One thing always leads to another in life. For vintners and whiskey makers, Mark and Sherri Carter, this is no exception. Mark began making wine in 1998 after falling in love with the Napa Valley wine country while collecting wines for his grand award wine list at his Restaurant 301 at the Hotel Carter, on the Redwood Coast of California. The Carter Cellars portfolio focuses on world-famous Napa Valley vineyards such as the famed Beckstoffer To Kalon, Las Piedras, Missouri Hopper, Bourn, as well as Weitz, Fortuna and Hossfeld. All of the wines are made at Envy Wines, their Estate Winery located in Calistoga, at the north end of the Napa Valley. Each wine is crafted with exquisite attention to detail from vine to bottle. The focus is on perfectly balanced wines showcasing both ripeness and barrel integration seamlessly blended to produce wines that delight the sense. This approach has produced results the Carters are very proud of; specifically, ten perfectly scored 100 point wines from critics such as Jeb Dunnuck, Lisa Perotti-Brown and Robert Parker.

As the hotel and restaurant led to winemaking, so winemaking led the Carters to the whiskey world. They became involved in the whiskey business several years ago when they partnered with a Kentucky friend to resurrect a long dormant bourbon brand. That brand did well and sold in 2017, but by then the Carters were hooked on the process of making and blending whiskies, as well as the state of Kentucky. So they started Old Carter Whiskey Company to carry on their love affair with whiskey making. They now produce Straight Ryes, Bourbons and American Whiskey in Kentucky and have a private Old Carter showroom in Louisville. As with their wine, the Carters strive for perfect balance in their barrel-strength whiskies, showcasing dynamic flavors and full bodied mouthfeel. Mark and Sherri handle all aspects of the business themselves, from creating new blends and selecting single barrels, to designing and handwriting each individua label per bottling. It is a very hands-on approach and has allowed them to continue to create together, which is what they really love to do.

Dr. Laura Catena is a Harvard and Stanford trained physician and the founder of the Catena Institute of Wine in Argentina in 1995. She is Managing Director of Catena Zapata (est. 1902), and owner of Luca and La Posta wines (established in 1999) and Domaine Nico (first vintage in 2016).  

Laura is recognized internationally as the “face” of Argentine wine for her active role in promoting the Mendoza wine region and Argentine Malbec.  

In March 2020, Laura’s second book, Gold in the Vineyards, a beautifully illustrated compilation of the world’s most celebrated vineyards, was released in North America and Europe. Originally published in 2017 by Catapulta (in Spanish, Portuguese and English), it received the award of “Best in the World for Wine History” from the Gourmand Cookbook Awards, and positive reviews in Forbes, The Washington Post, The Drinks Business, Decanter and The Wine Economist. With the initial printing rapidly selling out, a second printing is on its way for distribution by Quarto in North America and Europe. Laura is currently working on a Chinese version of Gold in the Vineyards with Professor Li Demei, which will include three Chinese wineries.  

Her first book, Vino Argentino: An Insider’s Guide to the Wines and Wine Country of Argentina was published by Chronicle Books in 2010. Laura and Catena’s head winemaker, Alejandro Vigil, are currently completing Malbec Mon Amour, an illustrated book, rich in storytelling about the history of Malbec, its geology and terroir. It will be published in Spanish, Portuguese, French, and English (estimated release date, February 2021). 

In 2017, Laura and her sister Adrianna, an Oxford University PhD in History, created the first wine label that tells the story of a grape variety. The wine, Catena Zapata’s Malbec Argentino, was launched through the premiere of an interactive play about the history of Malbec as told through the voices of the four women on the label: Eleanor of Aquitaine, Laura’s great grandmother Ana Mosceta de Catena, Phylloxera and the new generation of Catena women. The play was performed throughout Europe, Latin America and the United States at various wine festivals and tastings. Laura herself performed the play at the Nantucket Wine Festival and at Balvanera restaurant in Manhattan. The play and the label have been a resounding success in sales and on social media.  

Also, in 2017, Laura and Catena Zapata were featured in an episode of Wine Enthusiast’s “It Starts with Wine” documentary wine series, which gained “top Amazon Prime Video streaming” status during its launch week. 

Laura had not originally intended to follow in her father Nicolas’ footsteps at the one hundred-year-old family winery. After graduating magna cum laude from Harvard University, with a Medical Doctor degree from Stanford, she decided to specialize in Emergency Medicine.  

The turning point came in the 1990’s, when Laura started accompanying her father to international wine events in the U.S. and Europe. A trip to France, introducing Laura to some of the great winemaking families of Bordeaux, developed Laura’s love of wine further and her enthusiasm for the family wine business grew. She was aware of the perceived industry view at the time – that Argentina did not have the right terroir to produce great wines. Inspired and encouraged by Nicolas’ ambition and his decades of winemaking research, Laura resolved to help her father realize his dream of “making Argentine wines that would stand with the best of the world.” 

In 1995, Laura founded the Catena Institute of Wine (CIW) with the goal of using science to understand the Mendoza terroir and to elevate Argentine wine on the world wine stage. What followed was the first Massale and clonal selection of pre-phylloxeric Malbec in the world and in-depth studies of high-altitude terroir. The CIW has collaborated with key universities locally, in the U.S. and globally (UC Davis, University of Bordeaux and University of Burgundy), publishing research in over 30 articles in major scientific wine journals (see appendix). The CIW also developed Argentina’s Sustainability Code (instituted in 2010), now widely used by Argentina’s wine industry. Laura is proud to closely support her team at the Institute, many coming from small farming villages, and moving through their studies and doctorates through the Institute’s work-study program. 

Since Laura became Managing Director of Catena Zapata in 2009, the winery has received six “100 Points” ratings from top international wine critics such as Robert Parker and James Suckling, leading to Adrianna Vineyard being called “the Grand Cru of South America.” Other important accolades include Drinks International World’s Most Admired Wine Brand (2020), Wine Enthusiast’s South American Winery of The Year (2010), thirteen times “Top 100 Winery” from Wine & Spirits Magazine, Robert Parker’s The Wine Advocate Best Winery in Argentina (2017) and Vivino’s Wine Style Awards winner three years in a row (2017, 2018, 2019). 

Laura has been featured in The Oprah Magazine as one of the World’s Top Women Vintners in October 2010. Her work has appeared in the The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Food & Wine, La Nación, Decanter and The Economist 1843 Magazine in an article about the Catena Institute titled “Argentine Wine’s Premier Cru.”  

Eduardo Chadwick, fifth generation of his family to be involved in the wine business, has overseen the modernization of Viña Errázuriz to raise it among the world’s finest. Drinks International has named it one of the “Top 5 World’s Most Admired Brands” for three consecutive years, and it has received the first “Robert Parker Wine Advocate Extraordinary Winery Award” as the “Best Chilean Winery 2017”. 

Eduardo also counts among his achievements Chile’s first international joint venture in 1995, when he and Robert Mondavi formed a partnership to create Seña, a world-class wine that would initiate the path for making Ultra-Premium wines in Chile. 

He has long been an active ambassador for his country´s image and in 2004 he hit upon a winning strategy for drawing attention to fine Chilean wines, The Berlin Tasting; a special blind tasting where he pitted his Icon wines against the world´s most famous Grand Crus of Bordeaux and Super Tuscans. To everyone’s surprise, his wine Viñedo Chadwick 2000 came on top, opening the eyes of international critics to the quality of Chilean wines. 

Most recently, Eduardo Chadwick was awarded the prestigious title of “Decanter Man of the Year” for devoting his life to the service of fine wine and recognized excellence in the wine world. 

Having lived a significant portion of his life overseas, Henry Cornell learned early on that wine is an excellent way to connect with people of different cultures. He always brings a bottle of wine to lunch or dinner; it’s an icebreaker. And while a lifetime of tasting, reading, learning and collecting naturally led to an appreciation of European wines, when it came time to start his own wine venture – the logical conclusion to this lifelong love of wine – Henry settled on California.

Time spent in the 1970’s as a young adult in San Francisco acquainted him with some of the “classic” California Cabernets – wines like BV, Montelena, Raymond, Heitz – and it was a wine profile Henry never forgot. When he first saw the property that would become Cornell Vineyards, he was enamored by the sheer beauty and history of the property. It drew him in and he knew he had to make a wine from this place.

Like her husband Henry, Vanessa Cornell shares a deep connection with their property and firmly believes in creating an ethos where care for both the land and the people working on it go hand in hand. Having been moved by this place, Vanessa was inspired to launch an artist in residence program and begin the development of a culinary garden that will live among the vineyards.

Together, Henry and Vanessa lead a team of talented wine industry professionals from Napa and Sonoma, who are manifesting their dream of building a legacy and making a world-class wine that is worthy of the place it was born.

Vanessa is the founder of NUSHU Society, a women’s membership community grounded in wellness and empowerment. In addition, she serves on the Leadership Council of the Mt. Sinai Children’s Health and Development Institute and is involved in women’s alumnae initiatives at her alma maters, St. Paul’s School and Harvard College. Passions include surfing, rock climbing, contemporary Japanese ceramics and wine.

Henry is the founder of Cornell Capital and sits on the board of trustees of Mount Sinai Hospital, the Whitney Museum of American Art, The Asia Society, and the Navy SEAL Foundation, and is also a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.

Henry and Vanessa reside in New York with their five children and return to their team at Cornell Vineyards often.

Véronique Boss-Drouhin grew up in Beaune, in the heart of Burgundy. She decided on a winemaking career at an early age, inspired by her family and also the small circle of women working in wine at the time. In the years since, Véronique has become globally-recognized for her work in Burgundy and Oregon. She has made more than 30 vintages in each growing region, and is considered an icon in both. In 2019, she was awarded the Légion d’Honneur, France’s highest award of merit.  

Today, Véronique continues to make every wine for Domaine Drouhin Oregon, the winery that the Drouhins established in the Willamette Valley in 1987. In Burgundy, her title is “Guardian of the Drouhin Palate,” which makes her responsible for maintaining the Drouhin style and sensibility in every wine the family produces.  

As Véronique says: “each vintage is different, challenging, and interesting in its own way. I couldn’t imagine anything better!” 

David Duncan

CEO of Silver Oak and Twomey since 2002, David R. Duncan is best known for his commitment to quality and continuous improvement—from identifying new vineyard sites to developing sustainable ethos that permeates the company’s culture. 

From 2006-2008, David led the rebuild of Silver Oak’s Napa Valley winery, which became the first commercial winery in the world to achieve LEED Platinum status (Existing Buildings, Operations and Maintenance). 

Silver Oak then became the first North American winery to own and operate an American oak barrel cooperage in 2015 when the Duncan family purchased The Oak Cooperage in Higbee, Missouri. 

Most recently, David steered the planning and construction of Silver Oak’s new flagship winery in the Alexander Valley. The new winery is the first in the world to achieve “net positive energy, net positive water status” and earn LEED Platinum certification (Building, Design and Construction). In April of 2020, Silver Oak’s Alexander Valley winery became the largest, certified Living Building in the world.  

In addition to acquiring OVID Napa Valley in 2017, the Duncan family also founded Twomey Cellars in 1999 and Timeless Napa Valley in 2020.  

Currently on the board of First Western Trust Bank in Colorado, David has also held past roles as Chairman of the St. Helena Hospital Foundation and Co-Chairman of the St. Helena Montessori School capital campaign. He was also previously Chairman of the Northern California Chapter of the Young Presidents Organization.  

When not making wine, David plays guitar and sings with the Silverado Pickups, a band he co-founded. David lives in St. Helena with his wife, Kary, an M.D. with a private dermatology practice, and their three children. 

Karynne O. Duncan, MD

An accomplished medical professional with a private dermatology practice in the Napa Valley, Dr. Kary Duncan has been actively involved in serving her community both as a physician and as a volunteer. For more than a decade she served on the Board of Directors at OLE Health, a non-profit community health center that serves one in four residents in the Napa Valley. In 2014, she and her husband, David, co-chaired Auction Napa Valley with Jeff and Valerie Gargiulo, raising the most money at a wine auction in U.S. history. Kary and David were also co-chairs of the capital campaign at the St. Helena Montessori School and were instrumental in propelling the school from a one-room-schoolhouse to a state-of-the-art campus that now provides education from the toddler years through eighth grade. Lastly, Kary and David have been ardent supporters of the St. Helena Hospital and in 2016 the “Kary and David Duncan Endowed Chair for Medical Innovation” was established.

Dr. Duncan is board certified in both Internal Medicine and Dermatology. Before moving to the Napa Valley, she was on faculty at the University of Colorado School of Medicine in the departments of Internal Medicine and Dermatology. She also served as the Assistant Chief of Medicine at the University of Colorado Hospital. In addition to running her own private practice in St. Helena, Dr. Duncan remains active in the world of academic dermatology. She a clinical instructor at the Yale School of Medicine’s Department of Dermatology and is a member of the test writing committee for the American Board of Dermatology. She has published numerous papers and book chapters and in 2014 co-authored, with 3 other colleagues, a dermatology textbook entitled Dermatology Essentials.

At Silver Oak and Twomey Cellars, she was instrumental in the rebuild of the Napa Valley winery as a key advisor on architecture and design issues and serves as a “family ambassador” at winery events, including those that support the philanthropic organizations with which she and David are closely involved. Kary lives in St. Helena with her husband and three children, Connor, Maeve, and Jack.

Grace and Ken Evenstad founded Domaine Serene in the Dundee Hills of Oregon in 1989 with a mission to produce world class Pinot Noir. The Evenstads had faith and confidence in Oregon early on, before there was a national market for domestic Pinot Noir.

Today, Domaine Serene produces wines from six individual vineyard estates, planted exclusively to Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Each estate offers a diversity of soils, clones, rootstocks, microclimates, slopes, and elevations that add distinguishing complexity and elegance to the wines. In total, the Evenstads own over 1,000 acres of land in the hills of Yamhill County, with 300 acres planted to vine.

In 2001, the Evenstads completed construction of their current state-of-the art, five-level, gravity flow Pinot Noir winery. In Spring 2018, they completed a new winery dedicated solely to the production of Chardonnay and Sparkling wine, the first of its kind in Oregon. The wineries are located on the beautiful Winery Hill Estate in the world-class Dundee Hills AVA. In 2017, Domaine Serene opened a new best-in-class hospitality center, the Clubhouse at Domaine Serene, that defined the landscape of fine wine hospitality in the Pacific Northwest.

In 2015, Ken and Grace acquired Château de la Crée, the respected wine estate located in the birthplace of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, the renowned Côte d’Or. They are the only Oregon-based vintners to own land and produce wines in Burgundy, France. Parcels are owned in 18 vineyards throughout the Côte de Beaune in Pommard, Volnay, Meursault, Puligny-Montrachet, Chassagne-Montrachet, Santenay and Maranges, 40% of which are Premier Cru.

In 2021, the Evenstads expanded their Burgundian vineyard holdings by taking control of the renowned Domaine Christian Confuron et fils estate. This 15-acre expansion increased Evenstad Estates’ vineyard footprint in the Côte d’Or by roughly 60%, adding vineyards in the Côte de Nuits to current holdings in the Côte de Beaune. The estate is comprised of prestigious Grand Cru vineyard blocks in Bonnes Mares and Clos de Vougeot, Premier Cru parcels in Chambolle-Musigny and Nuits-Saint-Georges, and village blocks in Comblanchien, Gilly-lès-Cîteaux, and Premeaux-Prissey.

Having achieved his goal of making the world’s finest Pinot Noir many times over, Ken Evenstad passed away at the age of 77 in October 2020. Under the guidance of Grace Evenstad, his legacy lives on as Domaine Serene remains focused on excellence in a never-ending quest to produce world-class Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Domaine Serene’s wines represent the achievement that
is possible in Oregon, one of the finest regions in the world for Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.

Recent Accolades:
In 2020, Domaine Serene was the most awarded winery at the Decanter World Wine Awards, securing 23 medals including one platinum medal, five gold medals, 17 silver medals, and one bronze medal.

In 2019, London’s renowned Decanter magazine awarded Domaine Serene five gold medals at the Decanter World Wine Awards.

In 2018, Grace and Ken were recipients of Wine Spectator’s highest honor, the Distinguished Service Award. The award, given once a year, is a tribute to those that have made significant and long-lasting contributions to the wine industry.

Wine Spectator’s Top 100 Wines of 2016 named Domaine Serene’s 2014 Evenstad Reserve Chardonnay the best white wine in the world.

In 2016, London’s Decanter magazine named Domaine Serene’s 2012 Winery Hill Pinot Noir the top Pinot Noir in the world at the Decanter World Wine Awards.

As a lifetime farmer, Jeff Gargiulo has always been passionate about the land and agricultural, and today that passion is focused on grape growing and fine wine making. Thirty years ago, he and his wife Valerie dreamed of one day building a premier wine estate. That dream took shape in the early 1980s when Jeff and Valerie and their young family traveled to Napa Valley to visit Valerie’s cousins, Barney and Belle Rhodes. Napa Valley icons, Barney and Belle Rhodes had been in the Napa Valley since the late 1960s growing grapes in Rutherford at Bella Oaks Vineyard. Jeff and Valerie were inspired by their cousin’s Napa Valley lifestyle and confident that with their help and Jeff’s agricultural knowledge they could achieve their dream and make some of the finest wines in the world. Twelve years later and with countless hours of coaching from Barney and Belle, Jeff and Valerie purchased their first vineyard in Oakville, Napa Valley, Money Road Ranch in 1992. Seven years later they purchased their second Oakville property, 575 OVX. 

From the beginning, the Gargiulo’s were committed to creating a world class Cabernet Sauvignon wine estate. From his years spent farming, Jeff Gargiulo, knew that if he didn’t start with the very best land, he could never expect to grow the best grapes. For this reason, the Gargiulo’s chose Oakville to establish their namesake winery. Then, like today, Oakville was considered to be amongst the preeminent places to grow Cabernet Sauvignon in the world. The very first vintage of Gargiulo Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon was 2000, and since then Gargiulo Vineyards has quietly taken its place among the most highly regarded Cabernet Sauvignon producers in Napa Valley. Not ones to rest on their laurels, Jeff, Valerie, daughter, April and the entire Gargiulo Vineyards’ team continue to strive to make Gargiulo wines the most pure and breathtaking expressions of their two esteemed Oakville vineyards. 

Elisabetta Gnudi Angelini’s parents were from Bologna, but she was born in Rome and grew up there, and does not come from a family of wine producers. She worked in the film industry for many years as a producer and co-partner of Luca Barbareschi, and in the pharmaceutical sector.

Fascinated by the countryside and wine, which she considers a world of strong deep-rooted values, different to those of the film industry, and excited about regaining contact with a genuineness that could not be found elsewhere, she developed such a passion for this work that she became entirely devoted to it.

She became interested, above all, in Tenuta di Caparzo in Montalcino, showing her desire to learn by starting to personally follow all production phases at the winery.

Today, the wineries she owns are the outcome of several purchases that gradually made her dream, of owning a property in Tuscany, come true.

The opportunity came in 1997, when she purchased Borgo Scopeto in the Chianti Classico area, between Siena and Vagliagli. Borgo Scopeto, which is now a luxury hotel, was refurbished – with an investment of about 30 million euros – and carefully restored. Elisabetta took care of this herself, choosing all the details, from materials to furnishings, turning it into a magnificent country relais hotel, chosen by the film director Gary Winick as the setting for scenes in his film “Letters to Juliet”, starring Amanda Seyfried, Vanessa Redgrave and Franco Nero.

The film, released in 2010, did surprisingly well at the U.S. box office. The appearance in the film of Brunello Caparzo wine led to a remarkable rise in sales of Elisabetta Gnudi Angelini’s Brunello in the United States. Borgo Scopeto is not only a charming relais hotel but also a major winery and farm business that produces Chianti Classico wine and extraordinary extra-virgin olive oil.

In 1998, Elisabetta Gnudi Angelini also purchased Caparzo, her “first love”, the historic winery in Montalcino founded in 1970, when there were only a dozen wine producers around the beautiful village to the south of Siena, and nobody could have imagined the success and sensation that Brunello would later create. Moreover, Caparzo can be credited with making one of the first Montalcino crus, a Brunello made from the grapes of a single vineyard, known as La Casa. Its soils are particularly suited to vine growing and it has excellent exposure. Since its first appearance in 1977, Brunello Vigna La Casa has established itself as one of the most prestigious wines of Montalcino, leading the way for many other crus that were created, above all, in the 1990s. Not by chance was Brunello Vigna La Casa chosen as one of the protagonist wines of the Japanese Manga series “The Drops of God”, a highly successful comic also exported abroad.

In 2002, Elisabetta purchased Altesino, also situated in Montalcino. It is a small prestigious winery that produces Brunello, with its vineyards partly bordering on those of Caparzo. Altesino is one of the small-medium sized wineries that have made their mark thanks to their excellent quality products. The pride of Altesino products is undoubtedly Montosoli: the first Brunello cru obtained in 1975 from the vineyard of the same name. Observing it from Palazzo Altesi, the 15th-century building that Elisabetta has chosen as her personal residence, the perfectly maintained Montosoli vineyard is an icon in the natural landscape of the area. Wine is made from carefully selected grapes from old vines, and is only sold in the best vintages.

It is such excellent wine that, in 2014, Brunello di Montalcino Montosoli 2008 di Altesino was chosen by Wine Spectator, the “Bible of wine” esteemed by the entire wine-producing sector, as one of the 100 top wines in the world, with a score of 95/100.

Then, 2003 was the first year of production of Morellino di Scansano, made from grapes from the vineyards planted in the Maremma area at the Doga delle Clavule winery (purchased in 2000).

The properties currently cover over 1,100 hectares, including 254 for vine growing, sub-divided as follows:

Caparzo: 83 hectares

Altesino: 44 hectares

Borgo Scopeto: 70 hectares

Doga delle Clavule 57 hectares

Borgo Scopeto also has 7,000 olive trees that cover about 40 hectares of land.

Elisabetta Gnudi Angelini has a son and a daughter, Igino and Alessandra, who both live in Rome but closely follow the family businesses.

Igino Angelini is an environmental engineer and thanks to his efforts Caparzo was the first winery in Montalcino to install solar panels to produce so-called clean energy. All the wineries produce their own energy and are partly autonomous. Caparzo has also implemented a system for the total recovery of water, and along with the other wineries owned by Elisabetta it has chosen the path of eco-sustainability.

In just a few years, Elisabetta’s relationship with wine has become successful and passionate while her complete involvement in her work (she is affectionately called the “vignaiola” or winemaker) has made her so enamoured that every harvest and tasting period is an emotional experience. Elisabetta’s wines are renowned almost worldwide. The main markets are the U.S., Canada, all of Europe, China, Japan and Russia. Statistics show that exports predominate and are continuously increasing (since 2009 exports have more than doubled). Currently, 75% of the wine produced is sold abroad and 25% in Italy.

Born and raised in the Napa Valley, Amanda Harlan was immersed from an early age in the cultural, social, entrepreneurial, and philanthropic life of the region. Around the dinner table, discussions about winegrowing were a nightly event, with her father speaking on the importance of creating, as a family, something that would last for generations. The family’s dedication to the community was another common theme. Auction Napa Valley, the area’s most impactful annual charitable endeavor, has been held since its inception at Meadowood Napa Valley, of which her father is Founding Partner.  

After earning a degree in Psychology from the University of Southern California, Amanda began her professional life at LVMH, where she broadened her knowledge of retail and the international wine business. She formally joined the Harlan family business in 2014 by working harvest in the BOND cellar. Amanda then took on the role of Patron Relations for The Mascot, marking the full involvement of the Harlan family in the domain.  

Today, as the family introduces Promontory into the Harlan Domain and refines the charter of The Napa Valley Reserve, Amanda brings a global perspective and a strong affinity for the community to her role in developing the culture and supporting the communications of the Harlan family’s businesses.  

The only son of Jess Jackson and Barbara Banke, Christopher was raised in the world of wine, working his first harvest at the age of 12 at Stonestreet Winery in Alexander Valley. He earned his undergraduate degree at Santa Clara University, spent a year working in Washington D.C. for the Speaker of the House, then went back to school for his J.D. from the University of California Berkeley School of Law. He is currently involved in domestic and international sales and strategic planning for Jackson Family Wines. Christopher also founded and built Seismic Brewing Company, a craft brewery based in Santa Rosa, California. Christopher’s wife Ariel attended UC Davis and subsequently earned her J.D. from the University of Michigan. Ariel left the legal profession to work with Christopher in the wine business and is currently Director of Real Estate Development for Jackson Family Wines. Christopher and Ariel live in Sonoma County with their four young sons.  

Darioush Khaledi’s life story has inspired the creation of Darioush and continues to shape it today. Darioush is a man dedicated to wine and the ideals of the American dream – a deeply rooted belief in individualism and opportunity. Born and raised in Iran, trained as a civil engineer, and a lifelong entrepreneur, his fascination with wine was instilled at an early age by his father’s winemaking efforts and the cultural history of winemaking in Shiraz.

Darioush emigrated to the United States seeking opportunity, reinventing his career by building what became at one point the largest family-owned grocery business in California. Together with his wife Shahpar, he founded Darioush in 1997.

Darioush was awarded Entrepreneur of the Year by USA Today in 1995 and the Ellis Island Medal of Honor in 2008. He serves on the Board of Directors for the Food Marketing Institute and Unified Grocers, and is a past Chairman of the California Grocer’s Association. Actively involved in supporting programs in both communities that he resides, Darioush currently serves on the Board of Directors for The Los Angeles Philharmonic, Festival Napa Valley, Napa Valley Vintners, Ole Health and Saint Helena Hospital Foundation.

The eldest of Henri Krug’s five children, Olivier Krug grew up right beside the Krug cellars in Reims. He then went on to study economics and finance in Paris, the city where he was born. In 1989, as he was about to accept his first job in a Paris-based company, his father proposed that he join the family business. At that moment, Olivier became the sixth generation of the Krug family to perpetuate Joseph Krug’s vision when he founded the House of Krug in 1843. 

Krug was practically unknown in Japan when Olivier decided to travel there. He would stay for two years and quickly came to understand the culture and mindset of the Japanese nation. One after the other Olivier met Krug’s main distributors, sommeliers, journalists and of course, Krug Lovers. He won them over with his charming personality. He succeeded in opening the way for Krug’s thriving expansion in Japan. 

Over the years, the Land of the Rising Sun went on to become Krug’s prime market. 

Olivier has since then occupied several positions, while continuing to work in close cooperation with the winemaking team and with his father, who passed on his tasting expertise to him. Today, as Director of Krug, Olivier is part of the tasting committee and continues to foster very special relations between Krug and the winegrowers, when he is not travelling all over the world, spreading the Krug message.  

Since founding his namesake winery in 2002, Cliff Lede (pronounced lay-dee) has put every emphasis towards creating a modern and diversified world-class estate. A strategic thinker and visionary, Lede is the driving force of a company that at once holds the values of the great Old World winemaking properties, with the energy, youth and spark of the New World. His wines are intrinsically connected to the land, yet his view point is forward-thinking and entirely fresh. One visit to the Cliff Lede Vineyards property, which is full of contemporary art and is juxtaposed with vineyard blocks named for classic rock songs, and it is clear that to him, wine—like music and art—is a source of great beauty.

Lede grew up involved with his family’s successful construction business in Canada, and first discovered the splendor of the Napa Valley while on a business retreat in the 1990s. An avid long-distance runner, he explored the back roads of Napa Valley throughout his trip. The area resonated a great deal with him, as he had collected Bordeaux wines since his late 20s. Frequent return visits ensued, and he was soon exposed to everything Napa Valley has to offer: beautiful land, some of the world’s greatest restaurants and a core of friendly, passionate and hardworking people that reminded him of his own community.

Lede soon began searching for a property in Napa to purchase, where he could start his own winery. Determined to plant his roots in the Stags Leap District for its complex and age-worthy wines, he remained patient and focused.

Upon learning that a Stags Leap District estate was for sale, Cliff recognized the opportunity and, after months of negotiations, founded Cliff Lede Vineyards. One year later, the southwest facing hillside just above the Silverado Trail became available. Cliff acquired the rare hillside property, naming it the Poetry Vineyard. In 2005, he opened Poetry Inn, one of Napa’s most secluded luxury boutique hotels, perched high above the valley floor overlooking his winery and vineyards. In 2009, he expanded to include cooler-climate varieties from the Anderson Valley and subsequently purchased the Savoy Vineyard, creating a new brand, FEL, named for his mother, Florence Elsie Lede.

Paul graduated from the Ecole Hôtelière de Lausanne in 1990 and enjoyed an early career in hospitality taking in London, Switzerland, Paris and Dubai as well as a stint as a Bafta award winning Executive Producer. In 1994 he completed an MBA and joined the family hospitality and investment business. Emily built an early career in events management, culminating in running a series of charitable concerts on behalf of Diana, Princess of Wales and working with a range of performers from George Michael (no relation) to Luciano Pavarotti. Today, Paul & Emily oversee the family investments including The Vineyard Hotel, a luxury five-star Relais & Chateaux hotel where one “Eats, Sleeps and Drinks Wine”. Paul also oversees a portfolio of investment holdings, provides funding to early-stage companies, and travels widely to represent the winery. 

Originating from Lyon, the French capital of gastronomy, Raphaël Reybier was born at the crossroad of the vineyards of Burgundy, Beaujolais and Rhone Valley in the year of 1974. 

After having acquired a Bachelor Degree in Economics and gained several entrepreneurship experiences in North America, Asia and Europe, Raphaël joined the family group founded by his father Michel Reybier.

He then obtained a Bachelor Degree in Oenology from the University of Burgundy and decided to dedicate his time and energy to the wine estates of the family : Château Cos d’Estournel, world renowned Second Growth in the 1855 official classification of the wines in Bordeaux and the ancient Imperial and Royal Estate of Hétszőlő in Tokaj.

Kathleen and Francis Rooney, Naples residents and lifetime trustees of the NCEF, embarked on a new venture in 2014 by founding Bodega 202 in Rioja Alavesa (Spain), having discovered  the Rioja region while walking  the Camino de Santiago. 

The name “Bodega 202” refers to Washington DC (202 is its telephone prefix), the city where the Rooneys attended Georgetown University, met and decided to marry. 

The Bodega 202 team is focused on making this family project a complete success.  Michael Rooney (son of Kathleen and Francis) is the general manager and Luis Güemes is the winemaker and vineyard manager.  Luis’ wife, Marta Ortiz-Arce, manages marketing and sustainability for the bodega. That’s why they describe it as a “family project”. 

Bodega 202 focuses on producing Tempranillo red wine from old, high altitude vineyards – some of them almost 100 years old – located in the highest areas of Rioja. Only 5 of the 20 hectares owned by Bodega 202 are selected for their own wines, looking for the most freshness and complexity in each parcel for each harvest.  Some are blends of grapes from different parcels and some are single vineyard wines. 

Sustainability is a fundamental part of the philosophy of Bodega 202, which is reflected in every step of the production of its wines. 

Having made its first wines in 2015, Bodega 202 is, in words of the prestigious wine critic Tim Atkin MW, “one of the most conspicuous Rioja success stories of the last decade”.  

Shannon & Artie met in 2012 over a Staglin wine lunch at the River Oyster Bar in Miami. They realized rather quickly they were meant to be together and Artie moved to Napa the following summer. Shannon began in the family wine business as a harvest intern in 2001 and is currently the President of the winery. Artie’s interest in wine began while working at Nobu in Manhattan and progressed to running wine programs at some of Miami’s top restaurants including Casa Casuarina. After working with the Harlan organization at Mayacamas, Artie now produces his own wines under the L’Artishasic label. Artie and Shannon were married in 2015 and soon blessed with their daughter Sicily and then their son Arthur III. Together, with a shared passion for wine and entertaining, they carry forward Staglin Family Vineyard into the next generation.