Brett Brockmeyer, Winemaker.
Like many who grew up in the Napa Valley, their post-high school desire was to get out of small-town Napa. Brett’s acceptance to UC Davis in their Computer Engineering program was his ticket. An interesting evolution during the Davis days was the continual pull of the Viticulture and Enology department. That pull eventually won, with his earning his Viticulture and Enology BS in 2008.
Brett’s first internship was in the heart of the then up-and-coming Sta. Rita Hills AVA in Santa Barbara County. While attending the AVA’s annual Wine and Fire summer celebration in 2007 with dad, Wes Hagen (a co-lecturer with Brock at Cal Poly’s wine program), mentioned that he had just had his harvest intern back out. Brett was hired on the spot (at La Purisima Mission, to be exact) and spent the next months living on the Clos Pepe Estate property, working side-by-side with Wes in the vineyard and winery. With no fall classes, Brett was able to participate through all fermentation and barreling down of the family’s Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.
After graduation, he interned with the newly-built Cade Winery on Howell Mountain. This was the second Napa winery for the PlumpJack Group (PlumpJack being the first). Becoming full-time after crush, his next 11 harvests were with PlumpJack Winery in Oakville. He achieved Assistant Winemaker status at PlumpJack. In 2016 the PlumpJack Group acquired a second winery on Howell Mountain, a heritage limestone winery built in 1888. Brett was promoted to Associate Winemaker to manage the facility that was branded as “Cade 13th Vineyard”. There he oversaw production of the other three family brands, including Odette in the Stags Leap AVA.
Brett worked with both the estate winery vineyards of PlumpJack and Cade, as well as other Napa landmark vineyards – including Stagecoach, Hudson and Tokolan. For those who pay attention to accolades (scores), the wines that Brett worked with included thirty-five+ 90-points or higher wines. Of those, eighteen were 95-points or higher; with three being 100-pointers – a true testament to the quality of the vineyards and the PlumpJack winemaking teams.
He completed his Napa experience with the 2021 vintage on Diamond Mountain as Checkerboard Vineyard’s Operations Manager.
2022 represented a shift of gears for the Junior Brockmeyers, as they moved to Walla Walla, Washington. Brett had accepted the position of Winemaker for Isenhower Cellars. Denise and Brett (yes, two in the cellar now) Isenhower founded their winery in 1999, the 18th winery in Walla Walla. (There are now 120+.) Brett B. is the first, non-family member to hold the Winemaker position.
Like many who grew up in the Napa Valley, their post-high school desire was to get out of small-town Napa. Brett’s acceptance to UC Davis in their Computer Engineering program was his ticket. An interesting evolution during the Davis days was the continual pull of the Viticulture and Enology department. That pull eventually won, with his earning his Viticulture and Enology BS in 2008.
Brett’s first internship was in the heart of the then up-and-coming Sta. Rita Hills AVA in Santa Barbara County. While attending the AVA’s annual Wine and Fire summer celebration in 2007 with dad, Wes Hagen (a co-lecturer with Brock at Cal Poly’s wine program), mentioned that he had just had his harvest intern back out. Brett was hired on the spot (at La Purisima Mission, to be exact) and spent the next months living on the Clos Pepe Estate property, working side-by-side with Wes in the vineyard and winery. With no fall classes, Brett was able to participate through all fermentation and barreling down of the family’s Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.
After graduation, he interned with the newly-built Cade Winery on Howell Mountain. This was the second Napa winery for the PlumpJack Group (PlumpJack being the first). Becoming full-time after crush, his next 11 harvests were with PlumpJack Winery in Oakville. He achieved Assistant Winemaker status at PlumpJack. In 2016 the PlumpJack Group acquired a second winery on Howell Mountain, a heritage limestone winery built in 1888. Brett was promoted to Associate Winemaker to manage the facility that was branded as “Cade 13th Vineyard”. There he oversaw production of the other three family brands, including Odette in the Stags Leap AVA.
Brett worked with both the estate winery vineyards of PlumpJack and Cade, as well as other Napa landmark vineyards – including Stagecoach, Hudson and Tokolan. For those who pay attention to accolades (scores), the wines that Brett worked with included thirty-five+ 90-points or higher wines. Of those, eighteen were 95-points or higher; with three being 100-pointers – a true testament to the quality of the vineyards and the PlumpJack winemaking teams.
He completed his Napa experience with the 2021 vintage on Diamond Mountain as Checkerboard Vineyard’s Operations Manager.
2022 represented a shift of gears for the Junior Brockmeyers, as they moved to Walla Walla, Washington. Brett had accepted the position of Winemaker for Isenhower Cellars. Denise and Brett (yes, two in the cellar now) Isenhower founded their winery in 1999, the 18th winery in Walla Walla. (There are now 120+.) Brett B. is the first, non-family member to hold the Winemaker position.