The guys sit down with local Sonoma County Winemaker, Mark Lyon this week. Mark is a fixture in Sonoma wine-making circles as he was Winemaker at Sebastiani for years and years. Now he is headlong into his own lifelong passion of his own brand, Eco Terreno, organic and fully regenerative farming, creating beautiful whites and reds from the Alexander Valley along the Russian River. [Ep328]

ecoterreno.com

Sam, Bart, and James Joiner sit down with Gundlach Bundschu CEO Jeff Bundschu, Sustainability Manager Meghan Murphy, Winemaker Joe Uhr, and special guest Phil Coturri to discuss how and why the 160-year-old brand pursued becoming fully Regenerative Organic Certified. They delve into the regenerative process and how it has impacted the vineyards, wines, and the company as a whole. The conversation also covers the brand’s rich history and the future of the Sonoma wine region. Along the way, they touch on topics like music, organic farming in Florida, and a scary wildlife encounter Meghan had on her first day on the job. [Ep327]

gunbun.com

This week we focus on hospitality and service in the wine business. Grant Wood works for Bedrock Wine Co. in Sonoma, CA where they focus on highlighting historic vineyards that span the state. He achieved his Diploma in wine and spirits from the WSET as well as passed the Certified Sommelier exam through the Court of Master Sommeliers in mid-2021. Pursuing the MW program with the Institute of Masters of Wine is part of his five-year plan moving forward. His passion for wine and delivering meaningful and bespoke hospitality is what drives him to keep pursuing new challenges that continue to build himself both personally and professionally. [Ep325]

@bedrockwines

Kia Behnia is changing the wine industry one hexagonal wine bottle at a time. The wine-loving tech entrepreneur always dreamed of owning a piece of wine country. A flat tire led him to what became the Kiatra Estate Vineyard. The fires of 2017 galvanized his ambition to create Neotempo Wines. However, he’s never been satisfied with doing things the way they’ve always been done and questions everything from clones and root-stock to wine shipping. The guys sit down with Kia for a wide-ranging and inspirational  conversation that didn’t come close to covering all the innovations Kia has fermenting. Stay tuned for part 2 coming soon! [Ep325]

This week we welcome Devyani Gupta to Sonoma for an in depth conversation about working for an internationally owned winery in Walla Walla. Devyani worked for some of the legendary leaders in the Washington wine industry before settling in to the Winemaker position at Valdemar Estates. The Syrah stopped the conversation as we simply stared at each other and smiled. Everything she is doing right now is inspiring on every level. Welcome the incomparable Devyani Gupta. Enjoy this one. [Ep324]

Valdemarestates.com

This week we welcome Alex Mitchell from MUST Machining & Fabrication to the podcast. MUST grew out of two different Napa Valley winery supplier/fabrication institutions York Machine Works and Burgstahler Machine Works, which had 70 years of experience innovating, leading, and servicing the wine industry. Alex, a former York employee began working with him in 2006, with the intent to purchase the business when York retired. In 2010, Alex and his wife, Michelle, assumed ownership. The Mitchells also met Wayne Burgstahler and told him that when he was ready to retire they were interested in purchasing his company, which came to fruition in late January 2020. The Mitchells combined the two shops and created MUST. Alex grew up in Napa Valley with his family growing grapes and making wine. Check out the show to hear the entire story.

instagram.com/mustfabricate

Matt Reid started his career making wine at his house in San Francisco. He fell in love with the process and enrolled at UC-Davis Viticulture Program. He then worked at Seavey, Quixote and Failla. Matt is now the winemaker at Benessere, working with obscure Italian varietals, as well as launching his own brand, Peoples Wine Revolution, bringing affordable wines to daily drinkers.

Benesserevineyards.com

Todd Alexander has started a new life in Washington. Former winemaker at Grace Family in Napa, he looked at NASA weather models through 2050 and noticed Napa and Sonoma were all in “the red”. He jumped at an opportunity to move north and is now the wine maker at Force Majeure and some other side projects that we discuss on the show. BeatsVinesAndLife Podcast host M.J. Towler joins us on the show, recorded in Walla Walla, and do his hilarious impression of Christophe Baron. [Ep321]

@forcemajeurevineyards

This week we are joined by winemaker Danielle Langlois of Lasseter Family Winery and wine director Christophe Tassan MOF, of Moon Hollow ahead of the second edition of the immersive Reach for the Moon wine event, June 1st at Monte Rosso. They provide expert opinions on the wines and vineyards of one of our favorite AVAs and share some of the great new wines they’ve made from the very different Moon Mountain District estates they represent. We even busted out a 2013 as a sneak peek into the highlight of the event–the Antonio Galloni-led master class, a celebration of the 10 vintage anniversary of the appellation’s approval. We even get a cameo by the winegrower who has become synonymous with Moon Mountain District. Care to guess who? [Ep320]

For more information about the event and to buy tickets visit: https://moonmountaindistrict.org/

And try these wines!:

https://www.moonhollow.com/

We sit down with Stacy Buchanan this week in his home town of Walla Walla. Stacy is the creator of the “Blood of Gods” zine, a biannual wine publication that was inspired by his history at Thrasher Magazine and his love for Death Metal. The zine was started a joke to poke a finger in the eye of the stuffy wine publications and draw some pretty cool comparisons between the wine business and the music world. Blood of Gods has now grown into a real resource and inspiration for wine geeks and those initially intimidated by the “old guard” in their ivory towers. The artwork is amazing and the stories approach wine in a way that is much more “palatable” to the casual consumer. Stacy was definitely one of our favorite people we met on our trip to Washington. Listen in and subscribe to the zine.

Bloodofgods.bigcartel.com