Robert Kamen, Katy Wilson, Phil Coturri, and Mark Herold

Philosophy
At Kamen Estate we show the utmost respect for our land and environment by fully embracing organic farming. While we utilize the best that science and technology can offer, we also believe in intuition. Attention to detail, nurturing low yields and maintaining a ruthless stance with regard to quality are all part of the mantra. The careful harvesting of fully mature fruit and very gentle pressing and handling of the juice form the cornerstone of our winemaking practices. Our winemaking philosophy is quite simple: ripe fruit, low yields, and high quality. Quality. Quality. Quality.

Winemaker, Mark Herold
Mark Herold is highly regarded for his relentless and uncompromising pursuit of excellence in winemaking. As a winegrower, his conservationist approach is one in which the vineyard is the single most important factor influencing wine quality. His goal at Kamen Estate is to fully express the character of the vineyard.

Mark Herold

Mark’s philosophy of land stewardship echoes that of owner Robert Kamen and viticulturalist Phil Coturri. Mark and Phil work closely together to ensure that every effort is made to maximize the quality of the vineyard. As a team, they fastidiously monitor the vines, adjusting canopy, irrigation, cover crops and cluster architecture vine by vine. With seven distinct soil types and seven different exposures, the vineyard requires a high level of hands-on attention in order to promote the overall site signature as well as the more nuanced character of the individual blocks. In the cellar, Mark favors a cutting edge approach informed by science and technique and accented by sheer sensual appreciation.

Of the Kamen vineyard, Mark says, “The uniqueness here is the incredible diversity of soil and exposure that exists within a fairly small site. The potential for blending nuance and complexity is extraordinary. Because of this and the incredibly pure fruit that is grown under outstanding organic conditions, I was attracted to this project.”

Background of Winemaker
Mark Herold has a degree in Biological Sciences (pre-medical degree) from the University of California, Irvine. He received a doctorate in Ecology emphasizing Nutritional Biochemistry from the University of California, Davis. While writing his dissertation, Mark took all the available graduate courses in winemaking. Upon graduation, Mark was hired as the Research Enologist at Joseph Phelps Vineyards, where for six years he was an integral part of the winemaking team. His specialty was applying classic research techniques on select experiments that were designed to improve and forward luxury winemaking. Here Mark looked into the affects of sun exposure, yeast strains and enzymes on wine quality and phenolic profile among other pursuits. In 1998, Mark, along with his wife and fellow scientist, Erika Gottl, launched their own critically acclaimed Merus Wines. Shortly thereafter Mark began consulting with a select group of small, luxury Cabernet producers and in April, 2004 he took on Kamen as his largest client. Mark’s mission is to produce intense, highly extracted, terroir-driven wines.