About Vivier
Vivier blends the ancient traditions of French winegrowing with the youthfulness and potential of American vineyards. Focusing on Pinot Noir, the husband and wife team of Stéphane and Dana Vivier bring a Burgundian restraint and sensibility to wines made from California and Willamette Valley grapes, and it’s a darn fine combination.
Stéphane Vivier, Winemaker
Stéphane is a lazy winemaker. He watches. He waits. He plans. He lets the vineyards, the fruit and le climat do all the heavy lifting. So when you taste his Pinot Noir, you taste what created it, not who.
What made Stéphane so lazy? Read more...
Dana Sexton Vivier, Everything else
While Stéphane’s first experience with wine was a 1974 Richebourg Grand Cru, Dana’s was a sip of White Zinfandel with Seven-Up and ice cubes poolside in Phoenix.
How’d Dana get mixed up in the wine business? Read more...
Why’d they start Vivier Wines?
Dana tells the story of Vivier’s beginnings like this: “One night, Stéphane and I were out to dinner, and we wanted to buy a bottle of Pinot to go with our meal. We had a hard time finding a wine that matched our budget -- and our palates. As usual, the wine list had a void around what we considered “reasonably priced”. We thought that other people must be like us, and it had to be possible to create a great bottle of wine in that price range.”
“So when an opportunity to acquire some great fruit from a young, but normally sold-out vineyard source presented itself, I asked Stéphane if we should go for it. Being the realist, he pointed out that we didn’t have any money. Being the American, I signed us up for a zero-percent credit card, and said. ‘Let’s do it!’”
There’s no angel investor, rich uncle or generous friend behind Vivier. No one has offered to buy Dana and Stéphane a vineyard (yet!) Someday, they hope to have an estate vineyard, but for now, they like the idea that you’ll be able to drink a very nice glass of Vivier Pinot for a reasonable price.