On this week’s episode of The Wine Makers, we sit down with Japanese winemaker Sonoe Hirabayashi of Six Cloves Wines. She talks about her roots in Nagano, her family’s long history of fermenting miso and sake, and how she found her way into wine, along with her connection to the art of Taiko drumming.

Sonoe originally moved to New York to work as a corporate accountant, but after getting hooked on wine, she realized that path was not for her. She headed to UC Davis to study winemaking, later returned to Japan to help her family make sake, and has since worked around the world. Today, she produces balanced, elegant, acid-driven wines under her Six Cloves label.

She shares her Chardonnay from Linda Vista Vineyard in Oak Knoll and her Alder Springs Pinot Noir, both showing a strong sense of place and her light touch in the cellar. She also makes Cabernet, Zinfandel, and a Grenache Pinot blend worth seeking out. [Ep 409]

Wines – sixcloveswines.com
Instagram – sixcloveswines
Hear Sonoe talk fermentation and play Tokai drums in San Francisco on Sunday April 26th at Sequoia Sake Company. bit.ly/3QftzQZ

Christopher McGilvray is an award-winning independent filmmaker based in Santa Cruz, California. Through his company, Nomadic Bear Productions, he has created content for a wide range of clients, including Oracle, EMI Records, and Ridge Vineyards.

We sat down with Christopher to talk about his current documentary, Eden, which follows the Patterson family, caretakers of one of California’s most historic vineyards in the Santa Cruz Mountains, Mount Eden. The property’s history dates back to the 1800s and includes names like Almaden, Paul Masson, Louis Latour, and Martin Ray.

The film tells a story of transition, succession, and passion over a seven-year period as the next generation returns home to take the reins. Cinematographer Isiah Flores captures the quiet, everyday beauty of life on a family-run estate, while composer Alex Kelly provides a moving score. It’s a side of farming and winemaking most people never see, including the reflection and family struggles behind every bottle. [Ep 408]

Check out the trailer at Edenfilm.info/trailer and explore the wines at Mounteden.com

Jennifer Rue has been the winemaker for Oakville Ranch Vineyards for more than a decade. Her connection to the site runs much deeper. Her career has effectively orbited Oakville Ranch from the start. Her first winery job sourced fruit from the vineyard. She later worked for an early iteration of Oakville Ranch, then spent years at Miner Family Winery working with relatives of the ranch’s ownership.

Different roles, same vineyard. Again and again.

Along the way, she has worked along side Phil Coturri and Enterprise Vineyards to help this important, historical site realize its potential and attain its rightful place among the vaunted vineyards of the hallowed appellation.

We talk a lot about the “only Grenache in Oakville,” but we’ve never really broken down the ranch itself,how it’s laid out, what makes it distinct, and why it behaves differently than the valley floor. Jennifer sat down with Brian and Sam and we got into it.

She also pulled a couple of unicorns, a 2015 Oakville Ranch Chardonnay and a very limited 2023 Oakville Ranch Grenache Rosé plus we got a look at what’s coming from the much touted 2023 vintage.

Finally, Phil Coturri popped by to help confirm or dispel a few of the Oakville Ranch myths and rumors we’ve all heard..and maybe even helped spread.

Sit down, pop a unicorn and lets head to the far eastern reaches of the Oakville District.

https://oakville-ranch.myshopify.com/
https://www.instagram.com/oakvilleranch/

PS – The book we talked about – Click Here