Papagni Wines is pleased to announce that winemaker Tom Montgomery will be joining the team as Director of Winemaking. Praised for his award winning Cabernet Sauvignons and Chardonnays, Montgomery has enjoyed an almost storybook career influencing the development of a number of California’s most decorated wines. Tom honed his skills over 37 years as a winemaker for elite wineries in Napa Valley, San Louis Obispo, and Sonoma Valley.
Tom earned his Bachelor of Science degree with an emphasis in Enology from California State University, Fresno. His deep appreciation for the land lead him to become part of the first certified cohort of the State of California’s Sustainable Wine Growing Program. After graduation, his passion and talent landed him a coveted position beside legendary winemakers of the time crafting gold medal winning wines in Napa Valley in 1978. Montgomery’s unwavering dedication to world class wines makes him an excellent fit to manage the production of the highly decorated family of Papagni Wines.
Tom’s lifelong passion for wine developed during his formative years. Tom was inspired by the generational farming traditions he witnessed from the Japanese, Arminian, and Mexican American farmers on land adjacent to his family’s farm. The same old world tradition and deep sense of heritage which inspired Tom as a child are alive and present in the generational knowledge and traditions that the Papagni family first brought from the vineyards of Bari, Italy to the Central Valley in 1920. Tom Montgomery is excited to join the Papagni Wines family to pay homage to the earth where his appreciation for wine first took root.
As a native son of the Central Valley Tom grew up with farm fresh food and fine wine as an integral part of his family culture. Montgomery’s parents owned and operated a farm in Sanger California, less than 40 miles from where Papagni Wines stands today. As a boy he recalls his family drank wine from around the globe which sprouted the future wine maker’s worldly sense of adventure. In an article in The Press Democrat, Montgomery explained, “I learned at an early age, you can travel the world in a bottle of wine, each unique, representing a different geography, a different terroir.”
During the span of his nearly four decade long career, he has proven his talent by crafting wines from a range of climates, from the California Coastline to Sonoma and Napa Valley. These experiences have allowed him to develop his renowned wine making instincts and skills which will be put to good use in the coming years at Papagni Wines. Montgomery sees wine as the medium for which the beauty of the land can be expressed; each region has its own unique pallet of colors to choose from. Differing terrain, climates, and soils gift their unique properties to each vine and Tom masterfully controls influences like these from grape to glass.
Tom Montgomery prides himself on the intimacy with which he crafts each wine. He is there when the first buds break, to tend growing shoots, to sample vines, to ensure his standards are upheld throughout the process. Papagni Wine customers can look forward to the fruits of Tom’s labor which will undoubtedly add to the list of opulent award-winning Papagni Wines which enthrall the senses and inspire wine lovers around the globe.
