Winemaker Niki Williams of Chateau St Jean is back with Alexandra O’Gorman of Foley Family Wines on California Wine Country with Steve Jaxon and Dan Berger. They were here a month ago on this June 8, 2022 episode which was cut short by an impending NBA broadcast. So now they are back for a full show. Barry Herbst from Bottle Barn will also join us. Alexandra O’Gorman tells about Foley Family Wines, which has purchased several family […]
Joseph Phelps Vineyards, an iconic Napa Valley winery with holdings in Sonoma County, has new ownership. Dan Berger is in the studio today for a special edition of California Wine Country, to talk about the deal with Harry Duke. Moët-Chandon is the new owner. It is the champagne brand that is part of the French LVMH portfolio of companies. That company was created from a merger between them and Hennessey, the cognac company. Then they acquired […]
Acorn Winery co-owner Bill Nachbaur is our guest on California Wine Country with Steve Jaxon and Dan Berger. First, Bill tells about buying the vineyard that had been planted decades ago as a field blend. This means different varietals are planted side by side in the same vineyard, unlike most vineyards today. As a teenager in the 1890s Bill’s grandfather worked in vineyards in the area. The whole story is on their website. Field-blended wines are […]
Piemonte wines are on the table today as Don Chigazola is back on California Wine Country with Steve Jaxon and Dan Berger. He has brought some wines from Piemonte (the region in northwest Italy located south of Switzerland and east of France). His company Chigazola Merchants imports unique wines produced in the various regions of Italy. They travel back roads in Italy and meet the local people in order to find the best long-established producers. They […]
Rosé Season is here at Bottle Barn and Barry Herbst is here to tell all about it on California Wine Country with Steve Jaxon and Dan Berger. First, Dan Berger’s Cellar Dweller wine this week is a 2010 Chardonnay from New Zealand, from Peregrine, located in central Otago. Michelle Richardson was the winemaker there for that vintage. “Very much alive, still,” says Barry Herbst at the first taste. The season of Rosé wine is here and Barry […]
Chateau St. Jean winemaker Niki Williams and Alexandra O’Gorman from Foley Family Wines join Steve Jaxon, Harry Duke and Tom Simoneau on California Wine Country today. Dan Berger is away this week. Alexandra O’Gorman’s title is Senior Director of Luxury Sonoma Estates at Foley Family Wines. Niki Williams is the winemaker at Chateau St. Jean winery. Alexandra tells how the company has invested in many family wineries and they have also acquired Chateau St. Jean. They […]
Alicia Sylvester, the winemaker at Banshee Wines, is our guest on California Wine Country with Steve Jaxon, Dan Berger and Harry Duke. Banshee Wines got started among three friends in a bar. It was, “very whimsically put together.” They wanted to make an affordable Pinot Noir of quality from Sonoma County. The name banshee emerged almost accidentally at the last minute. The cockatrice on the bottle is their symbol but they didn’t have the name until […]
GLF Wines owner Greg La Follette (“la-FOLL-et”) is back on California Wine Country with Steve Jaxon and Dan Berger, to talk about his label GLF Wines, and more. The Drive co-host Harry Duke is also in the studio. Greg has been on CWC a few times before. The first was this episode on April 12, 2017. We heard about his previous label Alquimista Cellars in his next episode on November 21, 2018, then again on June 17, […]
Katey Bacigalupi Row and Nicole Bacigalupi Dericco join Tom Simoneau today on California Wine Country with Steve Jaxon and Dan Berger. The Bacigalupi family owns and operates Bacigalupi Vineyards. Their parents Helen and Charles Bacigalupi, purchased 125 acres on Westside Road in 1956. 2021 was their 65th harvest. Tom Simoneau met them when he and his wife were new to the area in 1988. He mentions that the Bacigalupi reputation is second to none in the […]
Davis Estates winemaker Walter Leiva is our guest on California Wine Country with Steve Jaxon and Dan Berger. Before talking about Davis Estates wines with Walter, Dan Berger has opened another cellar dweller, this one is a 2015 Pinot Gris from the Lichen Estate in Anderson Valley and it’s delicious, everyone loves it. Dan detects flavors of dried peaches and a little spice element from the young wine. Pinot Gris is difficult because it produces tannins, […]
Dave Ready Jr., winemaker at Murphy-Goode, is our guest on California Wine Country today. Harry Duke is sitting in for Steve Jaxon and Dan Berger is also in the studio. Dave’s father was part of the team that founded Murphy-Goode in the 1980s. At the time their wines were based on vineyards managed by Tim Murphy and Dale Goode. Dave Ready Jr. is now the winemaker. The founders met at a new year’s eve party in […]
Pizzaleah owner and pizza chef Leah Scurto joins California Wine Country with Steve Jaxon and Dan Berger. She has brought samples of her pizza and will tell us about her restaurant and the delicious pizzas she will be making at the Healdsburg Wine and Food Experience, coming on May 20-22. (Tom Simoneau is also in the studio with Karissa Kruse and Steve De Veres, who are organizing the big event. Their entire conversation about that is […]
This episode of California Wine Country features two guests from Rodney Strong, Christopher O’Gorman, director of communication and Justin Seidenfeld, VP of viticulture and winemaking. They join Steve Jaxon, Dan Berger and Harry Duke in the studio. They describe the revival of the Rodney Strong Concert Series. This year it will feature three concerts over the summer, Tower of Power, Cobie Caillat and Blues Traveller. There will also be two concerts featuring local artists, whom they […]
Tom Simoneau joins California Wine Country with Steve Jaxon, Dan Berger and Harry Duke, to discuss the Healdsburg Wine and Food Experience, this May 20-22. The studio is full of guests today. Karissa Kruse from the Sonoma County Winegrowers is here with Steve De Veres. They are organizing the Healdsburg Food and Wine Experience. Award-winning pizza chef Leah Scurto from Pizzaleah is also here and she brought pizza! Christopher O’Gorman, director of communication for Rodney Strong […]
Mark Beeman, winemaker at Sebastiani, is in the studio today to talk to Steve Jaxon and Dan Berger on California Wine Country. Sebastiani wines has been in business since before 1904, but the vineyard goes all the way back to 1825 when the Franciscan padres who established a mission in Sonoma also planted a vineyard that year. That vineyard is still on the Sebastiani property. Samuele Sebastiani came from Tuscany and landed in Sonoma County around […]
Donald Patz of Secret Door Wines is our guest on California Wine Country with Steve Jaxon and Dan Berger today. He was last on CWC on this October 16, 2019 episode. Donald Patz was a founder and winemaker for the Patz and Hall label for many years, where there were two couples, four partners, making Cardonnay and Pinot Noir from 1988 to 2016. When Ste. Michelle winery in Washington state bought them, he continued working for […]
