Cru Wine Podcast | Stories From The People Behind Wine

Sophie & James are a young couple who followed their hearts to leave their city life, escape to the stunning Sonoma Mountaintop, get engaged & married, and then later founded Sophie James Wine Co.

Amanda McCrossin is a wine director & sommelier at Press Restaurant in St. Helena, and YouTube vlogger based in Napa Valley, California. In this episode Amanda and I dig into her story of being a sommelier, how to hone one’s voice and story telling ability, strategies for being a successful sommelier, and define how to be authentic to one’s self when it comes to building a personal brand with a purpose.

In this episode, Bob, Ryan, and I sat down to taste through a large portion of the Three Sticks lineup. We delve into the details of each wine, the soils, farming, ecology, everything. Mixed in between we chat about Bob & Ryan’s histories in the wine industry, life & work philosophies, and the practical & technical sides of winemaking in Sonoma County.

Francoise & Elizabeth are the winemakers of Cornell Vineyards, a breathtaking 20-year old property on the Santa Rosa side of Spring Mountain, that just released it’s third vintage.

Laura Diaz Munoz is the winemaker for the 42-acre Ehlers Estate in Calistoga, California. For over a decade Laura has been making wine in the Napa Valley as the Associate Winemaker for Cardinale, Lokoya, Mt Brave, La Jota and Galerie. She joined Ehlers Estate in July of 2018 and is excited to continue the legacy of this special property.

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, SangiacomoWines.com

Chris Wanner is the owner & wine director of West Coast Wine + Cheese with locations in San Francisco & Mill Valley, California. West Coast Wine • Cheese showcases regional wines by serving up premium experiences in a relaxed, unpretentious atmosphere, now in two locations; their original San Francisco spot & the new lounge in Mill Valley.

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.

Ashley Holland, Matt Allan, and Kenny Rochford of West + Wilder, are making a great bottle of wine that happens to come in a can inspired by the beauty and wilderness of the west 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.”

Ian Brand is the owner & winemaker of I. Brand & Family, La Marea, and Le P’Tit Paysan wines based in Salinas, California.

In this episode, Dan Petroski, winemaker of Larkmead, founder/winemaker of Massican, 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.