Quilt: A New Wine and The Very Fabric of Joe Wagner

Video Interview with Joe Wagner of Copper Cane

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.

Quilt: A New Wine and The Very Fabric of Joe Wagner
Joe Wagner of Copper Cane Walking the Vineyards

Fast forward to today. We’re sitting in Fagiani’s the someday soon home of Wagner’s latest venture. He appears relaxed and confident and offers me a glass of his sparkling wine. The bubbles are his Russian River Pinot Noir Chardonnay Brut, Steorra. Just one of the many in his stable of wine. His personality is warm and sincere. I immediately feel at ease. Could this actually be The Joe Wagner, $315 million man? As we begin talking about his journey, I find a humbleness about him that catches me off guard.

His family began growing grapes in 1840. They were farmers. Salt of the earth like many winemaking families. They left grape growing for greener pastures after prohibition slammed the door in the face of opportunity. Returning once again to grape growing in the early 70’s, his family built the brand today known as Caymus.

Joe Wagner's Quilt for Copper Cane Provisions Video Interview with The Wine Siren

Today Joe Wagner’s not buying fast cars and private jets. His investing in his and his family’s future. Five generations of world-class winemaking led to Copper Cane Provisions, which Wagner founded in 2014. It’s a platform for his innovations in wine.  The latest is his nod to Napa Valley’s most important grape, Cabernet Sauvignon. The Napa pedigree blend, Quilt brings together some of the best AVA’s in the region including Oakville, St. Helena, Atlas Peak, Coombsville, Calistoga and Howell Mountain.  This blend marries the rich deliciousness of Cabernet Sauvignon with a twist. On the nose, cocoa, creme de cassis and anise. In the mouth, cocoa, complex fruits with a delightfully long and memorable finish.

Quilt joins many familiar names in the Copper Cane group including Belle Glos;  Elouan Wines; Beran Zinfandels; Carne Humana Wines; Steorra Sparkling; and Böen Pinot Noir.

Joe Wagner of Copper Cane Provisions with The Wine Siren, Kelly Mitchell
Joe Wagner and Kelly Mitchell

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Sadie Drury is a Walla Walla native who has been passionate about agriculture since her first job of picking strawberries at the age of 12. In 2007, Sadie decided to combine her passion for agriculture with her love for wine by attending the Center for Enology and Viticulture at Walla Walla Community College and pursuing a career in viticulture. In 2008, Sadie started an internship at Ciel du Cheval Vineyard where she moved up the ranks to Assistant Vineyard Manager. Sadie joined the North Slope Management team in early 2013 and took over the reins as GM later that year. She currently manages 6 vineyards including the famed Seven Hills Vineyard. Sadie is the current Chair for the Washington State Wine Commission. She is the 2019 Power’s Sabbatical Recipient, the 2020 Washington Winegrowers Erick Hanson Memorial Grower of the Year, and a 2021 Wine Enthusiast 40 Under 40 Tastemaker.

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Quilt: A New Wine and The Very Fabric of Joe Wagner

6 Responses

  1. Quilt ********. Outstanding. Had it at boca West Country Boca Raton. Rated 88. No way More like 84

    RICHARD SPRING

    1. 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.

  2. 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.

    1. 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!

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