Veona LaRue Newell was a very special woman. She was a woman who lived through the Depression with four small children. She was a strong and mindful woman who raised several generations. Some are resilient as her, others only strive to be. She was the great-grandmother of owner and winemaker Katy Wilson. She never let a thing get her down and stayed witty even at 97 years old. She was and continue
s to be an inspiration. Veona LaRue never knew why her mother gave her that middle name. That uniqueness may have bothered her, but her uniqueness is what made her so great. She was unlike anyone else. When Katy told her that the wine would be named LaRue, Veona LaRue said, in her classically humble fashion, “Well, I can’t say that you picked the best name in the world...”
Best name or not, LaRue Wines is focused on producing high quality Pinot Noir exclusively from top vineyards on the Sonoma Coast. The wine is an elegant expression of the Sonoma Coast region. Katy Wilson, owner/winemaker
When Katy was 18 years old, she made up her mind to become a winemaker. At the time, she was studying Agricultural Business at Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo. Katy grew up on a walnut orchard where she learned to drive a tractor before she learned to drive a car. Agricultural Business was a natural choice, but once at Cal Poly she discovered that wine was where she was meant to be. It was in her Agricultural Business 101 class, where she was listening to the professor go on and on about the different careers you can have, when something caught her ear. An industry that is agriculture and chemistry. It’s a very social industry. As a winemaker, one should be both creative and scientific. It was then that Katy realized there was a job perfectly suited to her. Katy graduated from Cal Poly in 2005 with a degree in Wine & Viticulture and also in Agricultural Business. She then started her journey as a harvest intern at Testarossa Winery in Los Gatos, California making Pinot Noir and learning how to keep the cleanest winery in the land. From there it was down under to work for Torbreck Vintners in the Barossa Valley where she made wine from some of the oldest vines in the world. Back to California and the famed Napa Valley, Katy spent a harvest at Joseph Phelps making beautiful Cabernet. Down again to the Southern Hemisphere, but of a Kiwi variety this time, Katy worked in Hawkes Bay at Craggy Range in New Zealand. After a few years of being a nomad, she decided to land on the Sonoma Coast at Flowers Winery making distinguished Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. She worked her way from harvest enologist to assistant winemaker. During this time, she fell in love with the Sonoma Coast and truly developed a passion for making Pinot Noir. But ever wanting a challenge, Katy decided to diversify and move on to work for Kamen Estate Wines making big, bold Cabernet and Syrah. It is here where Katy still resides as the assistant winemaker and is making her dreams happen with the release of LaRue Wines.
