Vincent Morrow MS

Beverage Director, PRESS Restaurant

A native of Phoenix, Vincent Morrow moved to California to attend Sonoma State University on a soccer scholarship. His proximity to wine country piqued his interest in wine, and when it came time to pick a concentration for his bachelor’s in business administration, he chose wine business strategies and marketing.
A Master Sommelier before the age of 30, Morrow honed his wine knowledge working at renowned wineries such as Ridge Vineyards, and at lauded Bay Area restaurants that included Gary Danko, Benu, The French Laundry, and most recently Chef Claude Le Tohic’s ONE65. Along the way, he was named 2016 USA Champion in the TopSOMM Young Sommelier Competition. He entered the 2017 Chaîne des Rôtisseurs Jeunes Sommeliers Compétition, winning the USA Championship and placing 3rd overall in the world.

At PRESS, which is home to the largest collection of Napa Valley wines in the world, Morrow looks to build on the vision of late founder Leslie Rudd: to curate a cellar that is timeless in its breadth and depth of Cabernets and hidden gems, and a cellar that also includes lesser known varietals produced in the region, to ensure they get the spotlight and attention they deserve. He looks to create exciting pairings that match with Tessier’s modern American and technique-driven cuisine. Morrow, in addition to his work at PRESS, is also the Co-Chair of the newly created diversity committee of the Court of Master Sommeliers, where he is intent on making the organization more inclusive of women, LGBTQ+, BIPOC, and unrepresented communities within the wine & hospitality industry.

Bruce Cakebread

Owner, Cakebread Cellars

Bruce Cakebread has worked alongside his father since the founding of the family winery in 1973. He officially joined the winery in 1977, and after graduating with a degree in Viticulture and Enology from the University of California at Davis, in 1979 he took over as winemaker, overseeing all vineyard and cellar operations for the next twenty years. In 2002, Bruce became the winery’s President and Chief Operations Officer, also leading international distribution efforts, and today he serves as co-owner and a board member.

“We are very fortunate to have an excellent collection of vineyards as well as long-term relationships with some of the best growers in Napa Valley,” says Bruce. “Great vineyards, plus the fact that we’ve had only four winemakers over the past forty-five years (Jack, myself, Julianne Laks, and now Stephanie Jacobs), have allowed us to produce world-class wines of extraordinarily consistent quality and style.”

Bruce has served on the Viticulture and Enology Executive Leadership Board at UC Davis, as a member of the Executive Committee for the Robert Mondavi Institute for Wine and Food Science, as a member of the Napa Valley Vintners Board—which he chaired in 2010 and 2013—and as Chair of the Napa Valley College Foundation Board. He has also served on the Bush Brothers Board and as an alternate for the Napa County Flood Control District.

Elizabeth Vianna

Winemaker and General Manager, Chimney Rock Winery

My experience as a winemaker began with two wonderful internships, the first at Trefethen Vineyards and the second at Chimney Rock Winery, more than a decade ago. I then went on to Napa Wine Company for a few years as lab director and assistant winemaker, where I learned much from some amazing winemakers in this valley. I was fortunate enough to work closely with Heidi Barret, Celia Macyzek, Erin Green and Pam Starr, among many other inspiring women in wine. I then returned to Chimney Rock as assistant winemaker in 2002 and was eventually promoted to winemaker.

Michael Eddy

Director of Winemaking, Louis M. Martini Winery

Michael Eddy, who grew up in Southern California, became fascinated by the process of transforming grapes into wine after brewing beer at home. "The complexity of wine has always intrigued me," explains Michael. "The idea of navigating all of the steps it takes to bring out different flavors in a wine really appeals to me."

As Director of North Coast Winemaking for E. & J. Gallo Winery, Michael oversees winemaking teams at the Gallo of Sonoma Winery, Louis M. Martini Winery and William Hill Estate Winery. He also collaborates on Gallo Signature Series, an acclaimed collection of wines crafted by third-generation family winemaker Gina Gallo.

Michael finds Gallo an exciting place to work, thanks to the tremendous resources available. "Winemaking is about choosing the right materials and using innovative techniques to achieve your vision, and Gallo affords an incredible array of resources and a broad range of tools," he says. The Winery's impressive estate vineyards, its historic Monte Rosso Vineyard in Sonoma Valley, is Michael's favorite.

Michael earned his bachelor's degree in Biology from Humboldt State University in Northern California, later pursuing a master's degree in Food Science, specializing in oenology, at the University of California at Davis. After stints in winemaking at California's Trefethen Family Vineyards, Beaulieu Vineyard and Rodney Strong Vineyards, Michael joined Gallo in 2005 as an associate winemaker, initially focusing on Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot.

Sam Baxter

Proprietor and Winemaker, Terra Valentine

Sam Baxter quite literally grew up among the grapevines in Saint Helena, most often found just a few small steps behind his father, Phil, a legendary winemaker starting in the late 1960s in the Napa Valley. Sam began working in wineries as a young teenager and began learning the art of blending from his father at the age of 16.

After graduating from the University of California in Davis with a degree in Fermentation Science in 1998, Sam worked abroad in Australia before returning to his hometown. He started as Cellarmaster at Terra Valentine Winery at its inception in 1999 under his consulting winemaker father, where the father-son team began the transformation of the ghost winery property into a world class vineyard estate on Spring Mountain.

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