1/25-Encore Broadcast Michael Jordan visits with Janice Schmidt & Mike Lamborn

Janice Schmidt - Winemaker/Owner Estate 1856

The son of the fourth generation, Brian Schmidt and his wife, Janice, have protected and nurtured the vineyards since the 1990′s. Early supporters of the sustainability movement, they have focused on producing balanced vines with evenly distributed fruit, preserving and improving soil structure through the use of cover crops, implementing regulated deficit irrigation with a pressure bomb to improve wine quality and managing pest issues using integrated pest management.

Brian was born in Healdsburg and grew up on the family ranch with his sisters. After his father retired, Brian continued to farm the vineyards utilizing the techniques he learned at Cal Poly and the wisdom he gained from his father and grandfather. A founding member of the Winegrowers of Dry Creek Valley, Brian is focused on promoting the region’s award winning grapes.

Janice grew up in Santa Rosa before attending to UC Davis, from which she graduated with a BS in Food Science and a MS in Enology. She spent 20 years at Jordan Winery, working with winemaker Rob Davis and legendary wine consultant Andre Tchelistcheff, crafting the quintessential Sonoma County Cabernet.

Mike Lamborn -  Partner/Farmer - Lamborn Family Wine Company

There are points in everyone's lives that revolve around self-reflection: Am I happy with what I'm doing? Is my life heading in the direction that I want it to? Did I really need that cheesecake? Some of these "reflective stages," if you will, are more serious than others. Robert (Bob) Lamborn, our hero of the story, was in one of these serious stages when he made a life altering decision. He had no idea of the legacy he was about to create.

Recently divorced, Bob, a Private Investigator in the San Francisco Bay Area with security clearance in both the CIA and FBI, made the conscious decision that his life needed more structure and complexity. What better industry to add structure and complexity (he was already well-balanced and getting better with age) to Bob's life than the wine industry! Bob convinced his son, Michael, to purchase with him two separate but adjacent plots of land on Howell Mountain, an eastern appellation of the Napa Valley. Having no idea what they were getting themselves into, father and son team, Bob and Mike, purchased respectively, 25 and 15-acre plots of land at 2,200 feet in elevation in 1971. Of the forty purchased acres, a total of 14 were actually plantable.

The two men, along with other friends and family members, put their heart and soul into clearing these ruggedly beautiful plots of land into what are now majestic mountain top vineyards. After thorough research, both vineyards were planted to Zinfandel. Bob and Mike knew they needed a name for their wine. Of all the potential ideas, one stuck out the most to them: Lamborn Family Vineyards. It was a perfect name, simple and true to the business. Despite the fact that the majority of their friends told them the name made them sound like a couple of guys making wine in a garage, they went ahead with it anyway. Thus, the very first "family" winery label in existence was created. Many wineries have since followed suit. The first vintage, 100 cases, came in 1982, and was crafted by family friend and neighbor Randy Dunn. 1983 marked the first commercial release of Lamborn wine at around 350 cases. Production was kept very small and all excess fruit was sold while the Lamborns established their market. 1984 brought about 500 cases and production levels slowly increased each vintage until it reached a peak of 2700 cases in 1992. Not a lot has changed with Lamborn Family Vineyards in the last 20+ years. They continue to focus on their Number One goal: producing modest quantities of estate grown zinfandels and cabernets of a superior quality at an affordable price.

1/18-Michael Jordan visits with Bob Vogel & Matt Sharp

Bob Vogel - Santa Monica Seafood

Santa Monica Seafood was officially founded in 1939 but the real story began in 1898. That year a young man chose the life of a fisherman in California. John Deluca had only recently left his home in Naples, Italy when he put his roots down in the port city of San Pedro. Needing a way to support his growing family he looked to the sea. His hard work and respect for the ocean rubbed off on his family and before long his oldest son Jack was tagging along. Those days on the dock laid the groundwork for a family tradition that has lasted four generations.

Jack Deluca always had a passion for the sea. From the age of nine he was at the docks pulling lines, scaling and gutting fish, and filleting the fish – all the elements of bringing seafood to market. By the age of 16 he was the proud owner of his own fishing vessel and at the tender age of 21 he was the co-owner of his own wholesale company, State Fish Company. Alongside his close friend and future brother-in-law, Gerald Cigliano, Jack built State Fish Company into a formidable presence in the wholesale seafood business in the Los Angeles area.

Jack eventually grew restless at State Fish Company and left to join L.A. Fish & Oyster. The 10 years he spent at L.A. Fish & Oyster were good to Jack. He made a name for himself at the new company and even started his own family, but he couldn’t shake his entrepreneurial passion. After 10 years as an employee, Jack and his younger brother, Frank, joined together to embark on what would become their life’s work. In 1939, the two brothers set up shop at the end of the Santa Monica Pier selling fresh fish to restaurants and tourists alike under the company banner of Santa Monica Seafood.

For the next 42 years Jack and Frank worked to build Santa Monica Seafood into one of the top distributors of seafood in Southern California. They went from selling the catch of the day to hungry tourists on the Santa Monica Pier to selling fresh and frozen fish to the top restaurants in Los Angeles and Orange County. By 1969 an operation that had been borne on fresh-caught halibut, shark, sea bass, tuna and lobsters had outgrown its original location and had to move twelve blocks east to the corner of 12th Street and Colorado Avenue in Santa Monica. The new location served as the headquarters for an ever-burgeoning wholesale business as well as the seafood market that has come to be known as “the cathedral of seafood” to many residents of L.A. County.

While the Delucas were busy building the framework for Santa Monica Seafood, their cousins, the Ciglianos, were on the docks of San Pedro continuing the business of State Fish Company. Jack Deluca’s brother-in-law, Gerald Cigliano, had passed the business on to his eldest son Anthony who, in turn, was getting help from his own seven children. The precocious youngsters, in between helping their father and going to school, had set up a business of their own on the San Pedro docks. They would get fish from the fishermen to sell to fish peddlers when they weren’t busy unloading boats and sorting fish.

In 1981 the families came together again when Anthony Cigliano and his children purchased the company from Uncles Jack and Frank. Over the next several years each of Anthony’s children joined the daily operations of Santa Monica Seafood as the company continued to expand.

In 1985 a second retail/wholesale facility was opened in Orange County to serve a business that had pushed into Palm Springs, San Diego and Las Vegas. The new location, with its retail space and larger warehouse facilities, served to further extend the reach of Santa Monica Seafood. In 1997 a retail-only store was opened in Costa Mesa to further the company’s exposure to local consumers. More recently, the wholesale operations were streamlined in 2002, when the warehouses in Orange and Santa Monica were combined at the company’s new corporate headquarters in Rancho Dominguez, CA.

After more than 40 years at its location on Colorado Avenue, the first Santa Monica Seafood retail store was relocated to Wilshire Blvd. where it boasts an incredible refrigerated seafood display, grocery products from around the world and a small café featuring the freshest seafood sold in the Southwest. Also, in 2009, the Company opened a new Las Vegas office with docking and storage facilities.

Jack Deluca founded Santa Monica Seafood with the philosophy, “Provide the highest quality product at a fair and reasonable price.” Today his great-nephews are carrying on that tradition with a new purpose. Anthony Cigliano’s second-born son, Anthony, is the President of the company. He directly oversees a purchasing department that is at the cutting edge of seafood sustainability. Recently the company joined with the Monterey Bay Aquarium to promote and develop new and better ways to source seafood that conform to the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Sustainable Seafood Initiative. The philosophy of providing the highest quality product now demands ethical and sustainable sourcing of fish and education of both customers and the public at large.

The Cigliano family is at the forefront of preservation and aquaculture efforts to ensure the bounty of our seas for generations to come and their love of the sea remains unabated. Our story is the past, the present, and the future of the seafood industry.

Matt Sharp - Director of National Business Development Domaine Select Wine Estates
Throughout history wine and spirits have continually been recognized as an expression of culture, art and science. They have been of major significance for certain religions and have served as an important component of daily life, even before the time of the Roman Empire. For us today they are increasingly appreciated on many different levels.

Wine and spirits elevates our experience with the meal, while at the same time increasing our awareness of the sheer beauty and simplicity of the Earth. Wine and spirits allow us to experience a vast array of aromas, textures and flavors, exercising our senses and ultimately allowing us greater pleasure during the meal.

In their most rewarding form, wine and spirits become a way of life.

DSWE was founded to represent wines and specialized spirits from around the world of the highest quality and which express tremendous character, particular to their origin. DSWE is dedicated to building partnerships of trust and responsibility with producers by fully transmitting the passion, personality and individuality of their products. Expression, Diversity, Character and Tradition are tenets of DSWE and of the wines and spirits proudly represented.

1/11-Michael Jordan talks to Coby Parker & Tom Greenough

Coby Parker-Garcia - Winemaker, Claiborne & Churchill Winery

A native Californian, Coby Parker-Garcia was born and raised in San Luis Obispo. Growing up working in the family garden he realized his love for agriculture. After extensive trips to Europe and South America he knew the wine industry was his true calling. During his college days at Cal Poly State University, San Luis Obispo he studied Agribusiness Marketing with a minor in Wine and Viticulture. While at Cal Poly, he worked on the campus vineyard learning the ins and outs of growing grapes. Not only did he spend time in the vineyard but also took an internship with a local winery. There his love for winemaking grew and pushed his passion for wine even further.

In 2004 the opportunity to work for Claiborne & Churchill came up. He took the responsibility as assistant winemaker. Under the guidence of Clay Thompson, he learned traditional European winemaking techniques that emphasized minimal manipulation of both fruit and wine. Wanting to continue his education further he took classes at the University of California Davis. This gave him insight to new an improved winemaking techniques. By 2007 Coby was promoted head winemaker for Claiborne & Churchill. Today he oversees the entire wine production, their estate vineyards, and works closely with numerous vineyard managers along the Central Coast.

Besides working for Claiborne & Churchill, Coby helpes his wife's family vineyard in the Russian River, AVA.

Tom Greenough - Winemaker, Saucelito Canyon Vineyard

Tom literally spent his first year in the vineyard, before his parents Bill and Nancy moved from their house in the canyon to a more c”onvenient location in Edna Valley. Tom would visit the vineyard regularly throughout his childhood, helping out during harvest and doing odd jobs for his father. He later attended St. Mary’s College of California in the Bay Area, where he studied history and excelled as a member of the crew rowing team. After graduation, he returned to the Central Coast—and to the vineyard, of course. He ascended to the position of winemaker in 2009. “This is where I am at home,” he says. “I’m like my father. I like working outside and getting dirty, and taking a hands-on approach to the winemaking. I am looking forward to trying new things while maintaining the family traditions that we have here.

1/04-Michael Jordan talks with Matthew Sharp & John Salisbury

Matthew Sharp - Director of National Business Development Domaine Select Wine Estates
Throughout history wine and spirits have continually been recognized as an expression of culture, art and science. They have been of major significance for certain religions and have served as an important component of daily life, even before the time of the Roman Empire. For us today they are increasingly appreciated on many different levels.

Wine and spirits elevates our experience with the meal, while at the same time increasing our awareness of the sheer beauty and simplicity of the Earth. Wine and spirits allow us to experience a vast array of aromas, textures and flavors, exercising our senses and ultimately allowing us greater pleasure during the meal.

In their most rewarding form, wine and spirits become a way of life.

DSWE was founded to represent wines and specialized spirits from around the world of the highest quality and which express tremendous character, particular to their origin. DSWE is dedicated to building partnerships of trust and responsibility with producers by fully transmitting the passion, personality and individuality of their products. Expression, Diversity, Character and Tradition are tenets of DSWE and of the wines and spirits proudly represented.

John Salisbury - Founder & Farmer, Salisbury Vineyards
Join our family at Salisbury Vineyards to taste our luscious Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Albariño and other varietals grown in the maritime climate of Avila Valley by John Salisbury. Then sip through our highly regarded Cabernet Sauvignon and Zinfandel, also family grown in Paso Robles. All wines are crafted by the legendary Harold Osborne. The tasting room is a 105-year-old schoolhouse in Avila Valley, located off the frontage road at Hwy 101, and is just two miles from the beaches of Avila and Pismo. Guests can enjoy Salisbury Vineyards wines while they peruse Salisbury Fine Art gallery, and then picnic with friends on the patio.  Our family and staff warmly welcome you.