Wine Spectator's Straight Talk

Napa Valley is in the thick of harvest 2024, the busiest time of year in wine country, and Napa Cabernet superstar Thomas Rivers Brown took a break to tell us about the realities of harvest season—hope you like cleaning!—as well as his “Ziploc baggy mini-maceration method” for deciding when a vineyard is ready to be picked.Plus, Wine Spectator’s Dr. Vinny joins the program for a “sweet” harvest vocab check!And don't forget, there's always more free content at WineSpectator.com!• 2024 New York Wine Experience Tickets and Info• Thomas Rivers Brown's Midas Touch• 2022 Wine of the Year: 2019 Schrader Cellars Double Diamond Cabernet• The Christian Moueix Interview with Marvin R. Shanken• Wine Spectator's Nov. 15, 2024, issue• Latest News and Headlines• Ask Dr. Vinny• Sign up for Wine Spectator's free email newsletters• Subscribe to Wine SpectatorA podcast from Wine SpectatorMarvin R. Shanken, Editor and PublisherHost: James MolesworthDirector: Robert TaylorProducer: Gabriela SaldiviaGuests: Thomas Rivers Brown, MaryAnn WorobiecAssistant producer, Napa: Elizabeth Redmayne-Titley

When it comes to California Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, few names command as much respect as Sonoma's Kistler Vineyards. Kistler president and winemaker Jason Kesner joined Straight Talk host James Molesworth to tell us about growing up in the Napa wine industry—including where Robert Mondavi bought the weekly staff donuts—and how he strives to do a little bit less in the vineyard and winery with each passing year.Wine Spectator senior editor for news Mitch Frank joins the program as well, shedding light on a recent health study that’s made big waves in the mainstream media, for all the wrong reasons.And don't forget, there's always more free content at WineSpectator.com!• 2024 New York Wine Experience Tickets and Info• Kistler's Dark Side: Jason Kesner's Pinot Noirs• 2020 Top 10 Wines of the Year: Kistler Chardonnay• Health News: Wine Does Not Raise Risks for Healthy Older Adults• Vintage Wine Estates Bankruptcy• California Pinot Noir Tasting Report• Wine Spectator's Sept. 30, 2024, issue• Latest News and Headlines• Ask Dr. Vinny• Sign up for Wine Spectator's free email newsletters• Subscribe to Wine SpectatorA podcast from Wine SpectatorMarvin R. Shanken, Editor and PublisherHost: James MolesworthDirector: Robert TaylorProducer: Gabriela SaldiviaGuests: Jason Kesner, Mitch FrankAssistant producer, Napa: Elizabeth Redmayne-Titley

Straight from the cover of Wine Spectator and the season 3 premiere of hit TV series The Bear, legendary chef Daniel Boulud invites us into the Daniel dining room for an exclusive interview about what it means to be a chef today, his legacy of mentorship and why his next restaurant will reflect a shift in allegiance since becoming a U.S. citizen in 2021: "I finally became American. I always felt like I'm French … but with my family here, I'm definitely settled here ... it is more important to be American today for me than to be French."Straight Talk host James Molesworth speaks with senior editor Kristen Bieler about her cover story and interview with Boulud, and Wine Spectator advice and education expert Dr. Vinny returns to share some guidance on how to tip on an expensive bottle of wine at a restaurant.And don't forget, there's always more free content at WineSpectator.com!• Chef Daniel Boulud's American Dream• Wine Spectator's 2024 Restaurant Awards• Wine Spectator's Aug. 31, 2024, issue• Latest News and Headlines• Ask Dr. Vinny• Sign up for Wine Spectator's free email newsletters• Subscribe to Wine SpectatorA podcast from Wine SpectatorMarvin R. Shanken, Editor and PublisherHost: James MolesworthDirector: Robert TaylorProducer: Gabriela SaldiviaGuests: Daniel Boulud, Kristen Bieler, MaryAnn Worobiec (as Dr. Vinny)Assistant producer, Napa: Elizabeth Redmayne-Titley

A few days after winemaker Meghan Zobeck started her new job at Napa's historic Burgess Cellars, the winery burned down in the 2020 wildfires. With the help of owner Gaylon Lawrence and CEO Carlton McCoy, not only did Burgess bounce back, but Zobeck's followup 2021 Cabernets are outstanding. She tells us about her journey from the NFL to Chile's Clos Apalta to Michel Rolland's team in France to California's Napa Valley, and the "crazy ideas" she's implementing at Burgess—including something called agricultura promiscua ….Straight Talk host James Molesworth also welcomes Wine Spectator senior editor Mitch Frank to the newest episode to discuss the recent sales of Williams Selyem and Sea Smoke, and what they tell us about the California Pinot Noir industry.And don't forget, there's always more free content at WineSpectator.com!• Rebuilding Napa's Burgess Cellars from the Ground Up• Video: In the Vineyard at Burgess with Meghan Zobeck• Burgess Cellars Among Napa Wildfire Victims• Burgess Owner Gaylon Lawrence: Napa's Nashville Newcomer• Napa Icon and 1976 Paris Tasting Winner Warren Winiarski Dies at 95• Williams Selyem Sold to Burgundy's Faiveley• Sea Smoke Sold to Constellation• Wine Spectator's July 31, 2024, issue• Latest News and Headlines• Ask Dr. Vinny• Sign up for Wine Spectator's free email newsletters• Subscribe to Wine SpectatorA podcast from Wine SpectatorMarvin R. Shanken, Editor and PublisherHost: James MolesworthDirector: Robert TaylorProducer: Gabriela SaldiviaGuests: Meghan Zobeck, Mitch FrankAssistant producer, Napa: Elizabeth Redmayne-Titley

Patz & Hall co-founder James Hall is still pinching himself: After selling the iconic California Chardonnay brand in 2016, Hall was able to buy it back earlier this year. He tells us how he did it, and then takes us all the way back to landing his first winery gig in Napa … by pretending he could speak Italian?!Straight Talk host James Molesworth also welcomes Wine Spectator senior editors MaryAnn Worobiec and Mitch Frank to the newest episode. Dr. Vinny explains malolactic fermentation, James and Mitch take a hard look at the 2023 Bordeaux futures campaign, and much more.And don't forget, there's always more free content at WineSpectator.com!• Patz & Hall Co-Founder James Hall Buys His Winery Back• 2023 Bordeaux Barrel Tastings and Futures Campaign• Wine Spectator's June 30, 2024, issue• Latest News and Headlines• Ask Dr. Vinny• Sign up for Wine Spectator's free email newsletters• Subscribe to Wine SpectatorA podcast from Wine SpectatorMarvin R. Shanken, Editor and PublisherHost: James MolesworthDirector: Robert TaylorProducer: Gabriela SaldiviaGuests: James Hall, Mitch Frank, MaryAnn WorobiecAssistant producer, Napa: Elizabeth Redmayne-Titley

Salvestrin Family winemaker Natalie Winkler struck a chord when the 2018 Salvestrin Dr. Crane Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon earned a spot among Wine Spectator's Top 10 Wines of 2021. But it all started with a bottle of Oregon Pinot Noir …Winkler represents a new breed of California wine pros specializing not just in winemaking or vineyard management, but in both, and she tells us why winemakers should be in the vineyard, and much more. Wine Spectator senior editor for news Mitch Frank joins us as well, with news of some recent major wine thefts from two of Europe's most esteemed restaurant wine cellars.And don't forget, there's always more free content at WineSpectator.com!• Video: Watch James' vineyard walk with Natalie• Read more about Salvestrin winery and Dr. Crane Vineyard• Wine Crime: Read more about thefts at La Tour d'Argent and El Atrio• The 15 Most Expensive Wines Ever Sold• Wine Spectator's May 31, 2024, issue• Latest News and Headlines• Ask Dr. Vinny• Sign up for Wine Spectator's free email newslettersA podcast from Wine SpectatorMarvin R. Shanken, Editor and PublisherHost: James MolesworthDirector: Robert TaylorProducer: Gabriela SaldiviaGuests: Natalie Winkler, Mitch FrankAssistant producer, Napa: Elizabeth Redmayne-Titley

Winemaker Dan Petroski made news when he sold his boutique California white wine brand Massican to Gallo late last year. But that was just the latest step on a wine journey that started ignominiously as a Columbia University football player and began in earnest a decade later after an eye-opening dinner at Le Bernardin in New York. Petroski went on to become cellarmaster at Larkmead, where he worked until 2021 while also building his own brand. "I started Massican because my mother couldn't afford Larkmead," Petroski tells host James Molesworth in the newest episode of Wine Spectator's Straight Talk podcast. "I wanted to do something that would bring more people great wine."Plus, our beloved educator and advice columnist Dr. Vinny returns! And don't forget, there's always more free content at WineSpectator.com!• Read more on winemaker Dan Petroski• Wine Spectator's April 30, 2024, issue• Latest News and Headlines• Ask Dr. Vinny• Sign up for Wine Spectator's free email newslettersA podcast from Wine SpectatorMarvin R. Shanken, Editor and PublisherHost: James MolesworthDirector: Robert TaylorProducer: Gabriela SaldiviaGuests: Dan Petroski, MaryAnn WorobiecAssistant producer, Napa: Elizabeth Redmayne-Titley

From his teetotaling childhood home to Opus One's debut vintage to putting Argentine Malbec on the map, winemaker Paul Hobbs opens up to host James Molesworth about his career-defining moments with candid humor and insightful analysis in the season 2 premiere of Wine Spectator's Straight Talk podcast!Plus, senior editor for news Mitch Frank tells us about a government study that recently surfaced in Oregon, and the controversy over why it had been buried by state officials.Thirsty for more? There's always more free content at WineSpectator.com!• Read more on winemaker Paul Hobbs• Oregon's Controversial Hidden Alcohol Tax Study• Wine Spectator's March 31, 2024, issue• Latest News and Headlines• Ask Dr. Vinny• Sign up for Wine Spectator's free email newslettersA podcast from Wine SpectatorMarvin R. Shanken, Editor and PublisherHost: James MolesworthDirector: Robert TaylorProducer: Gabriela SaldiviaGuests: Paul Hobbs, Mitch FrankAssistant producer, Napa: Elizabeth Redmayne-Titley