Page 82 - Wine Spectator (January 2020)

wineries that produce increasingly ambitious bottlings. requires leadership, communication and decision-making.” His

These gridiron pros have partnered with all-star winemakers, Mirror Napa Valley specializes in Cabernet Sauvignon, Sauvignon
sourcing grapes from elite vineyards or buying land and making the Blanc and Chardonnay.

wines themselves. Former Dolphins quarterback Dan Marino and “When we launched our 7Cellars wine company, we wanted to
Damon Huard are a prime example: They bonded over bottles of surround ourselves with the greatest components we could to en-
Washington wine and decided to start making their own with the sure success,” says Broncos legendary center John Elway. Elway re-

2012 vintage, calling the venture Passing Time. It would not be cruited Robert Mondavi Jr. as winemaker, making Cabernet from
some vanity project: They brought Avennia winemaker Chris Pe- grapes grown in Napa’s Rutherford AVA.

terson on board, and all three of their 2016 Cabernets have earned Among the management ranks, Super Bowl–winning coach
outstanding ratings of 90 points or higher on Wine Spectator’s Vermeil, John Kent Cooke, former president of the Washington
100-point scale. “Go deep or go home,” Marino says. “With wine Redskins, and Carmen Policy, former president of the 49ers, have

and football, or whatever it may be in life, it’s about having pas- found parallels in training vines and players. What started as a
sion for it.” hobby turned into a full-fledged business for Vermeil. The same

Longtime safety Terry Hoage is another who’s taken as naturally grapes his grandfather once picked from Napa’s Frediani vineyards
to the vineyard as to the stadium turf. After retiring from the Ari- for homemade wine are still used today to make Vermeil’s flagship
zona Cardinals, Hoage moved to Paso Robles and met Justin Smith Cabs, but he sources fruit from other esteemed spots, like Dutton

of Saxum, who first coached him in the wine business. Hoage and Ranch, as well. “It’s just like having a great football team,” Ver-
his wife, Jennifer, purchased a vineyard in 2002 and planted more meil says. “You’d better have a quarterback, and Thomas Rivers
vines themselves. Today, they make their wines. TH Estate Wines Brown is the Tom Brady of Napa Valley!”

now encompasses 26 acres of Syrah, Grenache, Mourvèdre and a Though Tom Brady can only play for one team at a time, cham-
few white Rhône varieties. “Wine is a very forgiving medium,” pion consulting winemaker Brown also advises Policy on his Casa
Hoage reflects—at least compared with scrambling in front of tens Piena Napa project. Cooke, for his part, drafted consultant Sté-

of thousands of fired-up fans. “If you screw up coverage, people know. phane Derenoncourt for Boxwood Estate Winery in Middleburg,
But if you did something in a wine that was slightly different, people Va., where Cooke has 26 acres of Bordeaux varieties under vine.

don’t necessarily know, or they “Making a superb wine is just as
might like it.” In 2016, Jennifer difficult as winning the Super
Hoage added a Pinot Noir– Bowl every year,” Cooke says.

focused label, Decroux. Until recently, the greater
Rick Mirer’s taste for wine de- challenge seemed to be attract-

veloped while he was still in the ing football fans to wine, but
league and training in Napa Val- that is changing. “Wine has be-
ley with the San Francisco 49ers come more popular to fans

and the Oakland Raiders. After across the country, and it’s fun
gaining some entrepreneurial to see the evolution,” Mirer en-

know-how from the NFL’s Busi- thuses; his wines are served at
ness Management & Entrepre- Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara,
neurial Program, Mirer brought Calif., home to the Niners,

his signal-calling to wine coun- where team co-chairman John
try and found the exercise of York has built a unique wine-

running a winery strikingly sim- tasting program called Appella-
ilar to quarterbacking. “This is tion 49. In York’s recollection,
Above: The Patriots’ wine is a blend of Sonoma Cabernet and Monterey Merlot. Below
a very competitive industry,” Margaret Duckhorn, former
left: Retired head coach Dick Vermeil’s namesake label specializes in Napa Cabernet.
Mirer says. “My role every day Below right: Media personality Kayla Nicole promotes the league wine. owner of Duckhorn Vineyards CLOCKWISE FROM TOP: COURTESY OF MANO’S WINE; COURTESY OF ANHEUSER-BUSCH

76 JAN. 31 - FEB. 29, 2020 • WINE SPECTATOR