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California Wine Country

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by Steve Jaxon & Dan Berger

4.7(38 reviews)

197 episodes

Updated Daily

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7/6/2022

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FairBased on show quality, social media presence, reviews, charts, and more

Quality67

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Engagement85

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excellent

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Recent Episodes

June 8, 2026

Tony Lombardi from Lombardi Wines

Tony Lombardi from <a href="https://lombardiwines.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Lombardi Wines</a> is our guest on California Wine Country with Dan Berger and Daedalus Howell. This is his first time on the show. The winery is located in the Petaluma Gap, which we have described in many recent episodes. <a href="https://calwinecountry.com/petaluma-gap-ava-3rd-anniversary/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">This episode from 2018</a> is about the 3rd anniversary of the Petaluma Gap AVA, We start with Chardonnay, which Dan says is in the mold of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Domaine_de_la_Roman%C3%A9e-Conti" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Domaine de la Romanée-Conti</a>, which is an estate in Burgundy, in the Côte d’Or region in east-central France. They produce red and white wines of distinction. If you visit DRC, as it is known, they serve the reds first, then the whites. They believe in the richness and the full-bodied character of Le Montrachet. Dan says that this wine from Lombardi wines has that character which makes it an exciting wine. -•• • --- -•• --- .–. .- California Wine Country is brought to you by Deodora Estate Vineyards. Visit <a href="https://deodorawine.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Deodora</a> to discover 72 acres in the Petaluma Gap that produce exceptional Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Riesling. Sip the difference!  -•• • --- -•• --- .–. .- <h4>The Lombardi Family</h4> The Lombardi family has been in Sonoma County since the ’40s. Tony has been a winemaker for 30 years. He grew up in Sebastopol and calls Sonoma County the Garden of Eden. Tony is happy to work with a friend from high school named Mike Sullivan. He got access to a few tons of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir from <a href="https://maritanavineyards.com/martaella-vineyard/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">the Maratella vineyard</a> in the Russian River Valley. Tony only made 8 barrels of this wine. He used one old barrel, seven new ones, and some stainless steel. He fermented different vineyards together, then they went into different barrels. Later he blended them all together. Dan calls it a classic example of a Russian River Valley Chardonnay. It has just a hint of oak. Tony wants the oak to just capture the edges and round it out. You want subtleness and integration, so you you catch a little bit of crème brulée, or lemon curd, or minerality. Dan says, put this wine with the right food and it get better. Tony suggests Dustin Valette’s Scallops en croute. If a Chardonnay is too buttery and oaky, it can overpower the flavors in the food. Dan noticed that Russian River Valley Chardonnay has citrus flavors that contribute to the acidity. It’s something you don’t want to lose in your blending. This vineyard is west of the town of Santa Rosa. It has some inland warmth compared to his place in Petaluma Gap. Next they taste two Pinot Noirs. In Tony’s career he has learned about regions and wines from all over the world. Now he has settled into Chardonnay and Pinot Noir which he likes for their versatility. Every March, he is part of a festival called <a href="https://pigsandpinot.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Pigs and Pinot</a>. Tony can blend a couple of barrels of Gap’s Crown vineyard in with the Russian River Valley fruit.

May 29, 2026

Matt Taylor Wines

Matt Taylor, owner of <a href="https://matttaylorwines.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Matt Taylor Wines</a>, is our guest today on California Wine Country with Dan Berger and Daedalus Howell. This is his first time on the show. Dan Berger did talk a little about <a href="https://calwinecountry.com/bottle-barn-picks/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Chenin Blanc in this recent episode</a>. On April 30 this year, Matt Taylor was the subject of <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/30/dining/drinks/matt-taylor-wines.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">a feature story in the New York Times</a>. Chenin Blanc is coming back. It was popular in the 1970s. It was sometimes a sweet wine, but it can be dry. Today winemakers prefer to make dry Chenin Blanc and Dan approves. Matt has brought the first bottling of Chenin Blanc from the Mammoth Rock vineyard on the Sonoma Coast. ••••• <div id="attachment_5575" class="wp-caption aligncenter"> California Wine Country is brought to you by Deodora Estate Vineyards. Visit <a href="https://deodorawine.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Deodora</a> to discover 72 acres in the Petaluma Gap that produce exceptional Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Riesling. Sip the difference!  ••••• <div class="entry-content"> Chenin Blanc was sweet for centuries even in the Loire Valley. People are making it dry only in this century. Matt works with Pinot Noir and Chardonnay on the Sonoma Coast. But in 2016 he tasted a Chenin Blanc and that was a revelation. It put him on a path to the Loire Valley. He brought some budwood back and planted a vineyard in Sonoma Coast about 10 years ago. (That’s why it’s known as the Samsonite Clone.) This is the first bottling of that wine and Dan thinks it is spectacular. <h4>Chenin Blanc Then and Now</h4> Why was Chenin Blanc always a sweet wine? Dan explains that decades ago, nobody had invented a filter that was tight enough to get rid of all the sugar and yeast. It wasn’t until 1943 that the filter was invented and 1947 before it was applied to the wine. Now we have been making dry Chenin Blanc that has personality, terroir and depth from aging in barrels. This is everything Chenin Blanc could have been but never was. This wine is soft in the aftertaste but not sweet. The pH is about 3 and 12.2% alcohol. 2023 was a long season. He picked in late October or November. In 30 minutes after breathing, it will transform. There is a brightness to the wine that pairs with oysters and abalone. Dan says that Matt took a risk when he put Chenin Blanc in this place, because it is so cold is hard to get the grapes to ripen. You have to push Chenin Blanc to its limits in a cold climate. Matt Taylor pours a tasting in the Loire Valley every year or two. Sometimes the wines don’t travel so well, so having this high caliber domestic production is an advantage for us here.  </div> </div>

May 27, 2026

Kevin Bersofsky, Montagne Russe Wines

Kevin Bersofsky, owner of <a href="https://www.russewines.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Montagne Russe</a> wines, is back on California Wine Country with Dan Berger and Daedalus Howell. He has been on the show before, the last time was <a href="https://calwinecountry.com/kevin-bersofsky/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">this episode in 2024</a>. Kevin has brought a French style sparkling Rosé. Dan likes this sparkling Rosé because it is dry. This is a 2022, 85% Pinot Noir and 15% Chard, Keller estate Petaluma Gap fruit. Kevin is very light with the dosage, 2.5 grams, here. It’s like lemons and lemonade. A little sugar makes it drinkable. 2022 was a hot year, but Kevin says there are wines before the heat, and after the heat, a tale of two completely different vintages. This was picked before the heat. Kevin calls the Petaluma Gap a sort of mini-San Francisco. At about five o’clock, a coastal breeze comes in. The effects are well known. First, the wind slows the maturation of the grape. Also, the wind stops the photosynthesis of the leaves. This favors thicker skins and color. It also keeps the acid levels up. ++++++ California Wine Country is brought to you by Deodora Estate Vineyards. Visit <a href="https://deodorawine.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Deodora</a> to discover 72 acres in the Petaluma Gap that produce exceptional Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Riesling. Sip the difference!  ++++++ <div class="entry-content"> Kevin says he waits for acidity to come down before sugars get too high. In other places, you reach sugar maturity and acid maturity at the same time. Kevin picks on 3 criteria. Flavor is first. He can taste and predict Brix. When he tastes something, he knows. He has a flavor catalog in mind. For example, the Roberts Road vineyard, he has flavor criteria, and he knows what he wants. Dan says California can have fruit, acid and body without having to sacrifice one. Greg Jones is a meteorologist and Oregon farmer, who runs a weather forecast site. Visit the <a href="https://www.abacela.com/news-info/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Abacela winery</a> website. <h4>Too much oak.</h4> Chardonnay in California usually has too much oak. Kevin’s Montagne Russe Chardonnay is different. It has a bit of lemon oil and tropical fruit. But the acid is holding everything together. 2023 was a cold year. He did half ML on this wine. They use Puncheon barrels, which are 2.2 times larger than regular barrels. That puts less oak per unit of volume, onto the wine. Next, they taste a 2022 Pinot Noir with spectacular color. 2022 was a difficult vintage. The fruit came from the Sangiacomo family vineyard. Dan says the grower gets credit. When you pay premium prices for fruit, you also get the grower’s expertise and personal care. Dan finds this wine faintly rustic, as opposed to the bright cherry and berry. It’s a different kind of Pinot Noir. Petaluma Gap always delivers because it has more than just cold climate. It is more subtle and has more character. When Kevin has picked, he asks around to see who else has picked. Sometimes he’s the first. Gary Farrell would often pick early too and made great wine. +++++ On June 9 at 6 pm, the Healdsburg Wine Library is opening the new Millie Howie Memorial Garden and Patio. It’s free to the public and tickets are available at the <a href="https://sonomawinelibraryassn.org/events/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Healdsburg Wine Library events page</a>. +++++ The last wine is the Syrah. They have 23 bottles left. 2022 Petaluma Gap Syrah from Keller Estate. The Keller estate had some extra Syrah and Viognier that they offered to him. “Co-fermentation time!” says Dan. They put it all together, 100% whole cluster, 9% Viognier. It spent the final 8 months in stainless steel. He created an entirely different label for it. It came alive after a year in bottle. Dan says that this one “identifies” Syrah, which is meaty in a fruit sense, it’s not gamey. The <a href="https://petalumagap.com/wind-to-wine-festival/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Wind to Wine Festival</a> is coming, October 17, 2026. Start planning now!  </div>

197 total episodes available

Recent guests on California Wine Country

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Daedalus Howell

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Melissa Galliani

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Chris Puppione

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Leah Scurto

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Paul Sloan

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Doug Mryglod

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Judy Phillips

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Erica Stancliffe

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Mark McWilliams

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Julie Pedroncelli St. John

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Mike Carpenter

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Tim Bell

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What is California Wine Country?: Podcast & Radio Show
How often does this podcast release new episodes?: This podcast updates daily.
Where can I listen to this podcast?: This podcast is available on 9 platforms including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and more. You can also use the RSS feed directly.
Does this podcast accept guests?: Yes, this podcast regularly features guests.

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