Giselle

Biography

Giselle married her high school sweet heart: Zeke Mullins and helped put him through medical school. She has 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.

Husband: Zeke Mullins (aka Crescendo)

Personality

• Incredible in organization: She kept his schedule and all his assignments organized and anything he needed
• Extremely frugal: No matter how little money they had she found he way to keep in budget and still tuck away extra when she could
• Extremely loyal: No one could ever question where her loyalties lie. Whether it be to her family or Zeke.
• Determined: When her mind is set not much can stop her. So she is strong on her own but prefers to rely on Zeke
• Pretty much as close to the Proverbs 31 wife as a real human can be

Facts

• Mason Miller - Father a Vinyard owner
• Phoebe Miller - Mother
• Birthdate: 09-Mar-2005
• Brothers: Gerry, Roland, Jacob, Marcus (all older)

Talents

Giselle has a pre-ordinate ability to create wonderful food. She loves to experiment with food, learning new styles and experimenting with new raw materials. She has a supremely trained and sensitive palette, able to distinguish spices she has ever had (and knows the name of) in just about any mix of food. She taste tests, picking apart food prepared by others to identify what went into it and how it was made before continuing to eat whatever the dish is. In constructing her as a character, we decided to give her "Detect" as a power, focused on food, spices, combinations. She also has cooking at a high skill level. While not being professionally trained, she has an extreme native ability.

This goes part and parcel with the knowledge of wines, grapes, wine making, and tasting she learned at her father's knee. She can tell region of the country for California wines, and likely soil/grape types for Oregon and Washington wines. She doesn't follow the industry as tightly as she did when home, so years are less a thing and she's knows almost nothing of European or other country's wines. Zeke has suggested she become a Sommelier, but she doesn't think she wants to spend more time in school. She would rather start their family.

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.