{"id":2706,"date":"2026-04-02T12:02:30","date_gmt":"2026-04-02T12:02:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.kenswineguide.com\/blog\/?p=2706"},"modified":"2026-04-02T12:02:30","modified_gmt":"2026-04-02T12:02:30","slug":"winemaker-interview-series-cole-ballentine-of-william-cole-jan-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.kenswineguide.com\/blog\/?p=2706","title":{"rendered":"Winemaker Interview Series \u2013 Cole Ballentine of William Cole \u2013 Jan 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.kenswineguide.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Cole-Ballentine-Winemaker-of-Predecessor.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright size-full wp-image-2529\" src=\"https:\/\/www.kenswineguide.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Cole-Ballentine-Winemaker-of-Predecessor.jpg\" alt=\"Cole Ballentine Winemaker of Predecessor\" width=\"300\" height=\"372\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.kenswineguide.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Cole-Ballentine-Winemaker-of-Predecessor.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.kenswineguide.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Cole-Ballentine-Winemaker-of-Predecessor-242x300.jpg 242w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><span style=\"color: #000000;\">On Wednesday, January 21, 2026, we interviewed <a href=\"https:\/\/williamcolevineyards.com\/our-family\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Cole Ballentine<\/strong> <\/a>once again. Cole is the co-winemaker, with his father William Ballentine Jr., at <a href=\"https:\/\/williamcolevineyards.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>William Cole Winery<\/strong><\/a>. We first interviewed Cole when we covered his super premium Predecessor Estate wines in April of 2025. This time around we covered six wines from the William Cole winery. We started with a 2023 Chardonnay. Then we tried a 2022 red blend. From there we covered four Cabernet Sauvignons. Those Cabs were from the following vintages: 2018, 2022, 2016, and 2009. It was a terrific portfolio tasting. In this post, you can learn what is new with Cole, learn about the William Cole Winery, and read our reviews of all these impressive wines.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Before we get to the wines, I thought I would share some tidbits that Cole shared in the interview.<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Tell us a little bit about your dad, William Ballentine?<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Dad was involved with Ballentine Winery prior to moving on the St. Clement in 1998. He worked there until 2001. After leaving he became devoted to his own estate project and did some consulting as well.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">In 1999 he bought an old ghost winery across street from where he grew up. That winery eventually became William Cole Winery.<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">That old stone winery had its doors closed since prohibition. They enthusiastically began many years of renovation from the original 1873 stone building. The property was eventually marked as a historical landmark and the cellar doors were reopened in 2004. You can read about <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/williamcolevineyards.com\/our-estate\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">its history here<\/a><\/strong>.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">William and Jane started the brand in 1997.<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">From 1997 to 2011 they only made one wine. &#8220;Cuvee Claire&#8221; Cabernet Sauvignon.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Historically mom (Jane) did not like Chardonnay. However, she went to France on a wine trip and was introduced to white Burgundy by Heidi Barrett.<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">From then on Chardonnay was blessed and &#8220;Cuv\u00e9e Jane Marie&#8221; was launched.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Cole did note that mom runs the show.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">&#8220;Cuv\u00e9e Jane Marie&#8221; is sourced from the Antica property in Atlas Peak.<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">It is mountain fruit. Typically acidic and displays citrus flavors.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">While the 2023 we covered comes across as lush.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Cole states the 2022 and the 2024 are more acidic.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">William and Cole make all the wines for both William Cole and Predecessor wine labels.<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">They tend to pick later than most folks.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">All the wines from the William Cole, Predecessor, and Abditory projects are DTC and club offerings.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">They tend to hold back 1\/3 of all the wines they make for future release in 5-to-10-year intervals.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Who Claire in &#8220;Cuv\u00e9e Claire&#8221;?<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">That would be Cole&#8217;s sister.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Claire has a master&#8217;s in digital marketing.<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">She re-did the website and oversees public relations and marketing.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">She also helps mom with the back of the house responsibilities.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">What is the story behind &#8220;Stonemaiden?&#8221;<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">When William was at St. Clement, he made their flagship wine called &#8220;Oroppas.&#8221; That was the original influence for this Bordeaux styled blend.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">A lot of the equipment at the William Cole winery came from St. Clement.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Mom came up with the name. She said every great ship has a name. This wine was named for the 1873 stone building.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">A cool tidbit. The blend % is on the cork.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">The &#8220;Small Lot Series&#8221; wine.<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">They started the program in 2011.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Each year is from a different appellation.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">They only make 50-75 cases each year.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">The vineyard for the 2018 borders Yountville and Stags Leap.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Here is a list of the historical pattern.<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">2011 Mt. Veeder<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">2012 Spring Mountain<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">2013 Oakville<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">2014 Coombsville<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">2015 St. Helena<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">2016 Calistoga<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">2017 Did not make.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">2018 Yountville<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">2019 Rutherford<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">2020 Did not make.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">2021 Not noted<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">2022 Stag&#8217;s Leap<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">2023 Mt. Veeder \u2013 Re-looping.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">What are your &#8220;Ten&#8221; Wines?<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">They blend a barrel from each vintage for 10 years.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">In 2023, William Cole Vineyards acquired a vineyard property on Spring Mountain and named it <a href=\"https:\/\/abditoryvineyard.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Abditory Vineyard<\/strong><\/a><strong>.<\/strong><\/span>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">&#8220;Abditory&#8221; is derived from an old English word. An abditory is a place of hiding or preserving one&#8217;s valuables.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">For the Ballentine&#8217;s, the Abditory Vineyard is a hidden treasure of Napa Valley.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">They fixed up the house on the site. It will be the winery.<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">It is permitted and started hosting guests in February.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">This location will be the tasting room for their Spring Mountain (Abditory) and Howell Mountain (Predecessor) wines.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">They released four wines from here so far.<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Three Cabernet Sauvignons. (2019, 2021, and 2022)<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">A White Blend from 2025 made from Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, and Riesling.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Are you still making Smoking Gun wines to sell wholesale?<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">&#8220;Yes! The currant vintage is 2021.&#8221;<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">He scaled back production in 2023 to 800 cases.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">There are two Podcasts interviews with Cole from last year that are definitely worth checking out. They go into even more details of the family&#8217;s history and their winery projects.<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">The first is an interview with Ray Fister on his <strong><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><a style=\"color: #0000ff;\" href=\"https:\/\/lifebetweenthevines.com\/podcast-667-cole-ballantine-assistant-winemaker-william-cole-vineyards-napa-valley\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Life between the Vines podcast<\/a><\/span> <\/strong>in February 2025. It was this podcast that led me to Cole.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Next up is an interview with Jim Duane on his <a href=\"https:\/\/www.insidewinemaking.com\/#\/198-cole-ballentine-william-cole\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Inside Winemaking podcast<\/strong>.<\/a><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Below is a summary of the wine offerings from William Cole that we covered with Cole. The links below are to our full reviews. If you are interested in ordering and trying these super-premium wines, you will have to become a member. Allocation members receive first access to newly released, exclusive library, and barrel aged wines offered throughout the year. Learn more about becoming an allocation member. If you are interested in a specific vintage, please email them at <\/span><a href=\"mailto:info@williamcolevineyards.com\">info@williamcolevineyards.com<\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.kenswineguide.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/William-Cole-Winery-Logo.gif\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-2708\" src=\"https:\/\/www.kenswineguide.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/William-Cole-Winery-Logo.gif\" alt=\"William Cole Logo\" width=\"300\" height=\"104\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.kenswineguide.com\/wine_review\/William-Cole-2023-Cuvee-Jane-Marie-Chardonnay\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>William Cole 2023 Chardonnay &#8220;Cuv\u00e9e Jane Marie&#8221;<\/strong><\/a> (Napa Valley) $95 (<strong><span style=\"color: #800000;\">KWGTP 94.5<\/span><\/strong>)<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.kenswineguide.com\/wine_review\/William-Cole-2022-Stonemaiden\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>William Cole 2022 Red Blend &#8220;Stonemaiden&#8221;<\/strong><\/a> (Napa\u00a0 Valley) $165 (<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\/William-Cole-2018-Small-Lot-Series-Cabernet-Sauvignon\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>William Cole 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon &#8220;Small Lot Series&#8221;<\/strong><\/a> (Yountville) $215 (<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\/William-Cole-2022-Cuvee-Claire-Cabernet-Sauvignon\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>William Cole 2022 Cabernet Sauvignon &#8220;Cuv\u00e9e Claire&#8221;<\/strong><\/a> (Napa Valley) $195 (<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\/William-Cole-2016-Cuvee-Claire-Cabernet-Sauvignon\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>William Cole 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon &#8220;Cuv\u00e9e Claire&#8221;<\/strong><\/a> (Napa Valley) $230 (<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\/William-Cole-2009-Cuvee-Claire-Cabernet-Sauvignon\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>William Cole 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon &#8220;Cuv\u00e9e Claire&#8221;<\/strong><\/a> (Napa Valley) $310 (<span style=\"color: #800000;\"><strong>KWGTP 95<\/strong><\/span>)<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">You can find reviews of past and future William Cole wines that we cover on the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kenswineguide.com\/wine.php?winery=3188\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong><u>William Cole 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, January 21, 2026, we interviewed Cole Ballentine once again. Cole is the co-winemaker, with his father William Ballentine Jr., at William Cole Winery. We first interviewed Cole when we covered his super premium Predecessor Estate wines in April of 2025. This time around we covered six wines from the William Cole winery. We [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2527,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3367,18,92,13,2878,1919,1293,1188,11,123,2879,2880,1201,1187,1758,5,3368,126,8,6,1292,1288],"tags":[2889,2893,625,491,2898,3361,3360,3362,2882,1326,779,2897,2896,2895,507,3364,2881,2884,2894,1165,3365,2892,1766,3359,2887,3363,3366,2899,3358],"class_list":["post-2706","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-abditory-vineyard","category-cabernet-sauvignon","category-california","category-chardonnay","category-cole-ballentine","category-flagship-wine","category-heidi-barrett","category-howell-mountain","category-kens-wine-guide-tasting-panel","category-napa-valley","category-predecessor-estate","category-premium-wine","category-red-blend","category-red-wine","category-spring-mountain","category-us-red-blends","category-william-cole-winery","category-wine-ratings","category-wine-recommendations","category-wine-reviews","category-winemaker","category-zoom-wine-tasting","tag-1873-stone-building","tag-abditory-vineyard","tag-cabernet-sauvignon","tag-chardonnay","tag-cole-ballentine","tag-cuvee-claire","tag-cuvee-jane-marie","tag-dtc","tag-flagship","tag-heidi-barrett","tag-howell-mountain","tag-inside-winemaking","tag-jim-duane","tag-life-between-the-vines","tag-napa-valley","tag-oroppas","tag-predecessor-estate","tag-premium-wine","tag-ray-fister","tag-red-blend","tag-small-lot-series","tag-smoking-gun-wines","tag-spring-mountain","tag-st-clement","tag-st-clement-winery","tag-stonemaiden","tag-ten-wines","tag-william-ballentine","tag-william-cole-winery"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kenswineguide.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2706","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=2706"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.kenswineguide.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2706\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2711,"href":"https:\/\/www.kenswineguide.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2706\/revisions\/2711"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kenswineguide.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/2527"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kenswineguide.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2706"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kenswineguide.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2706"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kenswineguide.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2706"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}