Pestoni Family Estate Winery
2024 Cabernet Sauvignon
"Primo Pottissimo"
Howell Mountain AVA
Auction 30 | Lot No. 155
Vintage: 2024
Pestoni Family Estate Winery
Cabernet Sauvignon
Howell Mountain
5 cases produced
Description
“If Cabernet is the King in Napa Valley, then Three Tears Vineyard is the Versailles,” said winemaker Aaron Pott. Sitting high above the fog line on Howell Mountain, the Three Tears Vineyard yields 100% estate-grown fruit from 25-year-old vines rooted in red Aiken loam soils, meticulously designed by the renowned David Abreu. The 2024 vintage marks Aaron’s first as consulting winemaker for the Pestoni Family Estate, uniting Cabernet Sauvignon with 20% Cabernet Franc and 5% Petit Verdot. Organically farmed while kissing the clouds at 2,100 feet, this site expresses Howell Mountain’s power, elegance, and mineral richness in sheer perfection. Three Tears is a singular reflection of mountain terroir, blending tradition and vision to capture the vineyard’s wild beauty and enduring potential.
Wine Facts
- Single vineyard wine
- Sustainably produced
- Organically produced (also commonly called "organically grown")
- Wine is 100% estate grown and bottled
Aaron Pott
Winemaker, Pestoni Family Estate Winery
Aaron Pott Biography
Aaron Pott’s curiosity in wine began at the young age when he ordered a glass of milk in a venerable Parisian bistro. When the waiter responded—in halting perfect English—that “milk is for babies” and promptly produced a glass of watered down red, Pott realized that wine was a beverage of choice for adults and immersed himself in the world of wine trivia. Studying oenology at the University of California, Davis, Pott delved into all aspects of the theory of winemaking, including practical application by working part-time in the research laboratory at Robert
Mondavi Winery.
He completed his education with a master’s degree in Viticulture from the Université de Bourgogne in Dijon, France. Pott immediately took the position of assistant winemaker at Newton Vineyard, under winemaker John Kongsgaard. It was at Newton—under the wing of his first great mentor—that Pott would be introduced to Michel Rolland. At many tastings with Kongsgaard and Rolland (set up by legendary wine collector Dade Thieriot), Pott tried to convince Rolland to find him a job in France—pulling hoses around a dark cellar and working on his language skills. Rolland soon sent word that he had found the ideal position—winemaker at Château Troplong Mondot, Premier Grand Cru Classé St. Emilion. Pott would thereafter become winemaker and general manager of Château La Tour Figeac Grand Cru Classé St. Emilion.
Pott worked for nearly six years making wine in France before returning to the States to take a position with Beringer Wine Estates. As a winemaker for the company’s international brands in France, Italy and South America, he had the pleasure to work with French winemakers Jean-Louis Mandrau, formerly of Château Latour and André Porcheret, whose resume included the Hospice de Beaune and Domaine Leroy. Pott’s duties expanded in 2001 as winemaker at St. Clement in St. Helena. In 2004, he accepted the position as winemaker and general manager at Quintessa.
In 2007, Pott formed Pott Wine and Huis Clos Consulting dedicated to producing wines from different distinct terroir in the Napa Valley as well as consulting for a limited quantity of noble producers.
Pott lives at his self proclaimed “Châteauneuf du Pott” on the dizzying heights of Mt. Veeder with his wife Claire and daughters Tosca and Isolde.
Country born: USA
Years in the wine industry: 30+ years
Jeremiah Moore
Winemaker, Pestoni Family Estate Winery
Jeremiah Moore is a graduate of the University of California, Santa Barbara and began his winemaking career at Sterling Vineyards in 2004.
During his thirteen-year tenure with Sterling Vineyards, Moore worked his way up to the position of laboratory manager, supervising the winery’s compliance, Napa Green certification, blending trials, bottling and annual harvest internship program. In 2017, Moore jumped into the cellar as the enologist at Blackbird Vineyards.
There, he met and worked alongside Pott, who appointed him the winemaker for Blackbird’s custom crush clients and eventually winemaker of Blackbird Vineyards in 2022.
Country born: USA
Years in the wine industry: 20-30 years
Winery Distribution
Pestoni Family Estate Winery is distributed in the following markets. Please contact the winery directly for the most up-to-date distribution information and to explore commercial opportunities.
Domestic:
- California (Kimberly Jones)
- Florida (Maverick Beverage Company)
- Kansas (Vintegrity)
- Missouri (Vintegrity)
- New Jersey (Lieber Fine Wine and Spirits)
- New York (Lieber Fine wine and Spirits)
- Texas (Specs)
International:
- Japan (A Wines)