Terry Adams became winemaker in 1991 following the retirement of his mentor and long-time friend, Bill Bonetti. This critical period marked the inauguration of Sonoma-Cutrer's groundbreaking Grand Cru program. Terry played a pivotal role in implementing the program, overseeing essential projects from the crafting of barrels in France from oak staves purchased by Sonoma-Cutrer to bottling of the first vintage of The Cutrer without fining or filtration.

In subsequent years as winemaker, Terry has honed his own style and philosophy, blending the wisdom imparted by Bonetti with what he has learned from time spent in Burgundy and with his own experience in the vineyards and cellar. His goal is "to make wines that exemplify the character of the vineyards – that are fresh and lively - yet at the same time focused, balanced and structured."

Who are Paola, Luca and Nicolò De Ferrari Corradi?
A family still deeply attached to its Ligurian and Tuscan roots. This exciting and at times very tough life challenge was initially an alternative to our Genoa business, but has now become a real job. It’s no less exciting than it was in the beginning and fills our lives in this corner of Tuscany completely.

How would you describe Boscarelli to a person who doesn’t know it?
“The connoisseurs or the curious who approach the world of the super Tuscan will certainly find passion and integrity in our winery and in its wines, but also an excellence achieved by winemakers whose love for Tuscany continues to grow”.

Luca De Ferrari, you now work side-by-side with the winery’s oenologist. What’s your input as a producer and a grower?

I joined the winery officially in the early 1990s and my input has always been stylistic rather than strictly technical. I’ve always felt that this ambition to produce great wine is something of a privilege and although I’d originally intended to go into the diplomatic service, deep down I realized that I’d never be able to leave the family business behind. Fate decided for me and I’m now a professional grower, so professionally speaking I’ve also matured because the winery demands constant commitment.

Ours is an ongoing mission to create pleasing, complex wines with style and personality. I still rely on the technical advice of Mr Castelli and – more recently – on that of our in-house oenologist, Mary Ferrara. As far as I’m concerned, while our winery has remained true to its traditional ties and to Cervognano’s unique roots, it’s nonetheless one of the most cutting-edge on the Montepulciano scenario at the moment. My experiences have led me into taking up this huge challenge, especially as far as sangiovese is concerned, because our three hectares produce extremely complex grapes and wines.

My challenge is to tame and balance the richness and complexity typical of this territory. So I’m on tenterhooks as each harvest matures, hoping against hope that I’ll get to try some new techniques and always determined to bring forth this soil’s secret fruit. After all, I’m a Cervognano grower and it’s a privilege for me to produce an excellent sangiovese. But I’m always aware that I have to respect our aficionados and that’s why new marketing and corporate communication strategies also include plans to increase appointments for meeting and interacting with the end consumer. So we’ll be opening a new hospitality centre at the winery but also going out in person to tasting evenings arranged all over Italy. It’s our duty to go and meet customers who have high expectations of us and who have rewarded us with uninterrupted trust over the years”.

Born and raised in Rome, and having completed his studies in business management, Massimo arrived in the U.S. in 1991 with stars in his eyes as a young boxer. He worked in the restaurant business in New York City in a variety of roles for 12 years. Some even referred to him as one of the “Maccioni” during his years as Maître d' at Le Cirque and Osteria del Circo.

Pursuing a passion in wine, he has achieved the Advanced Wine Accreditation from the renowned Windows on the World program, as well as the WSET Certificate and Higher Certificate from the Wine and Spirits Education Trust of London.

Massimo joined Kobrand in 2005 as the Italian Wine Director. He lives in Brooklyn with his wife and 6 year old son, and tries to make the time every year to return to Italy to visit family as well as suppliers.

For Edna Valley Vineyard's Harry Hansen, the winemaking profession is just the right blend of science and art.

"Inside a lot of winemakers, there's a yearning to do something artistic," says Hansen. "I can't sketch or do sculpture, but I can get the same response from a glass of wine as an artist gets from a beautiful painting. This is the perfect creative outlet for those of us who are analytical, left-brain types."

Hansen grew up in Santa Rosa, Calif., and remembers accompanying his father to local wineries to buy red wine by the jug. "It was 85 cents a gallon," he recalls, "unless you brought your jug back. Then it was 75 cents."

Hansen studied genetics at the University of California, Davis, then received a master's degree in enology there. As enologist and, later, associate winemaker at Gloria Ferrer in Sonoma County, he worked extensively with Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, the grapes at the core of Edna Valley Vineyard's production. A lot of his research and experimentation focused on clonal evaluation.

"I think clonal selection is right up there with site as one the greatest contributors to quality," says Hansen. "It's not that any one clone is the best. No clone is ‘the best.' Different clones in different areas give you different flavors."

Hansen believes that using multiple clones adds complexity and dimension to Pinot Noir. He is particularly enthusiastic about the potential of Pinot Noir from California's Central Coast, where cool summer nights help preserve the grape's color.

"I love being out there looking at the vines, tasting the fruit, listening to the growers," says Hansen, an avid home gardener. "One of the best parts of this job is that I get to spend so much time in the vineyard."

A veteran of 28 vintages in the wine business Pat Henderson is currently Senior Winemaker at Kenwood Vineyards in the Sonoma Valley. In addition to his work at Kenwood, he is also a winemaking instructor at Santa Rosa Junior College where he has taught since 1991. A graduate of the Viticulture and Enology program at the University of California at Davis Pat supplemented his formal education by working at five different wineries while he was going to school. After graduation he worked in both the Napa and Sonoma valleys before taking his first position as head winemaker at Hedges Cellars in Washington State in 1995.

After returning from the Northwest he became winemaker at Valley of the Moon winery where he work for six years before returning to Kenwood Vineyards where he had previously served as enologist 10 years before. Pat is a member of The American Society for Enology and Viticulture as well as the Society of Wine Educators and has recently co-authored the book About Wine; a textbook on wine for culinary students. He has also written articles for Winemaker Magazine and Practical Winery & Vineyard and has judged numerous wine professional competitions.

At Home on the Silverado Bench: Winemaker Ralf Holdenried
A winemaker can spend a lifetime searching for the perfect vineyard. In Ralf Holdenried’s case, the vineyard found him.

With an eclectic mix of winemaking experience that spans two continents, Ralf is right at home at William Hill’s benchland estate along the Silverado Trail in southern Napa Valley. From childhood chores on his family’s vineyard in Germany to crafting small lot wines in Napa Valley, Ralf is perfectly poised to bring his wines from the Silverado Bench onto the world stage.

Building on a Winemaking Heritage
Growing up on his family’s vineyard in Reinhessen, Germany, Ralf gained a profound appreciation for cultivating the land. “Winemaking was part of my everyday life,” Ralf explains. “My upbringing helped me understand the importance of the vineyard in the finished wine.”

After an internship at a boutique winery in Germany, Ralf realized that winemaking was more than just a family duty: “Going through crush there – seeing the dynamics in the cellar, working with the grapes and the land, melding equipment and technology to create something that people care about and enjoy – that really inspired me to pursue wine as a career.”

Ralf studied winemaking and viticulture at Germany’s prestigious University of Geisenheim and worked at several wineries in Reinhessen and Nahe, gaining exposure to the full spectrum of winemaking techniques.

Discovering Napa Valley
Ralf later studied fermentation science, viticulture and enology at the University of California at Davis, where he became fascinated with California’s wine culture. “California offers the freedom to move beyond some of the traditional laws of Old World winemaking,” Ralf explains. “Here, I have the flexibility to go in new directions without being confined by conventional customs.”

Ralf joined E. & J. Gallo Winery’s Sonoma County winemaking team in 1998. He earned his MBA at UC Davis and later became winemaking director of Louis M. Martini’s small lot wines. “At Martini’s artisan winery, Cellar 254, I had the incredible opportunity to work with grapes from some of California’s most coveted sites,” says Ralf. “I was involved in the artistry of winemaking in a very hands-on way.”

Finding a Home at William Hill
Today, Ralf applies his breadth of experience to crafting William Hill’s sophisticated, contemporary wines from the Silverado Bench. “We have only begun to tap into the enormous potential of this region,” says Ralf. “Our 140-acre estate vineyard epitomizes the Silverado Bench –concentrated, flavorful grapes that make soft wines. I hope to express the quality of this region with every vintage.”

This incredible vineyard, tucked away in the hills of Napa Valley, has found itself the ideal winemaker.

You could call it a “paradigm shift,” or you could call it “breakthrough thinking,” or you could simply say Bridlewood winemaker David Hopkins just decided to follow the flavor instead of the marketing plan.

Hopkins noticed that the Syrah grapes he was working with from different corners of California’s Central Coast gave him distinctly different flavors in the wine. While everyone else was focused on the name of the region, and the name of the “terroir”, Hopkins focused on the flavors.

The result is a new Central Coast Syrah in the award-winning tradition of prior Bridlewood vintages: gold medals, best-in-class, editor’s choice, “smart buy.” With 25 years of winemaking experience in California’, he knows what it takes to make great wine.

“My first five years of winemaking, I learned what not to do,” Hopkins says. “But I also learned basic lessons, like how important it is to keep a winery clean, and how important mentoring is in development of your winemaking techniques. I’ve always been lucky to have great mentors.”

“When I worked at a small winery in the Russian River, I learned how to make wine in small batches, how to keep track of all the different flavors, a lot of artesian techniques like barrel fermentation, things you do in a micro-environment.”

“At another winery I learned how to make wine using fruit from five or six different appellations. That was my graduate course in blending. I even spent a year in Oregon, where I learned that California is a better place to make wine that will age well.”

“Along the way I learned that great wine begins in the vineyard and that the Central Coast is hands-down the best place to grow Syrah.”

Hopkins is the perfect personality to pursue the elusive character of the Syrah grape. Made famous by the winemakers of the Rhone River Valley, what all great Syrah has in common is depth, complexity, and a kind of generosity – lots of color, lots of flavor, lots of body. Hopkins makes this kind of wine at Bridlewood, using an Old World sensibility made relevant in a modern context, like the Spanish Colonial design of the winery itself.

He’ll take you right into the vineyard and tell you what he wants when he tastes grapes to call the harvest every year. He lives in his taste buds. He says he likes to go into the vineyards every week with the winegrowers to taste grapes and “pose questions.” The questions are answered in the wine. “I travel around the Central Coast all the time,” Hopkins says. “You have to stay in touch with the vineyards to stay in touch with the flavors.”

With over 30 years of professional experience in the premium wine industry, Larry Maguire brings a wealth of knowledge and insight to his role as partner and president of Far Niente, and partner in sister wineries Dolce and Nickel & Nickel.

The California native took his first job in the wine industry with Napa Valley’s Franciscan winery in 1975. Maguire began with a short tenure in the winery’s tasting room, then moved into sales and marketing, where he learned the intricacies of the fine wine industry under the tutelage of Justin Meyer, a leader in the rebirth of the Napa Valley wine community. Maguire took over as Franciscan’s Western Field Manager in 1977, with responsibility for Northern California and eight western states, and remained in this position until 1983.

At about the same time that Maguire was honing his skills in sales and marketing management, Gil Nickel was laying the groundwork to turn Far Niente into a world-class Napa Valley wine estate. Maguire joined Nickel and his fledgling winery in 1983, charged with developing the winery’s marketing and sales strategy. In 1991, Maguire was named a partner and appointed managing director of Far Niente. In 1997 he became president and CEO of Far Niente. Maguire was named vice chairman of Far Niente and its sister wineries in 2008.

Under Maguire’s leadership, Far Niente has grown from being a small, locally known winery into a critically acclaimed luxury producer. The wines are marketed in the finest wine circles in the United States and several foreign countries. Passionate about wine, he regularly visits the great wine regions of the world, tasting in the cellars and homes of some of Europe’s most acclaimed vintners.

A graduate of St. Mary’s College of California with a degree in Economics, Maguire has also completed marketing strategy courses at the Stanford Graduate School of Business. He is a former instructor of wine education at Napa Valley College; a past president and current member of the board of directors of the Oakville Winegrowers Association; a past Baille of the Napa Valley chapter of the Confrérie de la Chaîne des Rôtisseurs; and a past member of the board of directors for the Wine Service Co-op.

Maguire and his family reside in St. Helena, CA.

photo credit: Kopol Bonick Studio

Winemaker by trade, writer and teacher by hobby, philosopher by heart, Jeff McBride possesses a combination of experiences and skills that serve him well as Vice President, General Manager of Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars, one of the most celebrated and historic winery estates in America.

McBride – who holds degrees in biochemistry and philosophy from the University of Colorado – has nearly three decades of winemaking experience, published a long-running column on winemaking and the environment, and for several years taught a college course on winemaking chemistry and sensory evaluation.

He put down roots in California’s wine country nearly 30 years ago, making wine for the acclaimed Sonoma wineries Kenwood and Dry Creek. In 2003, McBride journeyed to the Napa Valley to oversee Conn Creek winery on the Silverado Trail in the heart of Rutherford. This winery is best known for its Bordeaux-style blend Anthology.

While there, McBride was credited for developing the winery’s AVA program, which sources Cabernet Sauvignon grapes from outstanding vineyards in each of Napa Valley’s 14 distinct sub-appellations. The fruit from these sub-appellations was featured in small-production bottlings to showcase the diverse character of the Napa Valley. The program was so unique, it quickly turned into an interactive consumer experience that offered guests an opportunity to taste wine from barrel from each of the distinct sub-AVAs, and then allowed guests to blend their own wine from any of the barrels.

In 2007, McBride joined Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars and proudly accepted the stewardship of this Napa Valley first-growth estate. “Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars is one of the most distinguished Cabernet Sauvignon producers in the world. I have the privilege of guiding its future by helping to preserve and enhance the legacy of this extraordinary estate,” says McBride.

With his knowledge of both the business and winemaking side of the industry, McBride is well-suited to providing leadership for Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars. He notes, “The history and philosophy that have distinguished this winery for nearly 40 years play important roles in the future of Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars. And now, a new spirit of innovation will take this winery to greater heights.”

In 2008, McBride was elected to the Board of the Napa Valley Vintners, where his leadership skills will benefit the broader Napa Valley community.

Michael Mondavi started Folio with his wife, Isabel; son, Rob; and daughter, Dina in 2004 as an importer, agency and winegrower of quality wines from the world's premiere and emerging wine regions. Folio also provides sales, marketing and public relations services to wine brands from California, Italy, Spain and Austria.

Michael co-founded the Robert Mondavi Winery with his late father, Robert Mondavi, in 1966. He started his career as Vice President of Production at age 23 and was responsible for winemaking until 1974. From 1969 to 1978, Michael served as Vice President of Sales; in 1990, he was named Managing Director and CEO of the Company. Michael was appointed President and CEO following the Company’s public offering in 1994. He was Chairman from 2001 to 2004.

Michael is actively involved in industry affairs and is committed to numerous civic activities. He is a member of the California State Chamber of Commerce Board and is past Chairman and CEO of the Wine Market Council, past President of the Napa Valley Vintners Association, past Chairman of Wine Institute and past Chairman of Winegrowers of California and previous Board Member of the National WWII Museum in New Orleans, LA.

In 1998, Michael was named “Industry Executive of the Year” by The Market Watch Leaders, a group of top industry executives. In 1997, Michael received the “Who’s Who in Food and Wine” award by the James Beard Foundation and, in 1995, he was awarded the “World of Food and Wine” Lifetime Achievement Award.

As the third generation member of the family who owns and operates C. Mondavi & Sons, Peter Mondavi, Jr. now leads the vision for the historic Charles Krug Napa Valley brand. His responsibilities include day-to-day operations such as winemaking and overseeing the 850 acres of Napa Valley estate land, in addition to directing sales and marketing for this brand. As co-proprietor, he works closely with his father and brother, Marc, to carry forward the legacy of the Peter Mondavi Family and steward all of the winery's brands.

The second son of Peter and Blanche Mondavi, Peter Mondavi, Jr. was born in 1958 and raised on the historic winery property. Peter Jr. followed in his father's footsteps by attending Stanford University, where he earned a BS and an MS in Engineering, then an MBA. Peter's engineering background has proved a valuable asset to the winery; he has directed a number of key design projects, including the development of a state-of-the-art winemaking facility. His business education has contributed to the development and execution of the company's long-term strategic plan.

Peter Jr. is overseeing an ambitious, $21.6 million winery and vineyard investment program, focused on replanting the family's 850 acres of prized Napa Valley land and upgrading winemaking operations. The intention is to enhance Charles Krug Winery's reputation as one of Napa Valley's premier properties, centering on the family's tradition of innovation, integrity and quality.

He is a member of numerous wine-related organizations, including the Wine and Food Society of San Francisco and the American Society for Enology and Viticulture. He is a former board member of both the Napa Valley Vintners Association and the Family Winemakers of California.

Mario Monticelli grew up in Northern California, where his Italian-born father sparked his interest in winemaking at an early age. Mario has many childhood memories of visiting his grandparents’ home in Madera, California, where he was exposed to every aspect of the winemaking process; from driving tractors in the vineyards to picking the grapes, Mario experienced it all from grape to glass.

“My grandparents moved to the United States from Italy in the 1950s. Madera had many other Italian families, and resembled a co-op community where families would trade for goods. One guy down the street made cheese, we made wine and we all bartered for everything we needed,” Mario explained.

Mario attended the University of California, Davis and immediately continued his passion for winemaking by selecting viticulture as his major. It was customary for viticulture majors to take a fall semester off in order to work a harvest from start to finish. Mario traveled abroad to his family’s native Italy, where he studied and worked at venerable producer Antinori in the heart of Chianti. Mario, who is fluent in Italian, conducted clonal research on Sangiovese while also putting in time in the cellar during the harvest. Upon his return to the United States, Mario graduated UC Davis with a Bachelor of Science of Viticulture and Enology as well as with a Bachelor of Art of Italian Language.

After college, Mario became the assistant winemaker at Melka Wines, assisting Philippe Melka on some of the most celebrated wines in the Napa Valley, including Quintessa, Hundred Acre, Vineyard 29, Caldwell, and Lail Vineyards, to name a few. After four years under Philippe Melka’s tutelage, Mario took the position as head winemaker for Quixote Winery where he was responsible for all winery operations, including harvest, cellar work, analyses, blending, bottling and vineyard management.

In 2007, Mario became the winemaker for Trinchero Napa Valley. His focus is on the estate grown, single-vineyard selections under the Trinchero Napa Valley label, which showcase the Trinchero family’s significant holdings in the Napa Valley AVA.

“I am a minimalist,” Mario says. “It is my goal to put forth the best expression of the fruit and land from which it is grown. I like to keep things as natural as possible and choose not to use a lot of enzymes and chemicals. The estate vineyards that make up the Trinchero Napa Valley program are some of the most exceptional in the Valley and I’m excited to create wines that reflect the terroir of these individual sites.”

Mario lives in Napa with his wife Anna, who is the winemaker for Piña Cellars. In their spare time, Mario and Anna enjoy time at their cabin in Yosemite where Mario can go hunting for porcini mushrooms.

Margo Van Staaveren will celebrate her 30th harvest at Chateau St. Jean in Fall 2009. She was named “Winemaker of the Year” by Wine Enthusiast Magazine in 2008. During her long tenure with the winery, Margo has played a pivotal role in every facet of the winemaking process. As winemaker, she makes the final decisions involving blend and style to produce consistently high quality wines in the super premium and luxury category.

That’s no small task considering Chateau St. Jean produces an extensive portfolio of Sonoma County wines as well as vineyard designated wines, limited production Reserve wines, and the flagship Cinq Cépages Cabernet Sauvignon. Margo has been instrumental in the production of the Cinq Cépages since the premier 1990 vintage release.

Margo is a firm believer that great wines are grown—a conviction she shares with the Chateau founders who led the way for Chateau St. Jean to become a pioneer of vineyard designated wines in the early 1970s. To achieve Chateau St. Jean vineyard designation, the superior quality of the vineyards must be proven year after year and the grapes must consistently exhibit exceptional varietal character.

The art of blending is the cornerstone of Margo’s winemaking philosophy. To her, one of the greatest accomplishments is to create a wine style or signature blend that carries from vintage to vintage while still capturing the uniqueness of that particular growing year. The Chateau St. Jean Sonoma County wines are appellation blends of a particular varietal. These wines give Margo the opportunity to blend together the distinct characteristics from each sub-appellation in an effort to make the best wine possible from that vintage. “I find that blended wines from the diverse Sonoma County region are even more explosive in their intensely forward fruit flavors,” Margo explains.

One of the things she enjoys most about her job is putting together the final blend for the Reserve wines. “Since no two vintages are alike, it gives us the opportunity to carefully search for the vineyard lots that offer the biggest fruit expression and the ability to age in order to create a wine that truly captures the best of the vintage,” says Margo. The Reserve wines represent the most concentrated, distinctive and balanced wines made at Chateau St. Jean.

Margo Van Staaveren graduated from the University of California at Davis in 1979 with a Bachelor of Science in Fermentation Science. Shortly after graduation, she joined Chateau St. Jean as a Laboratory Technician in 1980. By 1989, she had worked her way to being named Assistant Winemaker and later named Associate Winemaker. Margo was named Winemaker and General Manager for Chateau St. Jean in August of 2003, continuing a rich legacy of winemaking as the fourth winemaker in the winery’s history.

Michael Westrick, vice president of winemaking/winegrowing for Sterling Vineyards®, has created a solid reputation for creating world-class Bordeaux and Burgundy-style wines in his 15-year winemaking career. Mike is applying his winemaking expertise and knowledge to create wines from some of the greatest vineyards in California, which are some of the finest vineyards in the world.

Before bringing his considerable talent and expertise to Sterling Vineyards, Mike was winemaker for Stonestreet, where he crafted highly acclaimed wines and helped grow the brand. Mike’s entry into winemaking came after a distinguished academic career. A love of science and an interest in food microbiology intrigued Mike academically, leading him to the University of Wisconsin at Madison. A ten-year career teaching microbiology at that same university followed his graduate work.

But the academic life was not to be his final calling. His love of food and wine resulted in vacations to the California wine country and it wasn’t long before he realized that winemaking was his passion. Besides, winemaking involves microbiology. So in August of 1989, Mike packed up his bags and moved to California with the hopes of someday joining the ranks of winemakers.

An internship that fall with Hanna Winery, though a challenging vintage, convinced Mike he had made the right decision. The enology and viticulture programs at UC-Davis were next on the agenda, followed by joining Hacienda Winery for a harvest. Mike was hired by Stonestreet Winery as their enologist in 1992, became assistant winemaker in 1994 and was head winemaker for Stonestreet from 1996 to 2004.

Mike and his wife Debbie live in Windsor, California. They enjoy hiking the Pacific Coast, kayaking in Kauai, cooking, gardening, yelling at the Sharks, the Giants and the Forty-Niners, and enjoying great wine in the California sunshine. And, yes, he still follows the Badgers!