After a decade long career in advertising for Time Warner, Dan Petroski got a harvest internship in Italy, booked a flight and didn’t look back. For the next year, he would live as a local in his adopted home of Italy, working in vineyards. From that point onward, Dan knew that wine would take the center focus of not only his career, but his life.

Learn more about Dan here.

Coming to California with just over a year’s experience, Dan had a challenging time getting a job, until Andy Smith gave him an opportunity. Fast forward to today and Dan has had incredible success including being named “Winemaker of the Year” in 2017 by the SF Chronicle.

In this episode, Dan and I dig into his journey thus far in wine, we philosophize on the topics of loyalty and freedom as a winemaker, and then explore the terroir of Larkmead’s vineyards and the concept behind his white wine only label, Massican.

As one of the 4% of female winemakers in California who are also owners of their own winery, Sonoma-based LaRue Wines winemaker and owner, Katy Wilson is also making waves within the 10% minority of California wineries whose lead winemaker also happens to be female. Because, not only does she manage every harvest decision, punch down and barrel regimen under her own label, she also the winemaker for Anaba Wines, Claypool Cellars, Reeve Wines and Smith Story Wine Cellars – all Sonoma-based wineries who have sought out Katy’s knack for letting the wines speak for themselves.

Learn more about Katy here.

With barely a dime to her name at age 26 when the idea of LaRue crossed-over from conversation to conception, Katy’s passion for winemaking has evolved into not only an in-demand wine label, but also an in-demand consulting business. Today, at only 35-years old, Katy is proving to herself and to young, up and coming women in wine that persistence and hard work really do go a long way.

While Katy will tell you her story is just beginning, she’s already journeyed a colorful path to get to where she is now, highlighted by stints at Joseph Phelps, Flowers and Kamen, just to name a few; not to mention a few international harvests in New Zealand and Australia.

Today, nearly a decade after launching, LaRue is an ultra-premium, 500-case brand featuring elegant and restrained single-vineyard Pinot Noir and Chardonnay from some of the top vineyard sites on the Sonoma Coast (Rice-Spivak Vineyard, Charles Heintz Vineyard, Emmaline Ann Vineyard, Thorn Ridge Vineyard and Coastlands Vineyard).