Corté Riva Vineyards

Corté Riva Vineyards
1724 Alan Drive
Penngrove, California
USA 94951
Phone: 707-665-5698
http://www.corteriva.com/

Contact: Erica Difuntorum
Email: [email protected]

Lawrence Cortez and Romel Rivera are the two winemakers for Corté Riva Vineyards. Romel Rivera is the Head Winemaker, while Lawrence Cortez is the Assistant Winemaker and heads the cellar work.
These two men emigrated from the Philippines with their families in the late 1970’s. They came in search of new opportunities to improve their lives; they came for the American dream, where hard work is rewarded and everyone has a chance to succeed. Although they initially arrived in different areas of California, these two men began a friendship in the Napa Valley town of Calistoga where they both worked in a vineyard tending the grapes. They even became family with the marriage of Lawrence to Romel’s cousin Nieves!

In 1996, Romel and Lawrence began to experiment with making their own wine, drawing upon their many years of experience and their intimate knowledge of grapes and wine production. After a few years of experimentation, family, friends and business associates urged them to create and sell their own wine. Lawrence and Nieves decided to invest in themselves and their family. The name Corté Riva pays homage to the winemakers, Cortez and Rivera

Both winemakers have exacting tastes and they demand quality. They prefer grapes from the Napa region because the volcanic soil stresses the vines in just the right amount resulting in small, tight, well-structured berry clusters filled with concentrated flavors. Lawrence and Romel choose only the best available fruit. Having lived and worked in the Napa Valley for so long, they are very knowledgeable about the variations in the Napa Valley terroir which includes climate, soil make-up and terrain.

Family, friends and business associates continue to play a major role in the Corté Riva Vineyards label. The friends and family are always on hand to help with delivery, technical advice, miscellaneous assistance and, of course, tasting, particularly tasting! Pride Mountain Vineyards, where Romel is employed as assistant winemaker and Lawrence is a cellar master, and Pride’s head winemaker Bob Foley have been instrumental in the success and growth of Corté Riva.

The wines that have been created by Lawrence and Romel have been very successful. In 2003 the label offered their first release, 350 cases of 2001 Merlot which was named “Top Red of the Year” by Hi-Time Wine Cellars. Their next release was 600 cases of 2002 Merlot, which was rated at 91 by Wine Spectator, and 400 cases of 2002 Cabernet Sauvignon. This year's release included 600 cases of 2003 Merlot, awarded a score of 92 from Wine Advocate, 400 cases of 2003 Cabernet Sauvignon, rated a 91 by Wine Spectator and an 89+ by Wine Advocate, and the planned release of 160 cases of 2003 Petite Syrah. Lawrence and Romel have realized their American dream, they, and their families, have worked hard and they are beginning to see the results.

Winemaker: Romel Rivera

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