Karin Gasparotti and Christophe Baron, Bionic Wines

She takes over from Elizabeth Bourcier, who spent 16 years at the estate

Walla Walla Valley’s Bionic Wines has named Karin Gasparotti resident vigneronne. Gasparotti takes over from Elizabeth Bourcier, who spent 16 years at the estate.

“Karin is an incredible talent and has a great palate,” Christophe Baron, founder and vigneron at Bionic Wines, told Northwest Wine Report. “We are very excited to have her in this role.”

Gasparotti joined Bionic Wines in 2021 as assistant vigneronne and has helped craft numerous top-scoring wines. She will now be in charge of a collection of wines that includes Cayuse Vineyards, Horsepower Vineyards, No Girls, and Hors Catégorie.

“I’m excited to continue to grow, learn, and take on new challenges,” Gasparotti said. Baron will continue to oversee the portfolio and focus on his Champagne label, Champagne Christophe Baron. The Bionic Wines are widely considered among the very best in the world.

An Idaho native, Gasparotti graduated from Boise State University with a bachelor’s degree in nursing education. She first became interested in wine while working at a Boise restaurant and wine bar. She was particularly intrigued by wines from Walla Walla Valley.

While at Boise State, Gasparotti attended a seminar given by Bob Berthau, then head winemaker at Chateau Ste. Michelle, that convinced her to pursue a career in wine. She subsequently received a bachelor’s degree in viticulture and enology from Washington State University (WSU) in the Tri-Cities.

Gasparotti started in the wine industry in 2007 as a production assistant at Terra Blanca Winery and Estate Vineyard on Red Mountain. In 2010, she joined Ste. Michelle Wine Estates (SMWE) as a laboratory technician. “It really gave me a good foundation of understanding what all the numbers mean,” Gasparotti said.

Gasparotti then worked for four years as an enologist at Northstar, a SMWE winery in Walla Walla Valley that focuses on Merlot and other Bordeaux varieties. In May of 2017, she was promoted to assistant winemaker.

When Gasparotti had the opportunity to join the Bionic Wines team, she leapt. “I love everything about organic and biodynamic farming,” she said.

As resident vigneronne at Bionic Wines, Gasparotti will have large shoes to fill. Bourcier joined the estate in 2008. She initially had primary responsibility for the No Girls wines, which immediately received stratospheric scores. Bourcier assumed primary responsibilities for all of the Bionic Wines in 2017 and was officially announced as resident vigneronne in 2021.

Bourcier’s tenure at Bionic Wines was marked by a continuation of the accolades the estate has received over the last 25+ years. One of the most prominent women in the Northwest wine industry, Bourcier stepped away from Bionic Wines to spend more time with her family.

“We’re very excited for Elizabeth and supportive of her decision,” Baron said. “She’s helped us get more refinement, elegance, and finesse that our vineyards have to offer in terms of biodynamic farming super-high quality fruit. We wish her well.”

Baron said wine growing and making at Bionic Wines will continue to be a group effort. “We’ll continue to make decisions as a team like we always have,” he said. “Karin’s and my palate are very in-tune.”

In 1997, Baron pioneered planting in a region of Walla Walla Valley now known as the Rocks District. (Baron refers to the area as ‘The Stones.’) This region of the valley is notable for its cobblestone soils. The soils leave an imprint on the resulting wines that is among the most distinctive and recognizable in the world of wine.

Northwest Wine Report is wholly subscriber funded and is my primary source of income. Please subscribe to support continued independent content and reviews on this site.

To receive articles via email, click here.