For Ed Filice, who has been producing wine for almost a half-century, becoming winemaker for Arroyo Seco’s boutique JL Wood Wines is proving to be one of the highlights of his career.
After making wine on California’s Central Coast, mainly in Monterey County, Filice finds himself now working with only one variety — Chardonnay — for which he’s producing five different styles. The opportunity is a chance for him to show his, as well as Chardonnay’s, versatility.
Filice began his career working for iconic winemaker Dick Peterson and Peterson’s right-hand man, cellarmaster Luigi Fortino at the Monterey Vineyard in Gonzalez, where Ed was a “GWW” – a general winery worker, eventually promoted to the position of winemaker.
His background encompasses 40-plus years in the wine industry. Throughout the years, he’s been a key player in the development of several brands for major companies and privately owned brands. They include The Wine Spectrum, Seagram’s, Constellation, Courtside Cellars, Tolosa Winery, and Purple Wine. His experience includes cellar manager, production planner, quality assurance, vineyard & grower relations, senior winemaker, and director of winemaking. Ed was co-owner and winemaker of La Filice Winery in Templeton.
On the tip of a friend, I caught up with Filice (pronounced phil-EE-chay) at Napa Wine Company in Oakville, from where JL Wood’s wines are made.
JC: At this point in your career, working for JL Wood making only Chardonnay, does it feel like you’ve mastered the art of winemaking so well that you can dictate that you’re only working with one variety?
Ed Filice (EF): Ha. I will say that at this stage of my life, I have, as my father often put it, with some intended irony, “Arrived.” I’m taking advantage of my experience with Chardonnay and the region that I know so very well.
JC: Why do you think Chardonnay lends itself to multiple different bottlings from smaller vineyard plots?
EF: Smaller lots allow more application of the “art” or opportunity to focus on a particular site character. It’s kinda like jazz, you have your chops, but every year something different comes your way and you have to go with it. JL Wood is allowing me to continue what I’ve always done to underline the fruit and not get lost in techniques.
JC: Where do you and JL Wood owner, Paul Morrison, see eye-to-eye in terms of style?
EF: We both like the bright, crisp flavors. Having non-malolactic ferments emphasizes that. It’s my style since I’ve been making Monterey County Chardonnay.
JC: What is new for you about this experience? What kind of tools is Morrison giving you to work with that are different from your past experiences?
EF: Before, I had no budget to buy French oak. The only oak that I knew was oak chips and American oak. Now, I have the budget to buy French oak barrels. Paul has given me the latitude to apply my favored techniques. Indeed, we often bounce ideas off each other, while keeping an eye on possible new developments
JC: Do you find that working with Chardonnay alone has its pros and cons?
EF: Every vintage will have its often-unique challenges for any variety. Weather, insect or mold pressure, and other factors will have an effect on vineyard yields, which will affect the all-important optimum fruit maturity and harvest timing. One of the ‘Pros’ is I can narrow down clone (we have 4 and 17) and lot selection, down to the row number, even location within the row, and effectively cherry-pick the best fruit. But it does have its challenges. Making wine that is multidimensional from just one variety is the challenge year to year, and that comes down to careful selection in the vineyard and healthy elevage.
JC: That has to come down to the site, doesn’t it?
EF: We have a 125-acre property in the JL Wood Ranch Vineyard and, in my opinion, some of the best Chardonnay in Arroyo Seco in Monterey County. The soils are Sandy Loam, with large river rocks, and we have Clones 4 (Wente) and 17 (produces upfront tropical-fruit flavors), and we’re adjacent to the Arroyo Seco River in the shadow of the Santa Lucia Mountains to the west, with the Gabilan Mountains to the east. All these factors make it a great location. We’ve been selling the grapes for the last 25 years instead of making wine ourselves. And the result is evident in the glass—focused-fruit intensity from one noble grape variety, grown in a region ideally suited for Chardonnay.
