Richard G. Peterson
2012 Richard G. Peterson Brut Rosé
Crafted in the Méthode Champenoise style, the RGP 2012 Brut Rosé hails from Dick's three-acre estate in Yountville and was aged 4 years en tirage. This wine oozes flavors of toasted brioche and crushed strawberries, and it even exudes graham cracker aromas. The mousse is very fine, offering a long and complex finish with great backbone acidity.
The Winemaker
Dick Peterson has been an innovator in the California wine industry since the 1960s. As a young man, he produced novel products such as the first wine cooler for Seagrams and Gallo's Hearty Burgundy. He was pivotal to the success of a portfolio of wineries, including Beaulieu Vineyards with Andre Tchelistcheff, the Monterey Vineyard, Atlas Peak Vineyards and Folie à Deux Winery. Dick invented many techniques still in use today, such as the "bung-and-roll," the practice of rolling a barrel to prevent the wood bung from drying. Scientist Peterson proved that winemakers do not need to "top off" barrels of wine, because the space between the wine and the barrel is, in fact, a vacuum rather than air, so the wine cannot oxidize as feared. Perhaps his greatest invention was the steel barrel pallet, which allowed barrels to be stacked higher and more securely. In response to a relatively recent threat to our vineyards, Dick developed the "DP Screw," which delivers antibiotics to vines stricken with Pierce's disease. It's no wonder that Dick Peterson's hero is Ben Franklin: "I've read everything about him!"
