2019

Elkfield

Pinot Noir

100% Certified Biodynamic

Featured on August 27, 2021

Where: Mendocino County, California

Who: Jane Khoury is next-generation winemaker who is also an Intensive Care Unit nurse by day. Yes, that means she’s been at simultaneously working harvests and tending critically ill covid patients, all under the pressure of both wildfire season and a global pandemic.

With a Bachelors of Science in Viticulture and Enology from UC Davis, Jane also earned her MBA in Wine Business from Sonoma State University. She works with her father Gabi and brother Nick to operate Elkfield Wines.

Why: You want to support healthcare workers and drink great wine too! This robust, savory Pinot Noir is your answer.

"In the past year, juggling a double life as an ICU nurse and winemaker has been difficult. The pandemic has presented unusual and heavy work demands, and I have turned to the vineyard as a way to cope with the stress: The work helps me decompress and heal, and allows me to come back to work being my best self for my patients. Furthermore, practicing Biodynamics has helped me in my nursing practice, encouraging me to look at my patient as a whole instead of focusing on one part of them."

How: Elkfield Wines are 100% Demeter Certified Biodynamic.

Says Jane, “My winemaking style starts in the vineyard. With careful attention in the vineyard, I use Biodynamic farming to promote flavors, textures, and complexities. When the grapes arrive from the vineyard, I become a little bit more hands off. This wine is crafted with indigenous yeast and very minimal interventions. I love creating old world wine with new word fruit! “

"During harvest, it is very difficult to juggle both workloads, and that is when I lean heaviest on my family, who is so supportive."

Jane cites her father and brother not only as her support network, but as inspiration. Gabi Khoury came from Israel to Mendocino County in the 1970s. His first exposure to winemaking had been in an Orthodox Monastery witnessing monks make sacrificial wine—which impressed him enough to eventually establish his own vineyard. Today, working together as stewards of the land, winemaking “isn’t a duty that we need to perform,” says Jane, “but a part of us that we love.”

“My father coordinates the vineyard harvest while my brother and I are able to focus on the winemaking. Living at the winery allows me to meet the needs of the winery in the early mornings and late evenings. Luckily for me, I work 3 days a week as a nurse so with some organization and determination I’m able to do both!”