California Wine Country

Dan Berger & Daedalus Howell
  • 4.5 (12)
  • Food
  • Updated Biweekly

Live Radio Show & Podcast

  1. Aug 21

    Marchelle Wines founder Greg La Follette

    Marchelle Wines founder Greg La Follette is back on California Wine Country with Dan Berger and Daedalus Howell. Greg has been on the show before, the last time was this episode of Oct. 25, 2024, but this is his first time with Daedalus hosting. They begin by tasting a Vermentino that Greg La Follette has produced. His label, Marchelle Wines, has just opened a new tasting room in Healdsburg. It is a big step for a small winery. They only produce 1100 cases per year and Greg things that direct-to-consumers sales are best for small wineries like his. Dan remembers touring a vineyard to inspect some Riesling and they stumbled upon a beautiful Vermentino vineyard. So Greg and Dan had to get some to make. Daedalus describes it having a light effervescence, a kiss or honeydew melon, but bone dry. Dan tastes Golden Delicious apples on the nose but with a note of lemon at the end and a bit of spice. This is a Bahl Fratty Vermentino. Dan has some space for his wines in Greg’s new tasting room. This is Greg’s 70th harvest. He could get three harvests in a calendar year on all continents. An Indirect Path to Winemaking Greg La Follette decided he wanted to be a winemaker by the time he ws 17 years old. He liked the people in the vineyards as well as the science. Then he lived in the San Fernando Valley in LA, for a while. He worked as the ship’s piper on the Queen Mary, playing bagpipes. After degrees in biology and chemistry he worked in early Aids research, then transfered into the UC Davis Enology department. He taught labs there, as a staffer and a grad student. His thesis was on how Burgundian winemaking techniques affect mouth feel. Greg is grateful for the coverage that Dan has given him over the years, a wine writer. He remembers working with André Tchelistcheff, the legendary winemaker. He says the stories that people tell do not begin to convey what a force he was. They taste a Colombard that Greg has made, in a dry style. His friend brought him to see some Colombard vines that had been planted in 1902. The vines needed a lot of work. At first he used it for Single Thread for their house wine. Then when Covid hit the demand dropped and he got control of the stock. That became the first wine under the Marchelle label, which is a fusion of the names of his wife and his friend’s wife. They opened the tasting room a couple of weeks ago. Dan’s Riesling and Vermentino are there, along with Greg’s wines for Marchelle Wines. Dan says that these wines are as good as anything he has ever done.

  2. Aug 14

    Prema Kerollis from Three Sticks Wines

    Prema Kerollis, co-founder and general manager of Three Sticks Wines, joins Dan Berger and Daedalus Howell on California Wine Country. This is her first time on California Wine Country, although others from Three Sticks have been on before, including this episode on Oct. 13, 2021. Prema has worked alongside Three Sticks founder Bill Price, since they founded the winery in 2002. They produce Chardonnay and Pinot Noir from the Gap’s Crown vineyard in the Petaluma Gap. Dan calls the vineyard site “spectacular” and “really gorgeous.” They start with the 2024 Gap’s Crown Chardonnay. The place is famous for Pinot Noir. When they got the vineyard, there was a block of Dijon clone Chardonnay that thrives in the Petaluma Gap. It produced this wine which is only slightly sparkling. The Wind in the Petaluma Gap Dan explains that grapes don’t want to be producing lots of leaves, which happens in fertile soil. In less fertile soil, you get a better balance of fruit and concentration, not too much of either. Gap’s Crown delivers this because if its position and climate “This vineyard is easy to farm… as long as you are there every day of the year.” The Dijon clone, aka the Wente clone, is lighter, which they carry through in the winemaking. It is aged on the lees slowly. There is a balance of steel and oak. Dan suggests this wine is made well enough that it will age very well. If you leave it for 4 years it will take on characteristics that you would not imagine possible from Chardonnay. These wines could support 10 years or more. Next there are two Pinot Noirs from 2023, Gap’s Crown Vineyard and Gap’s Pinnacle. Dan explains how the wind shuts down the stomates on the underside of the leaves. When the wind comes, the stomates close to protect the vine from losing moisture. That shuts down photosynthesis as the vines are protecting themselves. This way, the grapes develop later, which allows more fruit flavors to develop. 2023 was an easy year, without great heat. 2010, 2011, 2023 and 2025 are the classic cool vintages here. Dan has a lot of old Pinot Noir. Some of it is 20 years old and can last still longer. Magnum bottles are best for long aging, provided that the cork is good.

  3. Aug 7

    Brooks Note Winery in the Petaluma Gap

    Garry Brooks, from Brooks Note Winery in the Petaluma Gap, joins Dan Berger and Daedalus Howell on California Wine Country. This is Garry’s third time on the show, after being on twice in 2025, first in February and then in December. In his two previous appearances, Garry and Dan discuss the characteristics of the Petaluma Gap in great detail. They also tell the story of how it became an official AVA. Brooks Note Winery is in the Petaluma Gap, where the Wine to Wine Festival is coming soon. It is a great public tasting to help raise awareness of this sub-region of the Sonoma Coast. The united winemakers of the Petaluma Gap have i it an official AVA. Brooks Note makes cold climate Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, but also Riesling and Albariño. The Brooks Note vineyard is near the Sonoma Raceway. Garry has brought an Albariño. The varietal grows in Portugal and Spain. It has has a lemon peel, honey and spice components, and a trace of muscat. It also has good acidity. The vines get blasted from the wind coming off the Pacific Ocean. As the air inland heats up, it pulls wind in that crosses Hwy 1 and blows toward Petaluma. The wind slows down photosynthesis so the vines take longer to ripen. Azaya Ranch Garry has also brought a Pinot Noir from Azaya Ranch. It is just across the Marin – Sonoma border, on the Marin side. It gets cold fog. Another vineyard is southwest of Sebastopol, which also gets a little bit of fog. Brooks Note also makes a GSM – Grenache, Syrah and Mourvedre – from the Sebastopol Hills. Then they taste some Pinot Noir. First is a 2024 Petaluma Gap Pinot Noir. It comes from three vineyards. Taylor’s Crown, in the northeast corner of the Petaluma Gap, has compressed volcanic ash. Panther Ridge is a biodynamic vineyard at about 1000 feet of elevation. It has big red chunks of pumice and basalt throughout the vineyard. The third is Sweet Family Vineyard, at about 750 feet elevation. It also has volcanic soil. The vines struggle and the soil is well drained. Garry used about 20% new oak, and about 15% whole cluster. Dan and Garry agree that this is what Petaluma Gap is supposed to taste like.

  4. Jul 31

    Winesong 2026 Director Jonathan Darrow

    Jonathan Darrow, director of the 2026 edition of Winesong, joins Dan Berger and Daedalus Howell on Calfornia Wine Country. This is his first time on the show, but his predecessor Jamie Peters was here last year before Winesong, on this episode. KSXY15 is the Winesong discount code for listeners to California Wine Country and The Drive, to recieve a 15% discount on tickets here at the Winesong site.  Jonathan Darrow is the coordinator of the event, auction and tasting for Winesong. It takes place the weekend of September 11 and 12. It’s a beautiful drive past the redwoods and through Anderson Valley. The event is at the Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens, right off Hwy 20. Winesong is the primary fundraiser for the Mendocino Coast Healthcare Foundation. It was founded in 1985 to benefit Mendocino Hospital and evolved into its present status in 2019. Now their contributions can benefit the entire district. Whatever equipment they donate, belongs to the community. They provide benefits to the hospital and also to the Mendocino Coast Clinics.  Jon has brought four different wines which pertain to Winesong. First is Husch, which started in 1979 in Anderson Valley. This is the Husch 2024 Mendocino Sauvignon Blanc. Winesong Live Music As the name Winesong implies, there is live music at the event. There are six stages with performances of all kinds. You wander through a 20-acre park, where there are little hubs or stations here and there along the way. There is a Harvest Market with food, and the Dahlia Market. There will be 20,000 blooming Dahlias. Friday is dedicated to Pinot Noir. Saturday is the Grand Tasting at the Botanical Gardens. They have deflated the admission price to the 2016 cost.  Dan says the Pinot Noir tasting is not to be missed. There is an unbelievable number of great Pinot Noirs. They taste a Fathers and Daughters Pinot Noir from Anderson Valley. Anderson Valley is also becoming a hub for sparkling wines. There are wineries at Winesong from not only Mendocino County but also Napa, Sonoma and Lake as well as importers from Europe. Mendocino Ridge AVA The Mendocino Ridge AVA is the only one with non-contiguous borders. It includes any wineries in the area that are above 1200 feet above sea level. The next tasting is a 2016 Chardonnay from Napa. Someone will win a case of this wine at Winesong. They will celebrate their Legacy Vintners of the Year, including Golden Eye and Duckhorn. Winemaker Greg Graziano will also be represented with the St. Gregory Sparkling Wine at the beginning of the auction. Jonathan has covered lots of different roles at Winesong and this year he has stepped into the director’s role. He started college as a theater major, then got a degree in Beverage Management at UNLV. His first job was working for a bar with 3300 beers and 1800 whiskies. He likes to see “the lightbulb go off” when people start to understand something. The more you know about things, the more you can appreciate it. Dan points out that in the US we start our wine education after age 21 which is late.

  5. Aug 28

    Dr. Damien Wilson, SSU Wine Business Institute

    Dr. Damien Wilson from the Sonoma State University Wine Business Institute joins Dan Berger and Daedalus Howell on California Wine Country. This is his first time on the show. The pr0moter of the International Canned Wine Competition was our guest on this episode, in 2021. Dan Berger will mention this during the show.   Before the show, they were talking about what’s new in the wine business and they landed on new packaging and marketing ideas. The subject of wine in cans keeps coming back. Dan has heard of a French Beaujolais that came in cans, on the east coast of the US, in the early 1950s. It wasn’t very good because the liners in the cans were no good. Dr. Wilson explains that the new liners today are superb.   There has been a canned wine competition in Mendocino for about the last 10 years. It’s the one on this CWC episode from 5 years ago. Dan Berger will be running it this year, on December 9, in Santa Rosa. Look for California Wine Country to be on the site. Even From A Can, into a Glass The most amazing thing about this is that canned wine and pre-mixed cocktails are hot as a pistol. They are selling very well. Up to about 2 years ago, the process of canning wine properly wasn’t well known. Wine is a very special product. The best selling canned wine is called Maker. Meg Maker, the owner, hired a special person only to handle the product for the canning process. Special practices have resulted in best product results. Dan suggests that a canned wine should be poured into a glass, otherwise you can’t smell it very much in the can. Dan has even seen wine in an aluminum pouch, in Australia. Non-Alcoholic wines are also a new market. Oceano Wines produces wines with the alcohol removed.   They are tasting a Sauvignon Blanc in a can, that snaps open, from Foursight, where Joe Webb is the winemaker. Dan says it has the exact bouquet that you want from a Sauvignon Blanc.   There are two glasses of wine in each can. Dr. Wilson suggests this is a way to get people back into drinking wine. It is so convenient. It is also easy to chill. They would sell very well in any convenience store near the beach.

  6. Jul 24

    Keller Estate plus Trombetta Wines

    Ana Keller of Keller Estate and Ricky Stancliffe of Trombetta Wines are our in-studio guests on California Wine Country with Dan Berger and Daedalus Howell. As Petaluma Gap wineries, they are participating in the Wind to Wine festival on Saturday, October 17, 2026, at Gambonini Family Ranch in Petaluma. If you want to get to know the wines of the Petaluma Gap, this is the place to go. There is a discount code KRSH for listeners at the Wind to Wine festival site. Ana Keller has brought their 2025 Pétillant Naturel of Pinot Noir, which has a crown cap on the bottle. This is a rare wine. It has a silvery-pinkish color. Known by the French abbreviation “pet nat” they have light bubbles. They are less effervescent than champagne and stronger fruit flavors. Ana explains they did an early pick and cold fermentation. This is clone 667 which is fruit forward. It is a dry Rosé with a little bit of effervescence. It ls like a vin gris which is usually bone dry, although this has a little bit of residual sugar. Dan says the cool night time temperatures in the Petaluma Gap help maintain good acidity. It has a crisp aftertaste and comes in at 11% Abv. Everyone agrees that this would go well with oysters. Ricky tells about a cruise they took down the Rhone River in 2017 on Ama. They are planning another one next May from the 14th to the 21st, on the Duoro River in Portugal. These are all-included on a boat that holds only 150 passengers. Anyone interested can look on the Petaluma Gap website. The Douro River is in the north near the city of Porto. It is home of many long standing port producers. Trombetta Chardonnay & Pinot Noir They are tasting a 2021 Trombetta Wines Chardonnay and Dan reminds us of his adage that Chardonnay is like a red wine with no color, while Pinot Noir is a white wine with color. A zen koan for your tasting. Dan calls this a concentrated version of California Chardonnay. If you like Chard you’ll like this. It has “all the bells and whistles…” the character, citrus fruit, acidity, richness in the mid palette and a strong finish. It is rich without being heavy. At this temperature, which is cool, it would work with a lot of food. They used about 33% French oak and sur-lies battonage which enhances the flavors and also acts as a natural clarifying agent. Trombetta winemaker Erica Stancliffe is also making wines at Deodora Estate Vineyards. They also taste a 2021 Trombetta Pinot Noir from the Gap’s Crown Vineyard. The clones are 667 and 115. Ricky calls it the nosebleed section because it’s at the top of the vineyard. All of the grapes are picked at night to keep them cold when they come into the winery. Erica likes to sneak some whole cluster into the maceration. Her wines are delicious when they are young, but they age well. They are a small winery, making less than 1000 cases per year. With Gaps Crown Vineyard wines, the longer you hold them, the more the aromatics and flavors will develop. Dan detects a trace of nutmeg which is not a spice normally associated with Pinot Noir. But in this case, it comes through in the aroma and the aftertaste. That indicates the wine is going to get better and better.

  7. Jul 17

    Solo Nostro winemaker Ted Seghesio

    Winemaker Ted Seghesio from Solo Nostro Wines is our guest today on California Wine Country with Dan Berger and Daedalus Howell. Ted used to work for the winery that bears his family name. In what he refers to now as his “previous post,” he made Zinfandel for 40 years. He still makes it under the new label, among many other varietals. Solo Nostro is Italian for “ours alone.” Ted started as as winemaker in 1979 when the Seghesio family had been making wine already for many decades. The winery used open top concrete fermenters and redwood storage tanks. They had 400 acres of vineyards including French Colombard, Chenin Blanc, Carignane and Zinfandel. He remembers the advent of White Zin in the 1980s that saved a lot of Zinfandel vineyards. Ted and his wife honeymooned in the Rhone region when they got married in 2015. When they created Solo Nostro in 2019, they chose to feature Rhone varietals, Grenache Blanc and Syrah, as well as a Rhone white blend. In addition to that, also make Dolcetto. They plan to expand their portfolio to other Mediterranean grapes. The Dolcetto is from their estate, and they get others from other local growers. Viognier and Dolcetto Rosato They planted Viognier because it was harder to find locally and they wanted it. Viognier can be tricky from year to year, the crop sizes are not as consistent as other varieties. So that is a risk for a winery or a grower. Now they taste a Viognier that Dan says has the flower basket aroma typical of Viognier. It should smell like flowers. They picked at 3am, and went straight to the press at 50 degrees F, then straight to the concrete amphora. After 2 months fermentation, they left it on the lees until 6 months then bottled it. It has flavors of ripe peaches and apricots and floral flavors that put Viognier “in a different class.” Dan says to put this in oak barrels would be a misdemeanor. Dan estimates its alcohol is around 13.8. It’s 13.9. This would not be for aging. In France they do not age this wine. The floral aromatics are there to be enjoyed now. It should be served below 65 degrees. Solo Nostro Wines are available at Bacchus’ Landing, which has various events. The owners are the former owners of the lucrative Low-Rider Magazine so they also hold an annual car show too. Dan says the place is “just stunning.” Next is a Syrah, which is another variety that Ted did not work with in his previous post. It has thick skins. In 2022 it was 116 degrees on Labor Day. Fortunately they had picked the day before. It came out with blueberry essence with a trace of pepper. Dan says it needs two years to get to its ideal place. The Consumer Is In the Driver’s Seat With the downturn in sales in the wine industry right now, consumers have opportunities to try wines at prices they wouldn’t find. Some wines that already have an extra year of aging are now reaching the market which is good for buyers. Slow sales mean the wines for sale may be longer aged. One reason why California wines have become so popular is that they deliver fruit. On the east coast where they grew up with European wine, they are missing the California fruit flavors. Daedalus asks if there is something about the California palette. Are we spoiled? Well, we are just different. Ted says they have done comparative tastings forever, France, Italy, California, lots of them. “Our fruit always stood out.” The Pivot Daedalus asks Ted how he made the pivot in his career. He quit Seghesio in 2018 and his wife Dana was studying in the Sonoma State University Executive Business program. They were going to start a winery but the wildfires wiped them out. They were going to call it Atto Due, Act Two. He rode Seattle to Portland and passing back into California, they found themselves before a breathtaking scene with nobody else around. Dana remarked, Solo Nostro which in Italian means “Ours Alone.” They only make 500 cases per year so far. He even makes a little Pinot Noir. They will also make Sangiovese. He will get some grapes from a vineyard that started with vines that his grandfather planted in 1910. Nobody else has century-old Sangiovese vineyard in California.

  8. Jul 10

    Kim Stare Wallace, Dry Creek Vineyard

    Kim Stare Wallace from Dry Creek Vineyards joins Dan Berger and Daedalus Howell on California Wine Country. She has been on the show before, the last time was this episode in September of 2025. Kim has brought four bottles of two varieties, for tasting. One is their dry Chenin Blanc. They have made the same style for 54 years. Dan Berger remembers the first vintage of this wine and it is still as good as ever. Chenin Blanc is having a comeback right now.  Her father, David Stare, founded Dry Creek Vineyards. He loved the Loire Valley wines of France which is why he planted these vines. Charles Krug made Chenin Blanc since the late 1960s but it was sweet. David Stare at Dry Creek Vineyard made it in an authentic dry Loire Valley style. Dan says this one is as good as any vintage they have ever made. Despite the ups and downs of sales over the years, they continue to produce it the same way, low alcohol and high acidity. It is a single vineyard wine, coming from the Wilson Vineyard nearby in Clarksburg. Dan knows the vineyard and says it has very fertile soil. It is close to Stockton. Their style is “hands-off winemaking.” It is 100% Chenin Blanc, fermented in stainless steel, there is no oak and no blending of other varietals. Melon Flavors in Chenin Blanc Dan mentions that the textbooks say to look for melon flavors, but not cantaloupe, he means white melon. He also notices that this wine is dryer than most of the Loire Valley Chenins.  Dry Creek Vineyards also makes about 500 cases of a Chenin Blanc crémant style. Kim remembers a tasting that their friend Jean Baumard organized. He has a winery, Domaine des Baumards, in the Loire Valley. Dan remembers that event, when Jean Baumard brought some very rare dry Chenins called Savennières. One was from 1937. They had hidden some bottles during World War Two and this was a survivor. It was excellent. When Kim was 13 years old, her parents did a house exchange with the Baumards, whose home is in the Loire Valley village of Rochefort sur Loire. This Chenin Blanc sells for $16-$19, and it is a great value at that price. Dan advises storing some in a cool place for any occasion. 2025 Dry Creek Valley Sauvignon Blanc Next is a 2025 Dry Creek Valley Sauvignon Blanc. It is a new release. David Stare was the first to plant SV in the region, in the 1970s. People laughed. He was told it was a dumb variety. He turned out to be right about it. It’s 100% Dry Creek Valley, so it reflects the warmer climate. They planted unusual clones of Sauvignon Blanc, Sauvignon Musqué and Sauvignon Gris. Dan says you can taste the subtle differences between these clones and their signature Fumé Blanc. Sauvignon Gris is very rare. Dan compares the flavors to an heirloom grapefruit. He thinks it will improve with ten years in the cellar. The New Zealand SVs are softer and sweeter. Kim reads the tasting notes, “Floral notes of jasmine, geranium and hibiscus; fresh herbal hints of cilantro stem; tomato leaf and white pepper mingle with wet gravel minerality.” The herbal notes won’t come out for this wine until about ten more years, says Dan. In this case, the fruit is right up front. Daedalus detects a whiff of dried tarragon. 2026 Best Winery in the 2026 SF Gate Dry Creek Vineyard won the title Best Winery in the SF Gate’s 2026 Best of the Bay issue. Dan remembers they showed Field of Dreams on a portable screen in the vineyard. They have a concert this Saturday afternoon, from 12-4 pm, two days from the day the show is recorded live. Visit the Dry Creek Vineyard website Events page for their full schedule.

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About

Live Radio Show & Podcast

Information

  • Creator
    Dan Berger & Daedalus Howell
  • Years Active
    2017 - 2026
  • Episodes
    109
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Show Website
    California Wine Country

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