{"id":2559,"date":"2025-07-23T03:23:15","date_gmt":"2025-07-23T03:23:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.kenswineguide.com\/blog\/?p=2559"},"modified":"2025-07-23T03:23:15","modified_gmt":"2025-07-23T03:23:15","slug":"winemaker-interview-series-eric-stauffer-of-vgs-chateau-potelle-may-2025","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.kenswineguide.com\/blog\/?p=2559","title":{"rendered":"Winemaker Interview Series &#8211; Eric Stauffer of VGS Chateau Potelle &#8211; May 2025"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.kenswineguide.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Eric-Stauffer-VGS-Blog-Home.gif\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-2560\" src=\"https:\/\/www.kenswineguide.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Eric-Stauffer-VGS-Blog-Home-240x300.gif\" alt=\"Eric Stauffer - VGS\" width=\"240\" height=\"300\" \/><\/a><span style=\"color: #000000;\">On Wednesday, May 14, 2025, we had the opportunity to interview<\/span> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.vgschateaupotelle.com\/about#member-6\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong><u>Eric Stauffer<\/u><\/strong><\/a><span style=\"color: #000000;\">. Eric is the winemaker for <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.vgschateaupotelle.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong><u>VGS Chateau Potelle <span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">Wines<\/span><\/u><\/strong><\/a><span style=\"color: #000000;\">. We covered nine wines in total. Six were from the 2021 vintage. There were also two from the 2022 vintage and a 2023 Cabernet Franc. VGS wines are sold directly to the consumer. They are considered high-end offerings. You can access their wines via their website or by joining their club.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Before we get to the wines, I thought I would share some tidbits that Eric shared in the interview.<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.vgschateaupotelle.com\/about#member-0\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Jean-Noel Fourmeaux<\/a><\/strong> <span style=\"color: #000000;\">is the owner and founder of VGS Chateau Potelle.<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">In 1980 he was sent to the Napa Valley by the French government after the Judgment of Paris to &#8220;spy&#8221; for 6 months and evaluate the competition.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">That plan went awry when he sent a telegram home: \u201cLooks good, I\u2019m staying.\u201d<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">He was inspired by the freedom given to California winemakers that allowed for great creativity and expression.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">He started Chateau Potelle in 1983 on Mount Veeder with his wife Marketta.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">In 2007, Chateau Potelle was sold to Jackson Family Wines. The sale involved the 202-acre estate, but not the brand, inventory, or business.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">After beating cancer and Jean-Noelle re-created his winery as VGS Chateau Potelle.<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">They maintained long standing relationships, so they had grapes sources when they decided to reactive the winery.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Today the wines are made at<\/span> <a href=\"https:\/\/thewinefoundry.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong><u>The Wine Foundry<\/u><\/strong><\/a> <span style=\"color: #000000;\">custom crush facility in Napa.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">You can experience their wines at their<\/span> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.vgschateaupotelle.com\/experience\/tasting-house-garden\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong><u>Tasting House &amp; Garden<\/u><\/strong><\/a> <span style=\"color: #000000;\">in St. Helena.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Eric Stauffer came to VGS in 2015.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Eric&#8217;s family owned a winery in PA which they recently sold. So, he grew up surrounded by wine.<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">While going to school at UC Davis he worked as a lab manager in Clarksburg.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Eric&#8217;s philosophy is &#8220;wines are right if they are delicious.&#8221;<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">&#8220;It is a blend of art, craft, and science. You can&#8217;t rely on just one to make delicious wine!&#8221;<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Vintages \u2013 Eric&#8217;s favorite vintages so far were 2017 and 2023.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">VGS has a consulting winemaker \u2013<\/span> <a href=\"https:\/\/kalewineconsulting.com\/kale-anderson\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong><u>Kale Anderson<\/u><\/strong><\/a>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">During blending sessions \u2013 Jean Noelle tends to encourage restraint, while Eric leans toward big. Kale brings them together.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">There is a funny story how an early customer described their wines. Hence the name VGS was born. If you didn&#8217;t figure it out, it stands for &#8220;Very Good Shit.&#8221;<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Why Chapters? Because you will not see consistency from vintage to vintage. Because Pinot is the heartbreak grape (So susceptible to weather) It\u2019s a new chapter every time.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Terrior Collection labels are going away. The wines are staying, they will just be released under the VGS label.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/moonmountaindistrict.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Moon Mountain<\/strong><\/a> <span style=\"color: #000000;\">is in Sonoma and is on the western slopes of the mountain.<\/span> <a href=\"https:\/\/mtveederwines.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Mount Veeder<\/strong><\/a> <span style=\"color: #000000;\">is in Napa and is on the eastern slopes of the same mountain.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">They use an optical sorter on their Zins. It helps tremendously.<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">2022 they waited on Zins and Cabs \u2013 With the sorter they can take out the raisins after heat waves.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">The &#8220;Oakville&#8221; comes from the<\/span> <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tresperlas.com\/#Vineyards\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Renteria 360 Vineyard<\/a><\/strong> <span style=\"color: #000000;\">in the northern part of Oakville.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">The Fourmeaux in 2022 will be Oakville fruit.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Potelle Two is their least expensive blend, but they use as much effort and sometimes put even more effort into that wine.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">VGS Pinots are really good, but those barrels were not good enough to be Fourmeaux wines.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">They use 100% French oak on all wines.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Below is a summary of the wine offerings from VGS Chateau Potelle that we covered with Eric. The links below are to our full reviews. If you are interested in ordering and trying these wines, you can purchase most of these wines on the<\/span> <a href=\"https:\/\/store.vgschateaupotelle.com\/Purchase\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong><u>VGS Chateau Potelle website<\/u><\/strong><\/a>. <span style=\"color: #000000;\">If you become a member, you get access to member only wines, shipping incentives, preferred member pricing and much more.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.kenswineguide.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/VGS-Chateau-Potelle-2021-Cabernet-Sauvignon.gif\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-2561\" src=\"https:\/\/www.kenswineguide.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/VGS-Chateau-Potelle-2021-Cabernet-Sauvignon.gif\" alt=\"VGS Logo\" width=\"180\" height=\"181\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.kenswineguide.com\/wine_review\/VGS-Chateau-Potelle-2021-Fourmeaux-Chapter-VIII-Rueling-Vineyard-Pinot-Noir\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>VGS Chateau Potelle 2021 Pinot Noir &#8220;Fourmeaux Chapter VIII&#8221;<\/strong><\/a> <span style=\"color: #000000;\">(Sonoma Coast) $130 (<span style=\"color: #800000;\"><strong>KWGTP 93<\/strong><\/span>)<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.kenswineguide.com\/wine_review\/VGS-Chateau-Potelle-2021-Terroir-Collection-GSC\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>VGS Chateau Potelle 2021 &#8220;Terroir Collection GSC&#8221;<\/strong><\/a> (Mount Veeder) $135 (<span style=\"color: #800000;\"><strong>KWGTP 94<\/strong><\/span>)<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.kenswineguide.com\/wine_review\/VGS-Chateau-Potelle-2021-Zinfandel\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>VGS Chateau Potelle 2021 Zinfandel<\/strong><\/a> (Moon Mountain) $110 (<span style=\"color: #800000;\"><strong>KWGTP 93.5<\/strong><\/span>)<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.kenswineguide.com\/wine_review\/VGS-Chateau-Potelle-2022-Zinfandel\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>VGS Chateau Potelle 2022 Zinfandel<\/strong><\/a> (Moon Mountain) $110 (<span style=\"color: #800000;\"><strong>KWGTP 94<\/strong><\/span>)<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.kenswineguide.com\/wine_review\/VGS-Chateau-Potelle-2023-Cabernet-Franc\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>VGS Chateau Potelle 2023 Cabernet Franc<\/strong><\/a> (Mount Veeder) $170 (<span style=\"color: #800000;\"><strong>KWGTP 94.5<\/strong><\/span>)<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.kenswineguide.com\/wine_review\/VGS-Chateau-Potelle-2022-Petite-Sirah\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>VGS Chateau Potelle 2022 Petite Sirah<\/strong><\/a> (Mount Veeder) $110 (<span style=\"color: #800000;\"><strong>KWGTP 95<\/strong><\/span>)<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.kenswineguide.com\/wine_review\/VGS-Chateau-Potelle-2021-Cabernet-Sauvignon\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>VGS Chateau Potelle 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon<\/strong><\/a> (Mount Veeder) $185 (<span style=\"color: #800000;\"><strong>KWGTP 96<\/strong><\/span>)<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.kenswineguide.com\/wine_review\/VGS-Chateau-Potelle-2021-Oakville-Cabernet-Sauvignon\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>VGS Chateau Potelle 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon &#8220;Oakville&#8221;<\/strong><\/a> $205 (<span style=\"color: #800000;\"><strong>KWGTP 96.5<\/strong><\/span>)<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.kenswineguide.com\/wine_review\/VGS-Chateau-Potelle-2021-Fourmeaux-Red-Wine\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>VGS Chateau Potelle 2021 &#8220;Fourmeaux Red Wine&#8221;<\/strong><\/a> $350 (<span style=\"color: #800000;\"><strong>KWGTP 97<\/strong><\/span>)<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">You can find reviews of past and future VGS wines that we cover on the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kenswineguide.com\/wine.php?winery=2314\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong><u>VGS Chateau Potelle KWG winery page<\/u><\/strong><\/a> on our website. We hope you enjoy these terrific wines as much as we did. Cheers! \u2013 Ken<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>On Wednesday, May 14, 2025, we had the opportunity to interview Eric Stauffer. Eric is the winemaker for VGS Chateau Potelle Wines. We covered nine wines in total. Six were from the 2021 vintage. There were also two from the 2022 vintage and a 2023 Cabernet Franc. VGS wines are sold directly to the consumer. [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2560,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[22,18,92,2994,1919,2997,2998,100,88,2996,2999,3000,73,11,1814,1778,123,1759,124,12,2880,1201,1187,1120,2201,5,2995,90,126,8,6,240,1292,39,1288],"tags":[2987,2984,501,625,2985,2990,2979,2967,2965,2971,2992,2989,2980,2975,2970,2969,2973,2978,2974,1809,2819,649,507,661,2982,1510,492,2988,2986,1124,2972,1843,2977,2981,2991,2976,1481,2993,2966,2968,1624,523,2983],"class_list":["post-2559","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cabernet-franc","category-cabernet-sauvignon","category-california","category-eric-stauffer","category-flagship-wine","category-fourmeaux","category-french-oak","category-gift-wine","category-high-end-wines","category-jean-noel-fourmeaux","category-judgment-of-paris","category-kale-anderson","category-kendall-jackson","category-kens-wine-guide-tasting-panel","category-moon-mountain","category-mt-veeder","category-napa-valley","category-oakville","category-petite-sirah","category-pinot-noir","category-premium-wine","category-red-blend","category-red-wine","category-sonoma-coast","category-st-helena","category-us-red-blends","category-vgs-chateau-potelle","category-white-wine","category-wine-ratings","category-wine-recommendations","category-wine-reviews","category-wine-tasting","category-winemaker","category-zinfandel","category-zoom-wine-tasting","tag-360-vineyard","tag-cab","tag-cabernet-franc","tag-cabernet-sauvignon","tag-cabs","tag-chapter-viii","tag-chapters","tag-chateau-potelle","tag-eric-stauffer","tag-fourmeaux","tag-fourmeaux-red-wine","tag-french-oak","tag-heartbreak-grape","tag-jackson-family-wines","tag-jean-noel","tag-jean-noel-fourmeaux","tag-judgment-of-paris","tag-kale-anderson","tag-marketta","tag-moon-mountain","tag-mount-veeder","tag-mt-veeder","tag-napa-valley","tag-oakville","tag-optical-sorter","tag-petite-sirah","tag-pinot-noir","tag-potelle-two","tag-renteria-360-vineyard","tag-sonoma-coast","tag-spy","tag-st-helena","tag-tasting-house-and-garden","tag-terrior-collection","tag-terroir-collection-gsc","tag-the-wine-foundry","tag-uc-davis","tag-very-good-shit","tag-vgs","tag-vgs-chateau-potelle","tag-zin","tag-zinfandel","tag-zins"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kenswineguide.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2559","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kenswineguide.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kenswineguide.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kenswineguide.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kenswineguide.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2559"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/www.kenswineguide.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2559\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2570,"href":"https:\/\/www.kenswineguide.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2559\/revisions\/2570"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kenswineguide.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/2560"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kenswineguide.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2559"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kenswineguide.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2559"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kenswineguide.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2559"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}