Aaron Pott, a veteran of several vineyards in California, is the founder of Pott Wine and Huis Clos Consulting, which is dedicated to producing wines from different distinct terroir in the Napa Valley as well as consulting for a limited quantity of notable producers. He completed his education with a master's degree in Viticulture from the Université de Bourgogne in Dijon, France. Pott then took the position of assistant winemaker at Newton Vineyard, under winemaker John Kongsgaard. It was at Newton--under the wing of his first great mentor--that Pott would be introduced to Michel Rolland. At many tastings with Kongsgaard and Rolland, Aaron tried to convince Rolland to find him a job in France--pulling hoses around a dark cellar and working on his language skills. Rolland soon sent word that he had found the ideal position--winemaker at Chateau Troplong Mondot, Premier Grand Cru Classé St. Emilion. Aaron then became winemaker and GM of Chateau La Tour Figeac Grand Cru Classé St. Emilion. After six years of making wine in France, Aaron returned to the States to take a position with Beringer Wine Estates. As a winemaker for the company's international brands in France, Italy, and South America, he had the pleasure to work with French winemakers Jean-Louis Mandrau, formerly of Chateau Latour and André Porcheret, whose resume included the Hospice de Beaune and Domaine Leroy. Pott's duties expanded in 2001 as a winemaker at St. Clement in St. Helena. In 2004, he accepted the position as winemaker and general manager at Quintessa. In 2007, Pott formed Pott Wine and Huis Clos Consulting.

Eminent Napa winemaker, Aaron Pott, began his passion project known as Pott Wines after around 25 years of professional experience in the industry. The focus is on hand-crafted wines sourced from vineyard sites all over Napa, including Pott’s 1/3 acre vineyard on Mt. Veeder which he self-titled, “Chateauneuf du Pott.” With his vineyard expertise and connections throughout wine regions across the world, Pott Wines express the wonderful eccentricities of the time and place of grapes and their terroir. 

It is a rare pleasure to experience a vineyard’s entire life, from its inception, through the development process to reaping the fruits of its harvest; Aaron oversaw the planting of this vineyard during his years at St. Clement in the early 2000s. From the first glimpse of this parcel, with its red dirt and natural terraces surrounded by trees, we knew that there was terroir that would produce wines of exceptional quality: Kaliholmanok comes from the very top of 2130 feet high Spring Mountain, and grows on the highly sought-after Aiken soils. Cabernet Sauvignon at altitude can be big, juicy, and brooding. It’s easy to extract the density but the trick here is to give it plenty of time and opportunity to soften and resolve. Kaliholmanok is a wine of keen power and endless age-ability.

The mountain's cool climate gives this wine keen power and endless age-ability. This is a big brooding Kaliholmanok, darkly colored and exotic. Blackberry, wild cherry, coffee, coconut, black truffle, porcini mushroom, and black licorice dominate the nose with huge weight in the attack. The wine is supple in the mouth with multiple layers of fruit it is very rich and velvety. The finish is long and lingering with plum, blackberry, coffee, and coconut. Drink 2023-2050.

Wine Advocate 93 Points: Produced from 100% Cabernet Sauvignon, coming from a single vineyard in the Spring Mountain AVA, the 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon Kaliholmanok Kicu Me Vineyard is deep garnet-purple in color. The nose exhibits subdued notes of plum pudding, blackcurrant pastilles, and baked blueberries with touches of dried herbs, underbrush, and new leather. Medium to full-bodied, the palate has a solid, muscular core and firm, ripe tannins, finishing with loads of earthy layers. 136 cases were made.