Abiouness Wines
Napa Valley AVA
Our passion lies in selecting organic, sustainable vineyards and farming them for the highest quality fruit possible.
Founded by Nicole Abiouness in 2000, Abiouness Wines began as a tiny, one-woman-show winery operation in Napa Valley. Since that time, her focus has been crafting premium small batches of Pinot Noir and Sangiovese from organic, sustainable vineyards in Napa, Sonoma, and Mendocino counties. Nicole strives to create wines that are balanced, complex, and terroir-driven and her bottlings thus far have been truly fantastic.
Originally from Hampton Roads, Virginia, Nicole Abiouness attended Norfolk Academy and graduated in 1990. Not long after, she realized that food and wine was her passion - and more importantly, that she had to leave Virginia to find it.
In 1995, she followed her heart and moved to Napa Valley where she was accepted at the prestigious Culinary Institute of America. She signed up for every wine course they offered and found a position working in the cellar of Swanson Vineyards. It was here, amongst the grape sampling, juice pumping, barrel filling, even tank shoveling, that Nicole fell in love with the entire winemaking process - and she wanted to learn everything she could about it.
Nicole’s pursuit took her around the world, working with some of the best winemaking teams of all time - including those at Robert Mondavi, Chappellet, and Luna Vineyards in Napa Valley, Yalumba in Australia, and Château La Tour Blanche and Domaine Comte Armand in France. In 1999, while working at Luna Vineyards, Nicole acquired her first batch of Sangiovese and attempted winemaking on her own. The following year marked the start of Abiouness Wines with a Pinot Noir she crafted from Carneros.
When designing her label, Nicole chose the lotus flower to be front and center. A variety of waterlily, the lotus symbolizes the creation of life, purity, resurrection and perfect beauty. The closed lotus bud signifies potential, and from there, Nicole is reminded of the closed buds popping from the vines in the spring, and the beautiful process of growth and ripening that begins and unfolds in every bottle of wine.
In the summer of 2012, Nicole met John Herrguth who was hoping to switch careers into the wine business - and Nicole was looking for help running her company. She teamed up with John and is now happy to say that Abiouness Wines is no longer a one-woman-show. Nicole and John are taking Abiouness to new levels with the same focused goals: growing amazing grapes and turning them into wine that is both affordable and delicious. We are pleased to feature Nicole's wine in our monthly Garagiste Wine Club. Cheers!
