Cru Podcast | Stories From The People Behind Wine

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, approachable and fun. An opportunity for them to support causes they value, like protecting our National Parks, and making customers smile, they are excited about what they do and how they can share it. For them, West + Wilder is a celebration of the dreamers, the seekers and the thinkers. It’s for those who appreciate good things in life with care, humor, mindfulness and beauty. They scoured the West Coast to discover and uncover the best of each state's wine regions, from Washington, Oregon, and California. Being labeled non-vint

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 CruPodcast.com Bitten by the travel bug in recent years, McClintic launched Viticole in 2016--an online wine club and travel blog, focusing on organically-farmed domestic and import selections. The Viticole Wine Clubs are the only way to access Master Sommelier Brian McClintic's monthly wine selections. Every winemaker Brian collaborates with farms organically. All the wines offered will be exclusive to Viticole – special bottlings, both red and white, that Brian personally curates from around the world.   THIS EPISODE IS BROUGHT T

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 Direct to Consumer business, brand partnerships and collaborations, corporate and brand design, digital and print advertising, and public relations. Learn more about Cam & Jess with the show notes here.   THIS EPISODE IS BROUGHT TO YOU BY Located in the heart of Sonoma County, Bottle Barn has been serving the Santa Rosa community since 1990 and is one of the best places around to find unique local and international wines. With an extensive selection, everyday low prices, expert staff and this year’s Sonoma County Harve

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 Cabernet/Chardonnay to Pinot, Sangiovese, Zinfandel, Zinfandel Port, Late Harvest Chardonnay and 4 different sparkling wines, and he does all of these quite well. Frank Family is the only winery to have twice received “Winery of the Year” from the Connoisseur’s Guide to CA Wine—in 2012 and 2017 Learn more about Todd here.

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 polish the roughest edges and leave the idiosyncrasy intact. It is here in the back country, filled with individual character, where wines like I. Brand & Family, La Marea, and Le P’tit Paysan comes to life. They are not in "wine country." They have no trophy wineries, nor posh tasting salons. Quite on the contrary. Their ideal is farm land, desolate hills, and solitude. What they do is simple, without artifice, and most of all, they enjoy it. Winemaker Ian Brand puts a lot of miles on his car searching out and spendin

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 gave him an opportunity. Fast forward to today and Dan has had incredible success including being named “Winemaker of the Year” in 2017 by the SF Chronicle. In this episode, Dan and I dig into his journey thus far in wine, we philosophize on the topics of loyalty and freedom as a winemaker, and then explore the terroir of Larkmead’s vineyards and the concept behind his white wine only label, Massican.

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 wineries who have sought out Katy’s knack for letting the wines speak for themselves. Learn more about Katy here. With barely a dime to her name at age 26 when the idea of LaRue crossed-over from conversation to conception, Katy’s passion for winemaking has evolved into not only an in-demand wine label, but also an in-demand consulting business. Today, at only 35-years old, Katy is proving to herself and to young, up and coming women in wine that persistence and hard work really do go a long way. While Katy will tell you her

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 responsible growing and wine production. In addition to the Green Medal Leadership Award, Bogle was also honored by the California State Fair for the family’s contribution to the wine industry.  Jody Bogle is of the third-generation winemakers & Director of Public Relations for Bogle Vineyards in Clarksburg, California. Jody grew up playing and working in the fields with younger brother Warren, but didn’t see a future for herself due to the size of the fledgling winery. She graduated from Linfield College with a BA in Englis

Michael Evans is the co-founder of The Vines of Mendoza, a winery in the Uco Valley of Argentina that crafts nearly 300 custom wines each year with 130 private vineyard owners. Fifteen years ago Michael came to Argentina from Los Angeles for what he thought would be a three-week vacation. Michael fell in love with the people and the place that is Mendoza and decided to embark on this adventure of creating Argentina’s greatest wines. After a chance introduction to Pablo Gimenez Riili during that visit to Mendoza, Michael and Pablo began an endeavor together to provide the highest quality wine experience to Mendoza travelers and help those who love wine to make their own. The result was The Vines of Mendoza. With Pablo, Michael raised money from friends and family and purchased 650 acres of land in the Uco Valley, and created The Vines of Mendoza’s one-of-a-kind Private Vineyards. They've since sold vines to more than 185 owners from around the globe, and the property has expanded to 1,500 acres. Prior to The V

David Wilson is the co-founder of Wilson Foriegner & Director of Vineyards & Grower Relations at Pahlmeyer. Learn more about David with the show notes here. David grew up on the family ranch, Rancho Chimiles, where he resides now with his wife, Christine, and their two children. David studied fruit science with an emphasis on wine and viticulture at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. From working harvest in South Africa to learning directly from Warren Winiarski at Stags Leap Winery, David has cut his teeth around the world. In this episode, David & I dig into his story and background, he tells us the history behind his family’s ranch, Rancho Chimiles in Wooden Valley, and we discuss the concept of a California terroir. We then chat about his new wine label, Wilson Foreigner, which makes Valdigué from the same vineyard as Michael Cruse, Albarino from the Rorick Vineyard, and Zinfandel from the Del Barba Vineyard.

Noah Dorrance is the co-founder & chief winemaker of Reeve Wines based in Dry Creek Valley, California. In this episode, Noah shares his story of how he first got into wine. How going from college to Europe changed his life and how seizing opportunities in down times created a launch pad for other ventures. We dig into the founding of Banshee Wines, Noah’s first wine label. He shares with us how Banshee was able to grow quickly over short period of time with a focus on creating high quality products that have great value. Then, Noah shares with us the conception and birth of Reeve Wines, his current business, based in Dry Creek Valley. Why a focus on sourcing from Anderson Valley was a new step and how putting in the time to create a deep, experiential encounter with the wines and the brand is not only great for business, but creates a true connection and wine experience for guests. Leave a review on iTunes here,https://goo.gl/MRJyBQ, it would mean the world! In this episode we mention...  Reeve Wines  Br

Originally from Provence, Julien Fayard is one of Napa Valley’s most respected consulting winemakers producing California varietals with French finesse. Formerly of Chateau Lafite Rothschild and Philippe Melka’s team, he lends two decades of winemaking expertise to more than a dozen different brands, including the highly-rated Le Pich and Purlieu wines, as well as his own labels — Azur, Covert Estate and Empreinte. You can learn more at FayardWines.com   In this episode, Julien and I dig into how he approaches making wine while sharing practical tips for how to achieve balance in a final wine by utilizing certain techniques in the vineyard & cellar. He shares with us his story, how he came into wine originally and learned at some of the top chateaux in Bordeaux and what it looks like to be a consulting winemaker in the Napa Valley today.   As with every guest that comes on this podcast, I learned a lot from Julien and I hope you will as well. So, without further adieu, please enjoy my conversation with Ju

Norman Hardie, @normanhardiewinery, is the owner & winemaker of Norman Hardie Winery in Prince Edward County, Ontario, making some of the best Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and other Burgundian varietals in North America. Learn more about Norman with the show notes here. Norman is an incredibly well traveled winemaker with a highly trained palate. Having started his career as a sommelier with Four Seasons Hotels his intrigue of making the wines he loved so much, particularly Pinot Noir & Chardonnay, grew so much that he decided to go on a journey of working twelve harvests in six years in both hemispheres. When the search for a vineyard site came to a close in 2003, he found himself in Prince Edward County, Ontario, Canada where the Norman Hardie Winery resides today. Making what chefs like David McMillin of the famed Joe Beef in Montreal call the, “finest white wines in all of North America,” Norman has an approach to winemaking that is not only classical in style but unusual at the same time. We’ll get in

Jennifer Reichardt is the founder and winemaker of Raft Wines, a small production wine label based in Santa Rosa, California with a heavy focus on Rhone Varietals. Learn more about Jen with the show notes here. You may wonder where the name Raft comes from, as you’ll find out in the episode, Jen’s background is based in the duck business and a raft is a dense flock of swimming birds. In this episode, we dig into Jen’s story, how she got into wine when being raised in a household that was all about ducks, why and how she makes the types of wines she does, and the exciting and rewarding work that she is doing with Rebuild Wine Country, and a new project with the help of Liberty Duck and Tonnellerie Radoux, to help those who have been horrendously affected by the recent wildfires. We also dig into all of the fundraising and work that she and Rebuild Wine Country are doing to help those in Northern California that were so devastatingly affected by these fires. If you feel so inclined to donate and/or volunteer wi

Chelsea Boss, @seaboss on Instagram, is the general manager of Senses Wines who make fantastic small production pinot noir and chardonnay based in Occidental, California and one of the founders of Rebuild Wine Country, an organization that is working with Habitat for Humanity of Sonoma County to raise $5 million dollars in order to rebuild owned & rented homes lost in the Sonoma, Napa, Solano, Mendocino, and Lake County wildfires. You can learn more about Chelsea with the show notes here. The name Senses may sound familiar as we had one of the founders, Chris Strieter, on in a previous episode. But in this episode, I wanted to dig into the operations, marketing, sales side of running a wine business and Chelsea’s experience and perspective on doing just that as a GM. We also dig into all of the fundraising and work that she and Rebuild Wine Country are doing to help those in Northern California that were so devastatingly affected by these fires. If you feel so inclined to donate and/or volunteer with Rebu

Sara Morgenstern is one of those people that if you try to introduce her to someone, she’s already good friends with them and if you ask her to join in on a project, she’ll dive in head first even though her calendar is already fully booked. She’s some what of a local celebrity here in Sonoma County, particularly in Healdsburg for those in the wine industry, most notably for her work at the imported wine shop/bar and grilled cheese joint, Bergamot Alley, but also for her work with 7% Solution, which you’ll learn about in this episode, Banshee Wines, Raft Wines, and now the soon to be 501c3 Winemakers & Sommeliers for California Wildfire Relief and the annual Burgundy festival, Le Paulée de San Francisco coming up from February 27 to March 3, 2018. I really enjoyed chatting with Sara as we not only cover everything that I already mentioned, but we dig into her story, how the recent wildfires have personally affected her, and we try wines from winemakers who she considers her brothers. Learn more about Sara

Blair Guthrie is a kiwi transplant to the Napa Valley and winemaker for Stewart Cellars, Hollis Wines, Slingshot Wines, and his personal passion project, Guthrie Family Wines all based in Napa Valley. I met up with Blair at the Stewart Cellars tasting room in Yountville, which I highly recommend you visit, especially if you are able to do a library tasting in what they call their Nomad Room. It is a gorgeously designed space with art on the walls, dark leather furniture, books galore that range from coffee table books about the designer Tom Ford to old copies of Hemingway. It is a room that has so much life, so many stories. A place where you can go to relax and enjoy some beautiful Napa wines. If you can’t stop by, take a look at the space at StewartCellars.com In this episode, Blair and I chat about his story and how he got into wine as a kiwi in New Zealand to coming to Napa, working with the amazing winemaker, Paul Hobbs, and how he approaches making wines at price points ranging from $16 to $175 per bott

As a wine lover and fan of podcasts I took the opportunity to record a bonus episode with Jim Duane, who produces the Inside Winemaking podcast. Our conversation ranges from my background, my goals in building a wine podcast, and what I've have learned from the wine professionals that have shared their experience during my interviews.   We also speak about how I recently moved to Healdsburg, California to work the 2017 harvest and am beginning a new position as a sommelier and assistant wine buyer at the esteemed restaurant and resort that is Cavallo Point, The Lodge at the Golden Gate.     LINKS AND RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE •Cru Podcast •Recommended Cru Podcast Episodes      ◦David Ramey - Ramey Wine Cellars      ◦Marissa Ross      ◦Andre Hueston Mack - Mouton Noir Wines     ◦Brian McClintic - Master Sommelier •Mila Family Vineyards - Sonoma •Cavallo Point - Lodge at the Golden Gate •Chef's Table - available on Netflix     Listen to Jim's podcast, Inside Winemaking, at InsideWinemaking.com

In this episode, Raj and I dig into his story of being both a sommelier and winemaker, we chat about the fascinating topic of the terroir of California, and Raj tell us about his new book The Atlas of Taste along with his new, 500 person wine club he’s opening soon. Learn more about Rajat with the show notes here. With that, there are two organizations I want to introduce you to, that are working to support, rebuild, and make thrive wine country in the wake of the devastating fires that destroyed the lives of many recently in Northern California. The first is Rebuild Wine Country, founded by the team behind Senses Wines, Rebuild Wine Country is a group of volunteer wine industry professionals working with Habitat for Humanity of Sonoma County to raise $5 million to rebuild owned and rented homes lost in the Sonoma, Napa, Solano, Mendocino, and Lake County wildfires. 100% of your donations go to rebuilding homes and rentals damaged or destroyed by the North Bay wildfires. You can donate by going to RebuildWine