Alpha Omega Hires Winemaker Andy Erickson as Consultant
RUTHERFORD, Calif. — January 29, 2021
Andy Erickson has made wine at Harlan Estate, Screaming Eagle and Staglin Family Vineyards. He has launched his own acclaimed labels and built a consulting practice that spans some of the most respected addresses in Napa Valley. Now he is bringing that expertise to Alpha Omega.
Alpha Omega is pleased to announce Erickson as its new Consulting Winemaker. He joins a winemaking team led by Head Winemaker Henrik Poulsen, one of the winery’s founding winemakers, along with Associate Winemaker Matt Brain and Assistant Winemaker Melissa Paris.
A Partnership That Started Before It Was Official
This announcement did not come out of nowhere. The formal consulting relationship is actually the result of a collaboration that had already been quietly underway.
Last year, Erickson worked on a project at Alpha Omega alongside Poulsen, Brain and Paris. The fruit of that collaboration is the Alpha Omega Cabernet Sauvignon Oakville Napa Valley 2018, set for release in early April. The wine showcases fruit from one of Napa Valley’s most celebrated sub-appellations and serves as a preview of what the Erickson and Poulsen partnership is capable of producing.
The results spoke for themselves.
“The winemaking synergy, philosophy and collaboration between Andy and our winemaking team was so terrific that we wanted to expand the relationship even further by bringing Andy into our Alpha Omega family as Consulting Winemaker.”
— Jeff Knowles, COO, Alpha Omega
A Decade of Friendship, Now a Formal Partnership
For Robin and Michelle Baggett, bringing Erickson on board is as much about a long-standing personal relationship as it is about his credentials. The Baggetts and Erickson, along with his wife and fellow vintner Annie Favia, have been friends for more than a decade. Their professional paths had crossed repeatedly through the Napa Valley Vintners Board of Directors, where Robin Baggett served as past board chair and remains a member of the Executive Committee.
“My relationship with Andy continued to flourish during our work together on the Napa Valley Vintners Board of Directors. Bringing him onboard to consult is a great opportunity to work with Andy, a highly respected winemaker who truly believes in the uniqueness of the diversity of terroir in Napa Valley. Since our inception in 2006, this philosophy has been our basis for handcrafting some of the most highly sought-after wines in Napa Valley.”
— Robin Baggett, Vintner, Alpha Omega
Erickson’s response was equally warm.
“Having known Robin and Michelle for more than a decade, and watching what they have created at Alpha Omega, I was excited when Robin asked me to get involved. They are already working with some of the best vineyards in the valley, and I am already a fan of the wines. I look forward to being a part of this new chapter.”
— Andy Erickson, Consulting Winemaker, Alpha Omega
Andy Erickson: A Career Built on Napa Valley’s Greatest Vineyards
Erickson arrived in Napa Valley in 1994 and has spent nearly three decades working with some of the most prestigious estates in the world. His early career included time at Harlan Estate, Staglin Family Vineyards and Screaming Eagle, three names that represent the pinnacle of Napa Valley winemaking.
In 2001, he and his wife Annie Favia, a viticulturist, launched Favia Wines, followed by Leviathan in 2003. Both labels have earned devoted followings and critical acclaim.
His current consulting portfolio is a who’s who of Napa Valley’s finest producers, including Dalla Valle Vineyards, Mayacamas Vineyard and Winery, Arietta, To Kalon Vineyard Company, Ellman Family Vineyards, Cervantes and Seven Apart. Alpha Omega joins that list at a moment when the winery’s own vineyard program, drawing from prized sites across nearly every Napa appellation, is as strong as it has ever been.
About Alpha Omega
In 2006, Robin and Michelle Baggett started Alpha Omega with the mission to create artisanal wines drawing on Old World vineyard handcrafted practices and an emphasis on unique terroir-driven characteristics that reveal a sense of place, combined with New World technology and science. Located in Napa Valley’s legendary Rutherford appellation, Alpha Omega is surrounded by fountains, vineyards and mountains, making the beauty of this modern, farm-style winery as captivating as its wine.
After launching as a direct-to-consumer pioneer, Alpha Omega now sells 90% of its wine through this channel. The estate operates almost entirely on solar power, and both the land and winery are Napa Green certified.
