Giselle

Biography

Giselle married her high school sweet heart: Zeke Mullins and helped put him through medical school. She has most of a Bachelor's in Business. Experience managing offices and doing day care. Her father, raising her on a vineyard taught her all about California wines. 10 long years before they could officially marry. She loves to experiment with food, learning new styles and experimenting with new raw materials.

Husband: Zeke Mullins (aka Crescendo)

Parents

• Mason Miller - Vinyard owner

Family Business

Bien Nacido

Bien Nacido is ground zero of California's Santa Maria Valley—it is the vineyard against which all of Santa Maria is measured. It's the benchmark, crown jewel of the region. Bien Nacido's size is just about exactly 3,000 acres, of which roughly 600 acres are actually planted on vineyard land. While the site is home to several grape varieties, it's Pinot Noir and Chardonnay that thrive in the site's undulating hills and varying slopes and aspects, which are treated to Pacific Ocean breezes funneling up through the uniquely west-east oriented Santa Ynez Mountains. The resulting wines enjoy a pronounced acidity.

Fifth-generation Californian farm family the Millers began planting Bien Nacido in 1973. As of today, there are 83 distinct clients purchasing grapes from Bien Nacido. Big-name producers like Joel Gott and Orin Swift buy grapes, but it's the smaller, boutique wineries that have made the vineyard famous, like the late Jim Clendenen's Au Bon Climat, Ojai, Qupe, Tyler, and Gary Farrell. "Bien Nacido on a label means a guaranteed certain level of quality," explains Nick DeLuca, Grape Sales Manager for The Thornhill Companies (the greater umbrella of Miller Family business, which also owns nearby Solomon Hills vineyard). "The excitement with winemakers right now is Rhône varieties, especially Syrah." DeLuca adds that what draws winemakers to the site is a very unique "saline character that pervades everything."

Producers: Au Bon Climat, Bien Nacido Estate and Solomon Hills Estate, Chanin, Covenant Wines, Foxen, Fess Parker, Gary Farrell, J. Wilkes, Ledge Vineyards, Migration, Ojai, Paul Lato, Presqu'ile Winery, Qupe, Twomey, and Tyler.

Wines to Try:

2017 Au Bon Climat Historic Vineyards Collection Bien Nacido Vineyard Chardonnay, Santa Maria Valley ($35)

One of the most classic expressions of this site offers sleek, bright citrus aromas and flavors alongside toasty, buttered brioche, yellow apple, and vanilla bean notes. Potent floral aromas on the long finish.

2016 Qupe Bien Nacido Reserve Block Eleven Chardonnay, Santa Maria Valley ($30)

Lime zest, vanilla cream, candied ginger, and a salty minerality mingle with zippy acidity and a bright streak of delicious baking spices.

2018 Migration Bien Nacido Vineyard Pinot Noir, Santa Maria Valley ($70)

Elegant red and black fruit notes, fine silky tannins, salty crushed stones, and vivid volcanic ash earth notes, with a clove-tinged cherry on a spicy finish.