Few California wineries can match Opus One for global prestige. A famous partnership between Napa's Robert Mondavi and Bordeaux's Baron Philippe de Rothschild, the winery is still making elite Cabernets long after its founders' passing, thanks in large part to one man whose name you might not know: Michael Silacci.

Silacci has guided Opus One for more than two decades, and his résumé lists a Who's Who of winemaking legends, from André Tchelistcheff to Warren Winiarski to Denis Dubourdieu. He joined host James Molesworth in our Napa studio to talk about his life in wine on the newest episode of Wine Spectator's Straight Talk podcast.

And don't forget, there's always more free content at WineSpectator.com!

• Wine Spectator's Nov. 15 cover Story: Composing Opus One

• 2025 Wine Spectator New York Wine Experience Tickets & Info

• James Molesworth's Notes on Tasting: Opus One's Old World Approach

• Opus One Wine Scores and Tasting Notes

• Meghan Zobeck Joins Opus One

• Latest News and Headlines

• Ask Dr. Vinny

• Sign up for Wine Spectator's free email newsletters

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A podcast from Wine Spectator

Marvin R. Shanken, Editor and Publisher

Host: James Molesworth

Director: Robert Taylor

Producer: Gabriela Saldivia

Guest: Michael Silacci

Assistant producer, Napa: Elizabeth Redmayne-Titley

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

He's the man behind some of the most prestigious names in wine, including Bordeaux's Pichon Baron and Portugal's Quinta do Noval, and now AXA Millésimes managing director Christian Seely is behind the mic on the newest episode of Wine Spectator's Straight Talk podcast.

"People do not drink Château Pichon because they're trying to get the alcohol content," Seely tells Straight Talk host James Molesworth. "There are a lot cheaper ways of doing that. They drink these wines because they love them. And we have to make sure that the wines we are making give people something to discover, so that magical moment really means something."

Seely also shares memories of growing up with his wine writer father, the bottle they shared that sparked Seely's passion, and many more highlights—and insights—from his long and accomplished career in wine.

And don't forget, there's always more free content at WineSpectator.com!

• 2025 Wine Spectator New York Wine Experience Tickets & Info

• Read more about Christian Seely

• Read more about Platt Vineyard

• Latest News and Headlines

• Ask Dr. Vinny

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A podcast from Wine Spectator

Marvin R. Shanken, Editor and Publisher

Host: James Molesworth

Director: Robert Taylor

Producer: Gabriela Saldivia

Guest: Christian Seely

Assistant producer, Napa: Elizabeth Redmayne-Titley

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Occidental winemaker Catherine Kistler grew up with an in-house wine legend: California Chardonnay icon, and also her dad, Steve. But Catherine came home to make Pinot Noir in 2017, and they landed at No. 2 on Wine Spectator’s 2023 Top 10 Wines of the Year.

“In California we’re always self-conscious of being young compared to the Old World,” she tells host James Molesworth. “And to have the opportunity to work with 25-year-old vines now, I’m absolutely excited about it. Are we seeing changes as the vineyard matures? Of course, the answer is ‘Yes.’”.

Wine Spectator senior editor for news Mitch Frank joins the program as well, for a chat about the latest wine and health news, what proposed tariffs on wine could mean for consumers, and more.

And don't forget, there's always more free content at WineSpectator.com!

• 2025 Wine Spectator Grand Tour Tickets & Info

• Occidental: Steve Kistler's Final Frontier

• Opinion: Surgeon General Opts for Simple Slogans Over Solid Science

• Wine Caught in Trade War Crossfire

• Opinion: Fear and Tariffs

• Wine Spectator's James Laube: 1951–2025

• Health News: Wine Does Not Raise Risks for Healthy Older Adults

• California Pinot Noir Tasting Report

• Latest News and Headlines

• Ask Dr. Vinny

• Sign up for Wine Spectator's free email newsletters

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A podcast from Wine Spectator

Marvin R. Shanken, Editor and Publisher

Host: James Molesworth

Director: Robert Taylor

Producer: Gabriela Saldivia

Guests: Catherine Kistler, Mitch Frank

Assistant producer, Napa: Elizabeth Redmayne-Titley

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It's our season 2 finale and we're counting down Wine Spectator's Top 10 Wines of 2024!

But before James reveals this year's 10 most exciting wines, including Wine Spectator's 2024 Wine of the Year, we're taking a look at the economic state of the U.S. wine market with longtime industry insider Rocco Lombardo, president of Wilson Daniels, and our very own senior editor for news Mitch Frank.

And don't forget, there's always more free content at WineSpectator.com!

• Wine Spectator's Top 100 Wines of the Year for 2024

• Latest News and Headlines

• Ask Dr. Vinny

• Sign up for Wine Spectator's free email newsletters

• Subscribe to Wine Spectator

A podcast from Wine Spectator

Marvin R. Shanken, Editor and Publisher

Host: James Molesworth

Director: Robert Taylor

Producers: Gabriela Saldivia, Sam Popkin

Guests: Rocco Lombardo, Mitch Frank

Assistant producer, Napa: Elizabeth Redmayne-Titley

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Napa Valley is in the thick of harvest 2024, the busiest time of year in wine country, and Napa Cabernet superstar Thomas Rivers Brown took a break to tell us about the realities of harvest season—hope you like cleaning!—as well as his “Ziploc baggy mini-maceration method” for deciding when a vineyard is ready to be picked.

Plus, Wine Spectator’s Dr. Vinny joins the program for a “sweet” harvest vocab check!

And don't forget, there's always more free content at WineSpectator.com!

• 2024 New York Wine Experience Tickets and Info

• Thomas Rivers Brown's Midas Touch

• 2022 Wine of the Year: 2019 Schrader Cellars Double Diamond Cabernet

• The Christian Moueix Interview with Marvin R. Shanken

• Wine Spectator's Nov. 15, 2024, issue

• Latest News and Headlines

• Ask Dr. Vinny

• Sign up for Wine Spectator's free email newsletters

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A podcast from Wine Spectator

Marvin R. Shanken, Editor and Publisher

Host: James Molesworth

Director: Robert Taylor

Producer: Gabriela Saldivia

Guests: Thomas Rivers Brown, MaryAnn Worobiec

Assistant producer, Napa: Elizabeth Redmayne-Titley

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When it comes to California Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, few names command as much respect as Sonoma's Kistler Vineyards. Kistler president and winemaker Jason Kesner joined Straight Talk host James Molesworth to tell us about growing up in the Napa wine industry—including where Robert Mondavi bought the weekly staff donuts—and how he strives to do a little bit less in the vineyard and winery with each passing year.

Wine Spectator senior editor for news Mitch Frank joins the program as well, shedding light on a recent health study that’s made big waves in the mainstream media, for all the wrong reasons.

And don't forget, there's always more free content at WineSpectator.com!

• 2024 New York Wine Experience Tickets and Info

• Kistler's Dark Side: Jason Kesner's Pinot Noirs

• 2020 Top 10 Wines of the Year: Kistler Chardonnay

• Health News: Wine Does Not Raise Risks for Healthy Older Adults

• Vintage Wine Estates Bankruptcy

• California Pinot Noir Tasting Report

• Wine Spectator's Sept. 30, 2024, issue

• Latest News and Headlines

• Ask Dr. Vinny

• Sign up for Wine Spectator's free email newsletters

• Subscribe to Wine Spectator

A podcast from Wine Spectator

Marvin R. Shanken, Editor and Publisher

Host: James Molesworth

Director: Robert Taylor

Producer: Gabriela Saldivia

Guests: Jason Kesner, Mitch Frank

Assistant producer, Napa: Elizabeth Redmayne-Titley

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Straight from the cover of Wine Spectator and the season 3 premiere of hit TV series The Bear, legendary chef Daniel Boulud invites us into the Daniel dining room for an exclusive interview about what it means to be a chef today, his legacy of mentorship and why his next restaurant will reflect a shift in allegiance since becoming a U.S. citizen in 2021: "I finally became American. I always felt like I'm French … but with my family here, I'm definitely settled here ... it is more important to be American today for me than to be French."

Straight Talk host James Molesworth speaks with senior editor Kristen Bieler about her cover story and interview with Boulud, and Wine Spectator advice and education expert Dr. Vinny returns to share some guidance on how to tip on an expensive bottle of wine at a restaurant.

And don't forget, there's always more free content at WineSpectator.com!

• Chef Daniel Boulud's American Dream

• Wine Spectator's 2024 Restaurant Awards

• Wine Spectator's Aug. 31, 2024, issue

• Latest News and Headlines

• Ask Dr. Vinny

• Sign up for Wine Spectator's free email newsletters

• Subscribe to Wine Spectator

A podcast from Wine Spectator

Marvin R. Shanken, Editor and Publisher

Host: James Molesworth

Director: Robert Taylor

Producer: Gabriela Saldivia

Guests: Daniel Boulud, Kristen Bieler, MaryAnn Worobiec (as Dr. Vinny)

Assistant producer, Napa: Elizabeth Redmayne-Titley

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A few days after winemaker Meghan Zobeck started her new job at Napa's historic Burgess Cellars, the winery burned down in the 2020 wildfires. With the help of owner Gaylon Lawrence and CEO Carlton McCoy, not only did Burgess bounce back, but Zobeck's followup 2021 Cabernets are outstanding. She tells us about her journey from the NFL to Chile's Clos Apalta to Michel Rolland's team in France to California's Napa Valley, and the "crazy ideas" she's implementing at Burgess—including something called agricultura promiscua ….

Straight Talk host James Molesworth also welcomes Wine Spectator senior editor Mitch Frank to the newest episode to discuss the recent sales of Williams Selyem and Sea Smoke, and what they tell us about the California Pinot Noir industry.

And don't forget, there's always more free content at WineSpectator.com!

• Rebuilding Napa's Burgess Cellars from the Ground Up

• Video: In the Vineyard at Burgess with Meghan Zobeck

• Burgess Cellars Among Napa Wildfire Victims

• Burgess Owner Gaylon Lawrence: Napa's Nashville Newcomer

• Napa Icon and 1976 Paris Tasting Winner Warren Winiarski Dies at 95

• Williams Selyem Sold to Burgundy's Faiveley

• Sea Smoke Sold to Constellation

• Wine Spectator's July 31, 2024, issue

• Latest News and Headlines

• Ask Dr. Vinny

• Sign up for Wine Spectator's free email newsletters

• Subscribe to Wine Spectator

A podcast from Wine Spectator

Marvin R. Shanken, Editor and Publisher

Host: James Molesworth

Director: Robert Taylor

Producer: Gabriela Saldivia

Guests: Meghan Zobeck, Mitch Frank

Assistant producer, Napa: Elizabeth Redmayne-Titley

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Patz & Hall co-founder James Hall is still pinching himself: After selling the iconic California Chardonnay brand in 2016, Hall was able to buy it back earlier this year. He tells us how he did it, and then takes us all the way back to landing his first winery gig in Napa … by pretending he could speak Italian?!

Straight Talk host James Molesworth also welcomes Wine Spectator senior editors MaryAnn Worobiec and Mitch Frank to the newest episode. Dr. Vinny explains malolactic fermentation, James and Mitch take a hard look at the 2023 Bordeaux futures campaign, and much more.

And don't forget, there's always more free content at WineSpectator.com!

• Patz & Hall Co-Founder James Hall Buys His Winery Back

• 2023 Bordeaux Barrel Tastings and Futures Campaign

• Wine Spectator's June 30, 2024, issue

• Latest News and Headlines

• Ask Dr. Vinny

• Sign up for Wine Spectator's free email newsletters

• Subscribe to Wine Spectator

A podcast from Wine Spectator

Marvin R. Shanken, Editor and Publisher

Host: James Molesworth

Director: Robert Taylor

Producer: Gabriela Saldivia

Guests: James Hall, Mitch Frank, MaryAnn Worobiec

Assistant producer, Napa: Elizabeth Redmayne-Titley

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Salvestrin Family winemaker Natalie Winkler struck a chord when the 2018 Salvestrin Dr. Crane Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon earned a spot among Wine Spectator's Top 10 Wines of 2021. But it all started with a bottle of Oregon Pinot Noir …

Winkler represents a new breed of California wine pros specializing not just in winemaking or vineyard management, but in both, and she tells us why winemakers should be in the vineyard, and much more. Wine Spectator senior editor for news Mitch Frank joins us as well, with news of some recent major wine thefts from two of Europe's most esteemed restaurant wine cellars.

And don't forget, there's always more free content at WineSpectator.com!

• Video: Watch James' vineyard walk with Natalie

• Read more about Salvestrin winery and Dr. Crane Vineyard

• Wine Crime: Read more about thefts at La Tour d'Argent and El Atrio

• The 15 Most Expensive Wines Ever Sold

• Wine Spectator's May 31, 2024, issue

• Latest News and Headlines

• Ask Dr. Vinny

• Sign up for Wine Spectator's free email newsletters

A podcast from Wine Spectator

Marvin R. Shanken, Editor and Publisher

Host: James Molesworth

Director: Robert Taylor

Producer: Gabriela Saldivia

Guests: Natalie Winkler, Mitch Frank

Assistant producer, Napa: Elizabeth Redmayne-Titley

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.