Bee Brillante with Pam Bacigalupi
It’s rare to see Pam Bacigalupi sitting still. She’s the mother of twins Katey and Nicci, grandmother of their four elementary school-age kids, neighbor, friend, and co-owner of Bacigalupi Vineyards alongside husband John. She enjoys many outside interests, including horseback riding.
Pam is also the doting daughter-in-law of Helen Bacigalupi, who co-founded Bacigalupi Vineyards with her late husband, Charles, in 1956. Helen is 98 and happily retired. People often recognize her for driving 14 tons of Chardonnay grapes over the Mayacamas Mountains to Chateau Montelena in 1973 — the vintage that won the 1976 Paris Tasting, putting California wines on the international stage. Most don’t know that she began as a scientist. Before negotiating grape contracts and delivering grapes, Helen was a pharmacist in Healdsburg.
Like Helen, Pam has an aptitude for science and continues to create opportunities for women in the sciences, farming, and winemaking in her leadership role at Bacigalupi Vineyards. Pam builds strong relationships with winemakers and cellar crews during harvest to plan, schedule, and deliver grapes. She often drives tons of grapes on a flatbed truck during harvest. Pam is also a trusted sounding board for Katey and Nicci, who run the winery business, and a champion of Ashley Herzberg, Bacigalupi’s talented winemaker.
Pam’s love for wine and winemaking is deeply ingrained. As a member of the Heck family, Pam’s childhood was steeped in the wine business, growing up at Korbel where she was exposed to all aspects of the family business, from winemaking to marketing and customer service. Despite her genuine interest in enology and a desire to pursue a winemaking career, the industry was not open to women at the time. Undeterred by these challenges, Pam’s scientific aptitude led her to a career in nursing, where she worked as an ER nurse at the local Sutter hospital for thirty years. Upon retiring, she dedicated her time and talents to Bacigalupi Vineyards, a testament to her unwavering love for wine and winemaking.
Our third release of Blanc de Noir sparkling Brillante bridges Pam’s past with her present. With a dual meaning, Brillante means “brilliant” or “bright,” describing an item, like sparkling wine, or someone’s vibrant personality, like Pam’s. Dedicated to Pam, Brillante continues Bacigalupi’s unwavering commitment to quality, excellence, and community, ensuring that these values are at the heart of everything we do.
Our winemaker, Ashley Herzberg, didn’t think using regular cane sugar aligned with our goal of producing all estate wines with a minimal intervention winemaking philosophy. She experimented with various methods before creating Brillante. During our trials, she encountered a Champagne maker who was pushing boundaries by using honey as the dosage. Intrigued, she and the family decided to try using honey from local hives and were captivated by the texture and layers it added to the sparkling wine. Ashley says, “This process not only resulted in a unique and high-quality product, but also exemplifies our commitment to innovative winemaking at Bacigalupi Vineyards.”
Three years of craftsmanship have led to the release of this wine and we can’t wait to share it with you!
