jumped in and immediately fell in love with all the excitement of harvest and winemaking.”

Like many California wine clans, however, they wanted her to gain broad experience before coming on full time, so she worked two harvests at Sonoma’s St. Francis Winery before traveling to New Zealand to work a harvest for Villa Maria. When she returned, she enrolled in winemaking and viticulture classes at Napa Valley College. Next was a lab-tech job at Bogle Vineyards near Sacramento, followed by a stint with Enterprise Vineyard Management.

When her family felt that she had gained enough external experience, she was again invited to help with the harvest at Imagery in 2015 under the mentorship of her father. “He was self-taught as a winemaker, but he had an incredible palate,” Benziger says. “He taught me everything I know about blending, [which] I like to compare to the way an artist creates new colors by blending on the palette to create something beautiful and magical.” In December 2017, Joe retired and Jamie took over the wine program, ushering in a new generation of artistry at Imagery.

 

Sauvignon Blanc grapes are destemmed and crushed before going to press.

The Positive Impact of Acquisition

When the family business was acquired by The Wine Group in 2015, many Sonoma County natives were worried that corporate ownership would harm Benziger and Imagery, which had become dear to their hearts for such community initiatives as Family and Friends Nights and support for local charities.

“We weren’t sure what to expect in the beginning,” said Benziger, “but the few changes they’ve implemented have been very positive. They have honored the legacy of the [Estate Portfolio] and we continue to produce it as we always did. They have encouraged us to continue everything we’ve been doing in sustainability [and] organic and Biodynamic winemaking. And now we are introducing many more people across the nation to Imagery with the new [Wine Collection]. Indeed they have given me the wings to fly and learn new things.”

Jamie described some of the innovative marketing tools implemented to support the brand, such as the development of a new augmented-reality app that allows people to apply various filters to selfies to create artistic paintings. “It’s a lot of fun to try out,” she said.

 

A New Harvest

As we walked out to the crush pad behind the tasting room, we could see it teeming with busy workers. A huge smile lit up Benziger’s face when she saw an 18-wheeler pulled up to unload grapes into the massive crusher-destemmer. “That’s one of my favorite growers from the Alexander Valley,” she said, and she ran up to the truck to reach in and give the old farmer a big hug.

We watched as the Sauvignon Blanc grapes were destemmed and crushed before slowly making their way up a long conveyor belt. A worker carefully pulled leaves and twigs from the grapes as they headed to the press. Other workers came up to Benziger to greet her, and there was a feeling of excitement in the air at the dawn of a new harvest.

After guiding us through the barrel room, Benziger paused to discuss her plans as the future of Imagery. “I’m here to keep my dad’s legacy alive,” she said. “We want Imagery to be the place to be in Sonoma Valley. Here people can feel welcome to come for the day and bring their family and dogs, picnic on the lawn, and try all of our unique wines. Plus, they get to interact with artists and see the beautiful gallery.”

The labels on the Imagery Wine Collection are meant “to look like a drip of paint on a white canvas,” according to head winemaker Jamie Benziger.

In terms of free time, it appears that the winemaker hasn’t had much of that yet: “When I do have some downtime, I like to spend it with my husband and two French bulldogs,” she said, admitting that, having gotten married two years ago, she and her spouse hope to “finally take the long-awaited honeymoon” soon.

 

Select Tasting Notes

 

Imagery Estate Portfolio 2018 Albariño, Sonoma Valley ($29) Floral nose with juicy white peach, ginger, and crisp acidity. A hint of white pepper on the rounded mid-palate precedes a kiss of oak on the lingering finish of this lees-aged white. Very refreshing. 92 —Liz Thach

Imagery Estate Portfolio 2016 Lagrein, Upper Ridge Vineyard, Pine Mountain/Cloverdale Peak ($45) Inky black with notes of boysenberry, black plum, pepper, and well-integrated oak with a touch of vanilla. Rounded tannins and a delicious, velvety finish. 93 —L.T.

Imagery Wine Collection 2018 Sauvignon Blanc, California ($20) A brightness and liveliness bloom out of the glass alongside notes of honeysuckle, green tea, and jasmine. Lime chiffon sidles up to a searing acidity that maintains its freshness to the finish. 90 —M.M.

Imagery Wine Collection 2018 Chardonnay, California ($20) The addition of Chenin Blanc adds to the lean, clean body, though minerality serves as the core of this edgy and alert wine. Twists of lemon and white grapefruit work in tandem with aromas of herbs such as dill and flavors of green apple and macadamia nut. 91 —M.M.

 Imagery Wine Collection 2018 Pinot Noir, California ($20) A whirlwind of blue- and red-fruit freshness dotted with white pepper and rose petals, this expression sings in a vibrato of bright acidity. It finds harmony in its savory notes, base of oak, and round tannins. 92 —M.M.

Imagery Wine Collection 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon, California ($20) Rich with aromas of dark chocolate, slate, cedar, and coffee, this youthful Cab is sassy and light on its feet, with notes of spiced blueberries and round, mocha-kissed tannins. Rhubarb and fennel come in mid-palate and stay to the finish. 92 —M.M.

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