Joe Wagner is no stranger to the wine business. He grew up in it. Grandson of the founder of Caymus Vineyards, he’s watched every aspect of winemaking. From farming to the business of wine since he could walk.
Today I am meeting with Wagner at the Fagiani building. He recently purchased the storied Fagiani building for a $3.7m in Downtown Napa. I’m not sure what to expect when I meet Joe. I make it a practice not to learn too much about an individual when I do an interview. I find the more organic the discussion, the more refreshing and interesting the conversation. I did scan a piece featuring a photo with Wagner in a private jet. There, he appeared every bit the privileged wine scion the piece depicted him. What I encountered in my interview was the complete opposite.
He is the master behind the brand Meiomi. A brand I first encountered in Hawaii as a “buy the glass” brand. You couldn’t get a bottle, only a glass. There was a bit of intrigue in the positioning. So much so I began drinking it at my favorite Thai restaurant in Hawaii Kai, Maile’s Bistro. It pairs quite well with spicy food. I had no idea, I would be interviewing the man behind the brand in Napa a decade later.
Wagner sold Meiomi to Constellation in 2015 for a cool $315 million. The unique aspect of Meiomi was it didn’t have a winery. It didn’t have a vineyard and it didn’t have assets per se beyond the brand and its customers. It was created by bucking conventional wine marketing tactics. Built by Wagner, customer by customer, glass by glass.
6 Responses
Quilt ********. Outstanding. Had it at boca West Country Boca Raton. Rated 88. No way More like 84
RICHARD SPRING
94. Not 84. Sorry
Quilt is a delicious, cost friendly, classy wine for every occasion. It definitely has the unique ‘Caymus’ taste. I enjoy Quilt very much and I’m thrilled when I find it on the menu at a restaurant.
Joe Wagner’s wines are produced for the mass market at the premium level. They are over manipulated, too fruit forward, not good examples of the true style of the wines. Meiomi is the worst example of Pinot Noir, it is a joke in the industry. I will admit the sales are through the roof but so are McDonalds and Burger King, those are not real hamburgers.
I guess it depends on your experience Peter. At the time I wrote this I spent 36 years in Hawaii. Hawaii has a very limited selection of wine.Meiomi was the only Pinot Noir readily available in restaurants. Joe Wagner did some brilliant marketing on this. A number of years later and 200,000 miles of wine travel later, my palate has changed dramatically. Meiomi is no longer made by Joe Wagner, it is made by Constellation Brands. My preferences run to smaller producers who are still able to maintain artisanal quality wine. Perhaps for you and me now with a far more experienced palate it is not all that, but based on sales there are many who still love it. To each his own. Imagine the world if our palates were all the same. Boring!
Quilt is excellent wine for the price. Nobody comparing Quilt with $150 bottle of wine.