July - Sonoma County, CA
Vokel Cellars
Winemaker: Dana Von Sterberg
Vokel Cellars is micro producer based out of Sonoma County. Led by owner and winemaker Dana von Sternberg, the Vokel team produces an extremely limited lineup of wine sourced from boutique vineyards in California. “To craft a truly fine wine, you must let the vineyard speak for itself.”
After serving as CFO for both a Napa and Sonoma wine brand, Dana decided to leave his role to pursue his love of winemaking, creating the first Vokel Cellars vintage in 2013. Committing to the project completely, he began hand-farming a small Pinot Vineyard and leveraged the relationships he developed through his years in the industry to gain access to other limited-production, boutique vineyards. Vokel Cellars was born from the concept that the best wines are made in small lots, with vintner oversight through every step of the process. From the countless hours spent in the vineyard cultivating the grapes to the time spent hand-numbering each bottle, this brand is truly a labor of love.
Wines
2021 Napa Valley Sauvignon Blanc
2022 MBM Chardonnay
2021 Lago di Merlo Dry Creek Valley Malbec
2022 Zoella Vineyard Alexander Valley
Cabernet Sauvignon
August -Argentina
Ricardo Santos and Tercos Wineries
Winemaker: Patricio Santos
Patricio Santos has wine in his blood. His dad, Ricardo Santos (aka “Mr. Malbec”), was a pioneer in the world of Argentine wine. Patricio helped plan, plant and manage his family’s La Madras vineyard and winery, where he is now the winemaker for the Ricardo Santos brand. He is also the winemaker for Tercos, the winery he and his brother, Pedro, founded and built from the ground-up in 2004.
Patricio earned his undergraduate degree in Agricultural Engineering from the Universidad Nacional de Cuyo in Mendoza, Argentina, then went on to get his Master’s in Viticulture and Enology, from the University of California at
Davis. Before receiving his degree, Patricio was an advisor at Santa Ana Winery in Mendoza, was part of the technical team for Catena Group, and did harvest work at Cardinale Winery (Kendall-Jackson) and Chimney Rock Winery in Napa Valley.
Bodega URQO
Winemaker: Leonardo Pisano
Leo Pisano was born into a wine family in Uruguay. He moved to Mendoza to study winemaking. The Uco Valley in Mendoza is what kept him in the area and he never returned to his homeland.
He has a great professional background and today leads URQO’s winemaking team.
He feels like he is at the Disneyworld of wine; great terroirs, high tech wineries and a fantastic team.
Wines
2024 URQO Palo Santo
Sauvignon Blanc
2024 Ricardo Santos Semillon
2021 Tercos Bonarda
2022 URQO Palo Santo
Malbec