I first met Diane and Philippe at a wine tasting organized by the Family Winemakers of California. As a chemist, I found the name of their winery — Lanthanide — at once intriguing (OMG so geeky!) and profound (OMG so meaningful!). Drawn into conversation with the husband-and-wife team at their booth, I learned that Diane was educated in Singapore (what a small world!) and really understood how to pair their wines with our food. Philippe meanwhile was plying me with all of their wines, and it was there that I was really impressed by their Dry Rieslings.
I was invited to a tasting at their home where I got to try the "Birch & Cane" and "Sonnenfrost" Dry Rieslings, alongside the "Nedori" Marsanne, "Scarpatta" Aglianico and "Ad Coelum Hill" Cabernet Sauvignon. It was an incredible experience, where we experimented with unconventional pairings such as hors d'oeuvres of homemade sambal on chicharrón (fried pork belly) with wine!
About the winery
Lanthanide Wine Group was founded by Diane Wu and Philippe Venghiattis in 2018 with the inaugural vinting of their signature Dry Riesling. The lanthanides are the so-called "rare-earth metals" in the periodic table, and while not actually particularly rare in the Earth's crust, are often difficult to obtain in their elemental form. The word "lanthanide" derives from the Greek λανθανειν (lanthanein), "to lie hidden", which alludes to their elusiveness and ability to hide in plain sight. And so it is with terroir. The name Lanthanide is thus a celebration of the winemaker's quest to make wines of time and place, and their pursuit of the rare within the mundane.
About the team
Philippe is the resident viticulturist at Lanthanide. He started out auctioning fine wines in New York and moved to California to study Horticulture and Agronomy at UC Davis. Since then, he has worked at a literal Who's Who of legendary institutions: Mumm Napa, Stagecoach Vineyards, Pellegrini-Olivet Lane, and Fairest Creature. He is equally at ease talking about plant cultivation and soil practices, as he is about winemaking and wine-food pairings, and in multiple languages too! Philippe is a candidate of the prestigious Master of Wine Program.
Diane is the resident winemaker at Lanthanide. Born in China and educated in Singapore, she holds a Master of Science in Enology from UC Davis and has worked at prestigious wineries such as Domaine Jacques Prieur and Weingut Rebholz and top wine research institutes in both Europe and California. She has a food chemistry background and commands a visceral understanding of food and wine pairings, especially when it comes to Singaporean flavors. She also possibly has every imaginable foodstuff available at all times in her pantry to pair with her wines! Diane is a candidate of the prestigious Master of Wine Program.
About their philosophy
Lanthanide's winemaking is rooted in the belief that untold treasures yet await discovery in the underexplored kaleidoscope of terroirs available in California, particularly the rich potential of grapes that hide in plain sight in not-Napa. They have striven to focus on varietals that reveal rather than obscure their place, and maintain a low intervention approach to their winemaking.