Andrew Berge 1979 -2021
It is with a very heavy heart that we share that our founding winemaker, Andrew Berge, has passed from a long fight with cancer.
Andrew was unique. He led a life many of us would like to live with a pursuit of simplicity, an appreciation of substance over style and an enduring sense of adventure. Often times, he would text us photos from some hike-in-only ski trail that would take him hours to get to because he was after some unknown experience - something less ordinary.
He was a tremendous professional and the perfect partner with whom to start La Pitchoune. His approach to winemaking is the same that we follow to this day: pick slightly early, only buy great grapes, and be in it for the long game. He taught us what it took to NOT worry about the grapes; to let them do their thing and be there to enjoy the ride.
He wanted La Pitchoune wines to be his legacy, to stand the test of time and improve with age. That plan is working.
But it would have been better if we could have opened a 15-year-old bottle of his wine with him. No doubt he would have smiled and said, in his usual understated way, “It’s tasting pretty good”.
We’ll miss everything about Andrew and feel gratitude for being part of his journey.
The above photo is from his friend Jerry Dodrill. We love this photo as it is exactly how we want to remember Andrew: headed off on some adventure – smiling.