As a young Indian woman blazing a trail in the wine industry, Priyanka French leads from the front, and believes in being herself. Barely 34-years old, Priyanka is not only one of the youngest female winemakers at the helm at a Napa Valley winery, but is also one of the just a handful of Indian winemakers to break into California’s wine industry. She grew up in Mumbai and now calls Napa Valley her home. As a winemaker at the Signorello Estate, Napa Valley, she is continually educating herself. Post her marriage, Priyanka Dhar became Priyanka French.

Priyanka’s journey into the wine world is very fascinating. She was pursuing her undergraduate degree at the Institute of Chemical Technology in Matunga; specialising in Food Engineering and Technology. A chance visit to Sula Vineyards in Nashik piqued her interest in the field. She continued learning about the wine industry with the help of her uncle Virender Razdan and then eventually decided to pursue it as a career. “My journey into the world of wines began when I was accepted into the Masters of Viticulture and Enology program at UC-Davis. While studying in the program, I was fortunate to get some work experience in Napa at Louis Martini. After graduating, I travelled and worked in parts of France – Burgundy, Cognac and Bordeaux on different occasions, as well as in wine regions in New Zealand,” she informs.

“I worked in India for almost a year, establishing a market for Tonnellerie Demptos before moving back to Napa Valley to continue gaining winemaking experience here,” reveals Priyanka.

Exotic and Agrarian

She says she has absolutely loved her journey in the world of wines so far. What makes it more special is that she has had a chance to travel to some beautiful areas of the world and meet wonderful, passionate people. “An agrarian lifestyle suits me well. I love that our final product is a result of so many different philosophies and areas of science,” she points out.

At Signorello Estate where she works, they have Chardonnay as a white varietal and the rest of the estate mainly plants Cabernet Sauvignon, with small parcels of Merlot, Malbec and Cabernet Franc. All Signorello wines are estate-driven and sourced wines.

Unique Tradition

She goes on to add that “Hopes Cuvee Chardonnay is our blend from our five acre parcel of Chardonnay that was originally planted in 1980. Signorello has a history of making this unique single vineyard block wine for close to four decades and I am proud to continue with this tradition.”

The Hopes is made in a very traditional style – native fermentations, barrel fermented and aged. The final wine is always generous and full bodied, with lots of tropical fruit on the nose with a long, extended finish.

She adds that the Padrone Cabernet Sauvignon is their flagship red blend. This wine is named in honour of the estate’s founder, Ray Signorello Sr., whose nickname was Padrone. The Padrone is a blend of their blocks from both the western and eastern facing vineyards, mainly planted in 1990.

The Padrone always has rich concentration, complexity of fruit and a robust tannin structure. It has beautiful ageability and is usually aged for about 22 months in 50-60 percent new French Oak.

As an intern learning about wine and building her career, she always thought she would be a Pinot noir winemaker. And for that, she chose many of her experiences for the love of this varietal. She has a fascination for the grape’s versatility and spectrum of expressions.

Sharing details about ageing she says, “We only use French Oak at Signorello Estate. Given my background in the cooperage industry, I am very particular about the barrels that I am using for our wines. We source from specific forests and usually have a custom seasoning and toasting process. Our whites are usually aged for about 9-11 months.”

These wines are also fermented in barrels; extending length and body of the wines. The red wines usually see about 22 months of ageing in 50-60 percent new French oak. These numbers vary depending on the vintage characteristics and fruit quality.

Sustainably Innovative

She says that right now in California’s wine estates, the most immediate threat is climate change and wildfires. She is seeing a lot of work being done on smoke related issues and how to diagnose quality concerns correctly. There are also efforts being made for wildfire protection and prevention.

An area of innovation that she is currently focusing on is sustainability. There are some great programs that work towards achieving higher efficiency for the use of natural resources and conservation related measures as well, she adds.

“Signorello Estate was a victim of the 2017 fires in the Napa Valley. While we lost the physical structures on the property, we were fortunate that our older vineyards were not damaged. We are currently working on rebuilding the estate. Our plans include the construction of caves on the estate, a modern state- of-the-art fermentation building and a new hospitality center. The focus through is to rebuild on sustainability and green measures,” she elaborates. The Signorello Estate will be 100 percent solar powered and they also have incorporated regenerative farming into vineyard practices. They have livestock on the property, chicken and currently have also started bee keeping operations.

Special Wines

When asked to name a favourite wine from the estate, Priyanka chips in that it is tough to pick a favourite wine from the estate. These are all special wines that the in-house crew and she work hard on and are proud to present.

That being said, Signori Cabernet Sauvignon is a wine that the estate makes exclusively for their Allocation Club. According to Priyanka, it is a unique expression from Signorello of Cabernet Sauvignon and a new addition to the estate’s portfolio.

India’s Wine Market

When asked as to how she perceives India’s wine market, she says the wine industry in India is growing. The recent issues due to the Covid-19 pandemic have been tough but she believes that once things are more normal, “we will see the growth in the wine consumer segment in India continue to rise” “We have our first MW from India and a fast-growing community of sommeliers and wine educators. I am excited about the future of wines in India. As of now, we are looking for distribution in the country,” she conveys.

As an Indian woman who leads from the front, she reveals her mantra very lucidly and forthrightly. “Be your own unique self and don’t let anyone hold you back. Be open to constantly educating yourself since there are always new things to know about in the industry,” Priyanka affirms.

Priyanka said that Signorello Estate would love to bring its wines to India in the next few years.