Dan Petroski is the winemaker of Larkmead Vineyards and the founder & winemaker of Massican. Recently, Dan spoke on a panel regarding climate change and sustainability in relation to the global wine industry. Leaving me with more questions, we sat down to chat about the effects of climate change on Napa Valley specifically, with a focus on the benchmarking and data gathering that Larkmead has been doing to assess things like growing degree days in detail, and how Napa Valley is evolving...

Founders, Jake Stover and Gina Schober, met in 2013 and started Sans Wine Co. in late 2015. Their preference for fresh, vibrant and approachable “wines of place” paved the way for what is now Sans Wine Co. The philosophy behind Sans Wine Co. is sourcing premium wine grapes from organically farmed vineyards and environmentally conscience growers in order to craft natural wines. Jake Stover, originally from Kansas and University of Kansas alum, on the advice of his older brother, postponed...

Both being artists, Scott a musician and Allison a photographer & textile based visual artist, this husband and wife duo have an approach to making wine that is greater than the sum of its parts. With constraints of knowing the farmer by name and them living on their vineyard, organically farming, and obviously the varietal having to be Petite Sirah, the couple is crafting a new style of wine that appeals to both a higher-acid palette and a richer & riper style. In their own words,...

Santa Barbara-bred Tyler and Napa Valley-native Kim launched Halcyon Wines in 2013 after Tyler discovered an intriguing Cabernet Franc vineyard along the Central Coast—a varietal he always dreamed of working with. In his 15 years of winemaking experience, Tyler has produced some of the most critically acclaimed wine as Assistant Winemaker at world-renowned Tablas Creek Vineyard and Provenance in Napa Valley. Tyler recently graduated with an Executive MBA in Wine Business through Sonoma State...

Contributing Editor Virginie Boone has been with Wine Enthusiast since 2010, and reviews the wines of Napa and Sonoma. Boone began her writing career with Lonely Planet travel guides, which eventually led to California-focused wine coverage. In this episode with Virginie, she and I dig into the life of a wine reviewer and how Wine Enthusiast works to be as non-biased and democratic with scores. We chat about the future role of the wine reviewer within the market and how the wine experience...

After 17 years of doing literally everything in the wine industry from farming coastal vineyards and washing barrels to running national sales and curating wine lists, Matt & Audra have ventured on to a delicious new journey called Newfound. Find the full show notes here.  Having a proclivity for the tactile and tangible work of farming a vineyard, the couple purchased property in the Sierra Foothills of El Dorado County near the town of Placerville to plant their 40-acre ranch to...

Having found fermentation at an early age, starting with brewing beer in a fuel can under the stairs, Jim Duane has not ceased in the pursuit of learning more and more. He’s worked in New Zealand, Washington, and finally settled down in Napa Valley in 2004 having worked at Robert Mondavi and Stags Leap Cellars. Today, he grows the wines on the steep slopes that the Seavey Vineyards are planted on overlooking the northern part of Lake Hennessey. As a part of of his unrelenting thirst for...

Having made a career out of producing wines for companies across California, Bob decided a few years ago to make wines for himself with a focus on experimentation and having fun. For those who don’t know Bob, he cut his teeth working on his family’s vineyards in the Central Valley, graduated with an enology degree from Fresno State, worked for Bronco Wine Company, DeLoach, Kunde, Alderbrook, Hartford Court, led the charge at Williams-Selyem as winemaker for 17 years after Burt Williams...

With a dream to buy a ranch in order to reconnect with nature, work with their hands, and raise a family, Sophie & James Gray started searching for the perfect piece of land in Northern California. Wine wasn’t even a forethought. They eventually settled on a little slice of heaven perched atop the volcanic ash rich, Sonoma Mountain with 360 views high above the fog line. Spending a decade fixing up the home, grooming the land, getting married, having two girls, they found an opportunity...

Having previously worked as a sommelier in New York City, Amanda moved to the west coast in July 2015 where she joined the wine team at PRESS restaurant in St. Helena.  Known as the "sommvivant" to her Instagram followers and YouTube subscribers for being a "Sommelier" with a "Bon Vivant" lifestyle, Amanda documents her life as a somm in the Napa Valley on a daily basis.  By showcasing events like excursions around northern California in her splashy red Mini Cooper convertible, tastings at...

Under the guidance of philosophies like, “Great winemaking is doing the right thing when no one is looking,” and “if it tastes perfect, you’ve missed it,” Bob, Ryan, and the Three Sticks team are crafting elegant wines with a focus on Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. They source fruit from some of the top vineyards in Sonoma County including Gaps Crown, Durell, Walala, One Sky, and various other Price Family Estates. Subsribe at CruPodcast.com In this episode, Bob, Ryan, and I sat down to taste...

Francoise Peschon is the head winemaker for Cornell Vineyards. She has always had an affinity for estate properties – for those places that are “about the land and the wines, not necessarily the winemaker.” In her thirty-year career, she’s worked at some of the best—including Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars, Araujo Estate Wines, Viader Vineyards and Vine Hill Ranch—quietly crafting some of Napa Valley’s most acclaimed Cabernet Sauvignons of the last three decades. She is quick to credit her...

Born in Spain, Laura grew up sharing sips of wine with her father while watching the fishing boats during their family vacations in the North of Spain. Her first sip of Albariño solidified her love of wines and her first winemaking internship solidified her future as a winemaker. After completing her post graduate degree in enology at the Polytechnic University of Madrid Laura started her career in La Mancha and worked in different wine regions in Spain. A few years later, Laura left Spain...

With the 2016 harvest, Mike, Steve, and their sister Mia, decided to take the family business to a new level by hiring winemaker James Macphail to bring their vision of estate Pinot Noir & Chardonnay under the Sangiacomo Wines label to life. The goal? Create legacy for past, present, and future generations of Sangiacomos. Fast forward two years, the newly released Sangiacomo Wines are available via allocation through their mailing list, which you can signup on their website,...

Before opening their doors in the Cow Hollow neighborhood of San Francisco, Chris spent 15 years in wine and spirits sales in the Bay Area, working mostly with wineries in California, Oregon or Washington. He met a number of winemakers and proprietors who shared his passion for wine and for being good stewards of the land. These relationships reinforced Chris’ belief that wines from the West Coast are just as good, if not better, than wines from anywhere else in the world. Back at home in...

Remi directs the winemaking process from vineyard to bottle and is responsible for top quality, small-lot winemaking expressive of appellation and vineyard site. In addition, she oversees the sale of all wines through the hospitality experience and the wine club programs direct to consumer, and throughout the domestic and international markets. Learn more about Remi with the show notes here.  

West + Wilder is redefining the look and taste of canned wine and setting a new benchmark for quality within a growing category. Dedicated to sustainability and taste, this small wine company with big world values recently added a Sparkling White and a Sparkling Rosé to their portfolio of West Coast inspired wines. With varied backgrounds in marketing and the wine industry, co-founders Matt and Kenny launched West + Wilder in May 2018 with the vision of making wine more accessible,...

Dan O'Brien has worked throughout the wine industry, first starting in high-end restaurants in the North East, eventually moving out west to San Francisco to start the Grand Award winning wine program at Cavallo Point. From there he started the Cultivar wine label, was the estate director for Long Meadow Ranch & Larkmead Vineyards, started the Hunt & Harvest wine label, and now is dedicating all of his time and efforts into Gail. Learn more about Dan with the show notes here.

Brian McClintic is a Master Sommelier and documentary film star of the feature length SOMM, the follow up SOMM: Into the Bottle, and now Somm 3, coming out later in 2018. After 15 years in hospitality, spanning wine destinations such as the Little Nell in Aspen, Brian co-founded Les Marchands Wine Bar & Merchant in Santa Barbara, where he was named “The Wine Guy to Hire” by Departures magazine and among the “40 Under 40 Tastemakers” by Wine Enthusiast. Learn more about Brian at...

As consumer advocates, Cameron Hughes Wines is passionate about bringing extreme wine value to wine drinkers at an affordable price. Cameron founded Cameron Hughes Wine with his partner Jessica Kogan in 2001. In 2004, they launched the “Lot Series” with Lot 1, a Lodi Syrah.  More than a decade later, they've produced over 600 unique Lot wines and the company has become the #1 selling online wine brand. As CMO, Jessica oversees integrated marketing for Cameron Hughes Wine which includes the...

Frank Family's current success would not exist without his leadership. Todd joined in 2003 and has provided consistency of winemaking, vineyard sources, and leadership in Frank Family’s estate vineyard acquisitions, which are not more than 250 acres in Rutherford, Capell and Carneros. He also has culled relationships with several great growers—Beckstoffer, Sangiacomo, etc. I think Todd has defied the old adage “jack of all trades and master of none.” Todd makes everything from...

Our guest this week did not set out to make the beautiful wines he does. He, and is incredible team, discovered great vineyards at the edge of sensible farming and decided to bring them to light. Learn more about Ian Brand here. The farther they looked, the more they found – remote, challenging vineyards, with hard depleted soils, and intense sunlight tempered only by the coastal breeze. Vineyards capable of producing only the most idiosyncratic wines. Their goal as winemakers is to lightly...

After a decade long career in advertising for Time Warner, Dan Petroski got a harvest internship in Italy, booked a flight and didn’t look back. For the next year, he would live as a local in his adopted home of Italy, working in vineyards. From that point onward, Dan knew that wine would take the center focus of not only his career, but his life. Learn more about Dan here. Coming to California with just over a year’s experience, Dan had a challenging time getting a job, until Andy Smith...

As one of the 4% of female winemakers in California who are also owners of their own winery, Sonoma-based LaRue Wines winemaker and owner, Katy Wilson is also making waves within the 10% minority of California wineries whose lead winemaker also happens to be female. Because, not only does she manage every harvest decision, punch down and barrel regimen under her own label, she also the winemaker for Anaba Wines, Claypool Cellars, Reeve Wines and Smith Story Wine Cellars – all Sonoma-based...

It all started with converting potato fields into rows of vineyards in a sleepy field in the heart of California. It was during the late 1960s when a bad potato crop pushed the Bogle family to plant those first grapes -- and now, five decades later -- Bogle Vineyards has become one of the world’s most popular wine brands on the market.  Learn more about Jody here. An award-winning winery for its sustainability efforts, Bogle Vineyards is setting the industry standard when it comes to...