Personalities

Joel & Sarah Gott

From a young age Joel had his hand in the food and wine business. He was born in Napa Valley where his grandfather ran Inglenook, raised in Amador County where his parents started Montevina Winery, and later moved to Carmel when his father went to work for Monterey Wine Company. After graduating high school, Joel took a job with Kenwood Winery and later went to work for the Real Restaurant Group.

In 1991, he created Palisades Market with his brother, Duncan. Running Palisades allowed Joel to spot the need for quality value wines in the marketplace. In 1996, Joel sought out family friend and farmer, Tom Dillian, and purchased five tons of zinfandel from him. His then-girlfriend, Sarah, helped him make the wine, which led to a mention in the Wine Spectator.

More praise came Joel’s way: Robert Parker wrote up the 1997 Dillian Ranch Zinfandel, and upon visiting Joel and his brother’s burger joint, Taylor’s Refresher, in 1999 announced it the best meal he ate that year. In the same year, Joel purchased zinfandel fruit from twelve vineyards, intending to make single-vineyard zinfandels. The wine turned out to be more balanced blended than otherwise and became the first Joel Gott California Zinfandel, selling out in one week.

Joel and Sarah continued to blend balanced wines by sourcing fruit from across California. A California Cabernet was followed by California Sauvignon Blanc and Monterey Chardonnay. Joel has also opened two additional Taylor’s Refreshers, in San Francisco and Napa, and keeps expanding the Joel Gott brand as new fruit sources are found—the Gott Napa Valley Cabernet and the Washington Riesling being the two most recent additions.