The Wine Makers on Radio Misfits

We are on the road this week, traveling to western Sonoma County for a visit with Alex and Breauna Kanzler from Kanzler Vineyards. This famed Goldridge soil vineyard in Sebastopol is only 8 miles from the coast, allowing the grapes to slowly ripen, building complexity. As Danny Fay said before our visit, “you will be in Pinot Heaven”. You can actually do a “farm stay” among the vineyards in their beautiful house with a pool, visit the website for pics and details… Enjoy the show. kanzlervineyards.com Facebook @kanzlerfamilyvineyards Instagram @kanzlervineyards [email protected] 707-827-3874

EP113: This week, Elaine Chukan Brown, aka Hawk Wakawakka returns to the podcast on the heels of her Screaming Eagle visit. We also taste some of the “hottest” celebrity Roses of the Summer. Sam pulls out a special bottle of Chardonnay from Mayacamas, the last vintage of this vineyard. Enjoy… wakawakawinereviews.com @hawk_wakawaka

Scott Kirkpatrick and Allison Watkins started Mountain Tides Wine in 2016 with a single vision, explore Petite Sirah in all of its forms. Unique vineyard sites and an openness to stylistic differences from a lot of other Petite Sirah on “the market” sets them apart and makes them unique. Being artists, they take a thoughtful approach to wine making and life in general, creativity is the journey and quality is the goal. Check out their story… mountaintideswine.com [email protected] 989-492-6681 @mountaintides @cellaringscott @_allisonwatkins  

EP111: Bart, Sam & Brian sit down and talk about the rapidly approaching harvest. Sam saves Brian’s birthday by showing up with some good Rose. Grenache day is around the corner and Sam is getting ready for a Vinyl Sunday. Check it out…

Steve Law and his wife Heather have moved into a new location, away from the square, to a country setting more suited to their warm and inviting personalities. The wines are always on another level, high-quality but different than other wines. Rose, Sav Blanc, Viognier, Pinot and Syrah, from a Scottish man that trained in France and now living in the New World. Hope you enjoy… maclarenwine.com

EP109: We finish up our swing through Paso Robles with a trip to Tablas Creek, the epicenter of Rhone varieties in California. The guys sit down with Nathan Stuart, he and his dog Maya tend the bio-dynamic flock of over 200 sheep that keep this land in balance. The partnership between the Haas and Perrin families has advanced the spread of Rhone varieties in the New World and created some world-class wines. We talk about the history of the winery and touch on carbon-farming and desertification. Check out the TED talk by Allan Savory on

EP108: Brian and Bart travel to San Luis Obispo to sit down with Vicki Carroll, she runs the premier wine event Hospice du Rhone, annually at Blackberry Farm in Tennessee and bi-annually in Paso Robles. We open a bottle of rose and talk about and her work with some of the wine industries legends. hospicedurhone.org

EP107: Bart & Brian go to Paso Robles to see Melani Harding, a former guest on the show, who now owns her own winery, Bon Niche Cellars. Melani introduces us to Leon Tackitt from Tackitt Family Vineyards down the road. So great to see Mel and Barley Von Doodle living their dream, check it out. bonniche.com tackittfamilyvineyards.com Instagram @bonnichecellars Instagram @barleyvondoodle

EP106: This week we catch Sam on his way to a tasting, so we run through his entire portfolio. Bart introduces us to a six dollar Vino Verde and Brian asks why there is no 100 point Rose’s.

Troika Wines is a newer winery based in Carneros but sourcing grapes from a wide variety of vineyard sites. Jeff and a couple of his good friends decided to start making wine, their first release was a Merlot made by famed consultant Phillipe Melka. Now with Sir John, they are making Pinot, Sav Blanc and Rose of Grenache. Check it out. troikawines.com [email protected] 707-492-8213

Jess Wade is a Sonoma native with strong ties to the community and our service industry. He is a “jack-of-all-trades” when it comes to wine, working in the vineyards, both here and abroad, tending to the cellar, and now creating his own label, Topophilia Wines. Jess makes small lots of hand-crafted Rose and Pinot Noir. He is in the process of planting Grenache on his family property. Enjoy… www.topophiliawines.com Instagram – @topophiliawines

Our friends, Jeff Cohn from Sonoma, Anne Charlotte from France, have teamed up to make one barrel of wine, a blend of Syrah, Grenache and Mourvedre from the Chateauneuf du Pape. We sit down and get the story behind the wine and taste some recent releases. Check it out! jeffcohncellars.com lafontduloup.com

Eric Story & Alison Smith Story started their small wine brand Smith Story Wine Cellars in 2014, funded by Kickstarter, sourcing small lots from family-owned vineyards. They met while working for K&L Wine Merchants and used their combined talents to create one of the most unique brands in wine country. Their dog, Lord Sandwich, has become an inspiration for some fun projects and is an Instagram celebrity. smithstorywinecellars.com Twitter Instagram Facebook 707-494-5575

EP101: The guys open some nice wines and reflect on the past 100 shows. We discuss the rain and its affect on the crop this season. Huge thanks to all of our listeners out there, you are truly appreciated. Here’s to another 100 shows. Cheers !!

Wine writer Elaine Chukan Brown, a.k.a. Hawk Wakawaka, joins the show and talks about her journey from Alaska to wine country. What a strange trip indeed, from a 1-900 psychic operator to a contributing writer for Wine & Spirits Magazine and organizing seminars for some of the most talented Master Som’s in the world. This is a great show, grab a glass and check it out! wakawakawinereviews.com @hawk_wakawaka

The Wine Makers sit down with our friend Ian Blessing, former sommelier at French Laundry and Bouchon, now working for the “premier” Cab producer in California. We’ll let him tell the story…..

The guys sit down with Rande Feldman & Aaron Cherny from the newly released Source & Sink Wines. Two guys from Chicago meet in Sonoma and start a new brand with unique varietals and a fresh attitude. sourceandsinkwine.com

From her first un-oaked Chardonay to a true array of beautiful whites and reds. Cindy is one of Sonoma’s best! “Passaggio, Italian for ‘pass through’, reflects my winemaking journey; new adventures with each vintage, exploring traditional and off-the-beaten-path varieties. I’m fortunate to be able to source hard to find grape varietals along with traditional ones.” – Cindy Cosco. passaggiowines.com @passaggio Twitter @passaggio_wines Instagram

The guys sit down this week with Blair Guthrie from Guthrie Family Wines. From beginnings as a graphic designer in New Zealand to one of the valley’s more interesting winemakers, Blair brings his youth, direction, energy and fun to his diverse line-up. He is also a long term winemaker for Stewart Cellars, making big, beautiful Napa cabs and more. guthriefamilywines.com

EP95: Without a doubt, one of the most wonderful afternoons we’ve ever had at The WineMakers, was when Jean Arnold Sessions dropped by this week. Jean has been one of more influential people in the wine business in Sonoma, whether guiding business and marketing strategy as a consultant or being CEO of one the few iconic wineries, Hanzell. Jean prides herself on her story telling and this show is one of our best. Enjoy. @WineScoutJAS FB: jeanlarnold [email protected] jeanarnoldgroup.com

The guys sit down with Jillian, owner and winemaker at Onesta and talk about how she gets to “travel up and down the West Coast, finding solutions for other winemaker’s problems” while making beautiful single-vineyard Rhône varieties that are true expressions of the place. Most of it is sold directly to the consumer, sold through the wine club and out of her tasting space at Feast it Forward in Napa. Johnson is launching a new brand, one she says “morphs honesty to guilty pleasure”: Mentida—a Spanish word for “a little lie.” With Mentida, she’ll focus on blends of different vineyards. www.onestawines.com

Jennifer started raft wines in 2016 with the goal of making high quality wines for everyday consumption. Her father, Jim Reichardt, started Sonoma County Poultry in 1992 and has been supplying ducks to all of the top restaurants in California ever since. Listen to his story on “the bite goes on” podcast, available on the Radio Misfits Podcast Network. raftwines.com libertyducks.com

This week The Wine Makers get their travel visas stamped and crossed the boarder into Napa County to meet with a man who changed the wine business forever the legendary Mark Pope, founder of The Bounty Hunter.

EP91: Every once in a while a business proposition comes along that simply commands attention. One of those ideas has hit the wine industry and it is Nakedwines. We trek to Napa for a sit down with Alex Farber and team to find out just exactly what these “disrupters” are all about. At every turn of the conversation we were struck by their exactlng standards, comittment to quality and to wine itself. So make your own wine, make your statement to the world, be an Angel or just enjoy when you open the box… It’s all fascinating and Hey we even have our own Promo Code. Use this at the end of the show for a special deal from Nakedwines -> https://us.nakedwines.com/misfit  

The Original WineMakingNomad visits the podcast to talk Wine, work and the passions of his life. Danny Fay and his wonderful partner Katie,discuss life as a GM of Kanzler Wines and the excitement of creating their new wines under the “Hill of Tara” brand. From life on the road in France and around the world to the fun of everyday life, Danny always brings a great attitude and style to the podcast. Join us for a really enjoyable show.

Anne-Charlotte is a charming, fun and extremely talented wine maker from the Châteauneuf-du-Pape region of France. Her unique soils and forest that protects her vineyards from the mighty Mistral winds allow her to make wines with finesse and elegance. Raised in a castle near La Crau, her closest neighbor is the world-renowned Vieux Telegraphe. One day while dropping her father off at the airport for a project he had started in Morocco, he handed her the keys to the winery and told her “you are now in charge”..Since that day, Anne has made some of the most beautiful wines in the world and we are honored to call her a friend. A very fun podcast…. Mail: [email protected] Web: http://www.lafontduloup.com

Podcasting from the Epicenter of organic grape farming and wine making, Winery Sixteen600, the guys sit down with Phil Coturri for a truly fascinating conversation.

The guys sit down for a real life look at being a Master Sommelier with the star of first Somm movie, Ian Cauble. Co-founder of SommSelect Wines, Ian talks all things wine and life after the movies…which sounds pretty damn good.

Garrett Sathrelays out his Manifesto on Valley wineries and it’s another awesome marketing lesson in the making. Seriously, where’s the love from the wineries? When did it go out of style to be genuine?

The guys head north to talk with Barry Herbst, ‘Head-Guy-In-Charge’ at Bottle Barn, Santa Rosa. You know you’re in the right business when so many of the Wine Folks in NorCal buy their wine, beer and more from your choice of 6000skus. Gotta love the French and Italian 6 packs-to-go on line too.

The guys podcast from the Atmospheric River covering most of Northern California. John answers a couple of email questions from Nakedwines.com and thinks he’s an expert. Sam wants Cannabis AVAs’. No Roundup! Sam’s new Kosher wine. The Sonoma Index Tribune photographer takes our photos for the paper. Enjoy.

Roaming the world and looking for an Idle Moment, Ben Larks is one of the more colorful people in the California wine world. Enjoy one of our most entertaining interviews as we talk the ying and yang of life as micro-winery entrepreneur. Join the Idle Movement! Idlecellars.com

This week The Wine Makers go “on the road” to Victor, a small town near Lodi, Ca. to meet with Tegan Passalacqua. Most people will know Tegan as the wine maker for Turley Wine Cellars, but he has another, small brand called Sandlands that gets a lot of attention from people “in the know”. These wines are made from lesser-known vineyards, most outside of Sonoma and Napa. Tegan recently purchased a house and a historic meat processing plant in Victor with plans to convert it into a production facility for his Sandlands wines. He is also the founder of the Historic Vineyard Society, a non-profit whose only goal is to identify and save old-vine vineyards in California.Tegan took us on a tour of the vineyards in the surrounding area and we ran into Markus Bokisch, you can see this on our Instagram feed… @winemakerspod www.turleywinecellars.com www.sandlandsvineyards.com @ownrooted on Instagram

The guys are back for the New Year and bring you one of the most fascinating talks with anyone in the wine business, Tim Wallace, former President of Benziger Family Wines and currently the Executive in Residence at Sonoma State Wine Business Institute. This show is literally worth thousands of dollars in wine marketing and branding lessons. Enjoy.

We hope your holidays are excellent and filled with great wine. Listen now to find out how to win a limited-edition Sixteen600 tie-dyed T-shirt! We’re back Jan. 4, 2019

Bart and Brian take a road trip to West Sacramento and sit down with Craig Haarmeyer, owner-winemaker Haarmeyer Wine Cellars. Sacramento terroir is the focus. He makes small batches of Chenin Blanc, Nebbiolo, Mataro, Syrah and Zin, their purity and soul shine through, winemaking at its finest from a historic warehouse facility. Thoughtful and non-apologetic, Craig makes wine that he wants to drink. Give it a listen and catch the “Sacramento Buzz”….

EP78: The Wine Makers team sits down with Todd Jolly talking wine, sports and our awesome listeners. Our favorite wine sales guy from Sonoma’s Best has lots of Holiday hints for listeners with Bubbly and French imports. We enjoy the Sonoma wine community and celebrate California liquid sunshine, wine and Equator Coffee. A special shout out to Dane Cellars for their incredible scores at the San Francisco International Wine Competition.

EP77: We sit down with Csaba Szacal and talk vineyards in Napa and Sonoma valleys, their fruit and the passion of winemaking. Steeped in four generations of Hungarian winemaking, Szakál’s approach is a mix of old-world tradition and new-world innovation. Csaba is passionate about Sonoma County Russian River coastal pinot noir and high-elevation cabernet sauvignon from three Napa Valley mountaintop AVA’s. “[En Garde] wines show a fragrant complexity that seems something this winery obtains routinely.” – Robert Parker Engardewinery.com

Raj Iyer was raised in India, where his father let him try Chablis at a very young age. He recalls that memory in the wines he makes today from two famed Sangiacamo vineyards. A chance meeting on the Sonoma square connects Raj with the famous artist who created his beautiful labels. The passion and thoughtfulness come through clearly in his wines. We recorded this episode at the Rhone Room, owned by Sondra Bernstein from The Girl & The Fig. Sondra sits down and reveals her newest project, a podcast about food called “The Bite Goes On” http://www.oceanschurning.com https://www.facebook.com/OceansChurning/ 1-707-583-6819  

This week the guys sit down with Tres Goetting of Robert Biale Vineyards in Napa. From a history of delivering jug wine in Napa to the leading producer of Zin in Napa, Biale wines are now crafted and overseen by Tres Goetting. Tres is both a tremendous musician and an extraordinarily talented wine maker. We talk about their vineyards, the highest quality fruit and Tres’s own style of crafting these excellent wines. You’ll also hear Tres talk about his new line “Aesop Wines”. Robert Biale Vineyards: Instagram: @bialevineyards Facebook: Robert Biale Vineyards Twitter: @BialeVineyards Pinterest: Robert Biale Vineyards Website: https://biale.com/ Aesop Wines: Instagram: @aesopwines Website: https://www.aesopwines.com/

The guys sit down to cover Harvest 2018 in all its beauty. Sam and Bart report that while harvest may be complete, there is still lots of ‘round the clock work to be done. They’re joined by Isabel Gassier from Nimes, France and talk about the upcoming Grenache release and creating new wines in the style Philippe Cambie.

Chris Leonard takes a very thoughtful and tactical approach to making his wines and works with Roussanne and Zinfandel exclusively. How does a kid from Missouri end up making wine in California? Sometimes a chance meeting at Stinson Beach with a woman who happens to work for Caymus. Daan Smeets, Restaurant Man for 38 North and Sante sits in and teaches us about Dutch wines and that crazy language. Leonard Wine Company leonardwineco.com 1801 Park Avenue, Napa, CA 94558

The Wine Makers proudly bring you an exceptional interview with the Godfather of Zin, Joel Peterson. From his early days and the beginnings of Ravenswood, to his current passion, the Once & Future Wine Company, Joel takes us on a journey through the world of wine like no one else can. Simply fascinating. Onceandfuturewine.com

After her journey from South Carolina and Italy to Robert Biale Vineyards and Spottswoode in Northern California, Stephanie Cook is on a mission to create beautiful single vineyard designate wines while living life to the fullest and keeping a true sense of balance. With special guest Jeff Cohn. http://wondermentwines.com

The guys sit down with yet another Sonoma County Icon, David Ramey. From his years in France at Chateau Petrus to Healdsburg CA., David Ramey is known as one of California’s best and most respected winemakers. His efforts have helped shape the way many wines in the US are made today. David lets us in on his own philosophies of wine making and life making for a truly authentic and tremendously interesting show. http://www.rameywine.com

The guys talk it up with Cathy Huyghe, CEO and Co- Founder of Enolytics, Author of: Hungry for Wine, Seeing the World through the Lens of a Wine Glass and columnist for Forbes and Inc. magazines. A really fun episode that digs deep into understanding how and what consumers really think about wine. Of course, we taste, talk and laugh as Cathy helps put the World of Wine under analysis.

This episode was recorded at Suite D in Sonoma, where Sondra Bernstein was hosting an International Grenache Day party. We sat down with iconic wine maker Randall Grahm, founder of the Bonny Doon winery. Randall is a true pioneer in the wine world and a hero to the Rhone community. Robert Joseph is a wine maker for Le Grand Noir, a winery in the Languedoc- Roussilon. He has also written over 20 books on wine and is a former journalist for the London Sunday Telegraph. www.bonnydoonvineyard.com www.legrandnoir.com

The guys sit down with one of the men that really started the Sonoma wine scene, Mike Benziger. Sitting in Mike’s huge organic garden we talk history, wine and life. A Very special show, enjoy.

To say that Richard Arrowood is a Sonoma Legend is both true and an understatement. Richard Arrowood is an iconic winemaster who has been making wine exclusively in Sonoma County for more than for 50+ years. From 1974 through 1990, he created the wines for Chateau St. Jean, where he developed some of the first vineyard-designate Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon produced in Sonoma County. He has worked closely with Phil Coturri over the years to produce the best fruit with absolutely the best field management principles. He and his wife, Alis, founded Arrowood Winery with the 1985 vintage. Each year, they made extraordinary small-lot varietals and vineyard designates. Richard was the winemaster at Arrowood Winery until June 2010, when he resigned his position to devote himself full-time to making wines for his estate winery, Amapola Creek Vineyards and Winery. Facebook: @amapolacreek Twitter: @amapolacreek Instagram: amapolacreekwinery Winery Address: 392 London Way, Sonoma, CA 95476 Mailing address: P.O. Box 1987, Glen Ellen, CA 95442 PH: 707-938-3783

This week the guys sit down with Jeff Cohn, owner/winemaker Jeff Cohn Cellars in Sonoma. Jeff recently received some very high scores for his last release and we were lucky enough to try his newest wines before anyone else. Shortly after the recording of this show, we were told about the passing of Kent Rosenblum, he was a great mentor to many including Jeff Cohn. His spirit lives on through the wines he made and the wine lovers he touched.” https://www.jeffcohncellars.com/ Sonoma Tasting Room: T | 707-938-8343 E | [email protected] Alameda Admin Office: T | (510) 465-5900 E | [email protected]