11/26-Larry O'Brien

Larry O'Brien MS-Wirtz Beverage

Wirtz Beverage Group is a leading national distributor of the world’s top luxury and premium wine, spirits and beer brands. With more than $1.5 billion in annual sales and operations in Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Nevada and Wisconsin, Wirtz Beverage Group counts the world’s elite suppliers as its partners.

The company’s distinction comes by embracing innovation and aggressively driving top-line growth. Honoring quality and integrity are its hallmarks while its financial stability is unrivaled. Wirtz Beverage Group provides customers and suppliers a best-in-class model for success.

Wirtz Beverage Group is a division of Chicago-based Wirtz Corporation, having diversified interests in banking, real estate, insurance, sports, entertainment and wholesale distribution throughout the United States. Founded in 1926, Wirtz Corporation has been family-owned and operated for four generations.

11/19-Dan Tudor

Dan Tudor-Tudor Wines

In an increasingly mechanized world, there are still a few handcrafted products that stand out. Fine wine is one of them.

At Tudor Wines, we select fruit from family-owned vineyards and transform it into wine using traditional techniques. These include small fermentations mixed by hand and aging in French barrels. The resulting wine has a purity of expression that cannot be duplicated on a larger scale.

The 2000 Tudor Santa Lucia Highlands Pinot Noir was the inaugural release from Tudor Wines. By work

ing closely with our family growers and winemaking staff, we made sure that low yields combined with maximum grape maturity produced wine with optimal flavor profiles - a balance of ripeness, acidity, and tannins.

- Dan and Christian Tudor

Dan has an impressive list of accomplishments. His winemaking skills were acquired from the ground up. He has consulted extensively with Larry Brooks since 1999 in all aspects of Pinot Noir production and winery/vineyard establishment thereby gaining invaluable knowledge and experience from one of the world’s preeminent Pinot Noir specialists. The 2000 Vintage was his Inaugural Vintage. He achieved accolades that many seasoned winemakers long to receive.

11/12-Tobin James

Tobin James-Tobin James Cellars

Tobin (Toby) James grew up on a vineyard in Indiana, worked in a wine shop in Cincinnati and knew at the age of 18 that he would own a winery. He apprenticed at the Estrella River Winery, eventually being hired on full time and becoming their cellar master. From there, he headed to Eberle Winery to eventually make their wines with Gary Eberle.

When Peachy Canyon started, the owner needed a winemaker. A deal was struck so that Toby would become the founding winemaker and also have the opportunity to continue making Tobin James Cellars' wine at the same facility. The very first wine Toby made won a spot on the coveted "top 100" wines of the year with the Wine Spectator. Toby's reputation continued to grow, and in 1993 decided to build his own winery on highway 46 east of Paso Robles.

11/5-Nelson Tucker, Michael Browne

Nelson Tucker - The Wine Guy

We review various wines and make objective conclusions as to the qualities of the wines on the date tasted. If a wine is not suitable for a positive review (minimum of 80 on a 100 point scale), we do not publish the results. An old saying applies, "If you cannot say something nice, don't say it at all." Wines reviewed on this site have met our criteria as wines that are palatable and worthy of purchase and consumption. You will rarely see a 100 rating. However, a rating or 89+ is considered exceptional and highly recommended. Our ratings and reviews are

subjective and may differ from your own experience. We offer them as a guide to help you determine whether, or not, to purchase a wine. As for restaurant reviews, we call it like we see it!

Michael Browne - Winemaker, Kosta Browne Wines

Kosta Browne began as a dream shared by Dan Kosta and Michael Browne. In the summer of 1997, while working at J

ohn Ash & Co. restaurant in Santa Rosa, California, Dan and Michael decided to venture into winemaking. They saved tip money for two months and eventually had enough to buy a half ton of Pinot Noir, a used barrel and an old hand-crank stemmer-crusher, a purchase that marks the beginning of Kosta Browne. Since that vintage, they have nurtured relationships with the best growers and honed their winemaking skills, making sure to focus on the vision and values with which they began.

In 2001, Dan and Michael partnered with Chris Costello and his family, who collectively provided the business experience and relationships that gave Kosta Browne the necessary resources to grow. Chris was able to craft a business plan that conveyed the appeal of the Kosta Browne story and sensibly described its future, helping to convince many wary family members and friends that investing in the vision would be worth it.

Today, Dan, Michael and Chris work very closely to maintain the quality and consistency of the entire Kosta Browne experience.