When Julio Palmaz, MD, FSIR, and his wife Amalia bought the remains of a forgotten Napa Valley winery in 1997, they did so, to use Dr. Palmaz’s words, with “not much of a plan.” It was a sentimental decision—a desire to return to the place the Argentinian born couple spent so much time exploring during Dr. Palmaz’s medical residency at the University of California, Davis.
“When I trained in radiology in the 70s…visiting wineries was my favorite way to spend a weekend,” says Dr. Palmaz.
At some point during his 20-year career at the University of Texas, it was Amalia who brought up the idea of returning to wine country. And it was she who found the charming but deteriorated former site of Cedar Knoll Vineyard and Winery, founded in 1881 by winemaking pioneer Henry Hagen. Now, 17 years later, Palmaz Vineyards—claiming 55 acres on the slopes of Mount George—is the residence for three generations of Palmazes and a thriving family business.
Dr. Palmaz is known in the medical world for his ingenuity. His invention, the Palmaz Coronary Stent, is hailed for revolutionizing the IR field. His mind for innovation would help make his new project a success.
He and his wife established a vineyard, restored the old Hagen homestead and created an 18-story, underground vertical winery within the “living rock” of the mountain.
According to Dr. Palmaz, modern winemaking is typically done with pumps that move the wine from one point to the next with mechanical force, disrupting the delicate tannins and degrading the taste. He opted instead for the way the ancients did it, a process by which the wine proceeds through the fermentation process by gravity.
“The winery has a big vertical spread because I need to generate enough pressure at the bottom to filter my wines. We have a system whereby the top level has crushing, below that is pressing, then blending, then first-year storage, then second-year storage, then at the last level—bottling and filtration and storage. Everything goes down essentially by gravity.”
The winery’s 36 fermentation tanks—a large number by winemaking standards—are wired with multiple sensors that make it possible for the winemakers to monitor and control the fermentation process electronically. This technological innovation allows the winery to use less manpower, while employing a streamlined, computer-assisted decision-making process. “In the past, it would have been someone walking around taking notes all day long and opening and closing valves,” Dr. Palmaz adds.
Dr. Palmaz says his scientific background has been incredibly advantageous to his winemaking pursuits. Learning the processes involved with vineyard growing and fermentation can be difficult for individuals without a scientific background, but he began with a strong base of knowledge. “My knowledge of chemistry from years of working in medicine helped me enormously, ” he affirms.
And as Palmaz remains active in developing IR technologies through Palmaz Scientific—the company he founded and continues to chair—he credits his family for keeping the wine business thriving.
His wife, an economist, is president of the winery. His daughter Florencia does the marketing. His son Christian carries on Dr. Palmaz’s legacy of technological advancement as director of operations, and Christian’s wife Jessica is the director of hospitality.
“I really have a formidable team with my whole family,” says Dr. Palmaz.
For information about Palmaz Vineyards, go to palmazvineyards.com.Spring 2014
