Antonio Galloni

Founder, Vinous

Antonio Galloni is the founder and CEO of Vinous, one of the world's most influential wine publications, for which he is also the lead critic covering the wines of Bordeaux, California, Italy and Champagne. Since founding Vinous in 2013, Galloni led Vinous' acquisitions of Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar and Delectable, which made the company unique in the wine industry in its ability to offer both professional reviews from the world's top critics and the perspectives from hundreds of thousands of wine consumers. Galloni also leads Vinous' pioneering efforts to map the vineyards of California with renowned cartographer Alessandro Masnaghetti. Prior to Vinous, Antonio was the lead critic of Robert Parker's The Wine Advocate, which he joined having established himself as an influential wine writer through Piedmont Report, the first in-depth, English language journal solely focused on Italian wine. Galloni has an MBA from MIT Sloan School of Management and is a Berklee trained musician. When not tasting wines or leading his business, Galloni can be found shredding a guitar or keeping fit.

Celia Welch

Winemaker, Rewa Vineyards

Celia Welch is one of North America's most highly regarded winemakers and has earned a reputation for crafting distinctive wines that express the individual qualities and characteristics of each vineyard.

As the daughter of an avid wine collector and home winemaker, Celia had an early introduction to wine appreciation and the elements of winemaking. She discovered her fascination with flavors and aromas, which inspired her to earn her degree in Enology from UC Davis. Afterward, she explored and worked in the wine regions of the Pacific Northwest, New Zealand and Australia.

She then settled in Napa Valley, and after spending several years working in notable wineries honing her skills, she became an independent winemaker working for such clients as Staglin Family Vineyard. Today, her client list consists of a select group of Napa Valley wineries, including Scarecrow, Keever Vineyards, Kelly Fleming Wines, Lindstrom, and Hollywood and Vine. Celia also produces wine under her own label, Corra.

In the nearly three decades she has been making wine professionally, Celia has contributed greatly to the success of Napa Valley.

Priyanka French

Winemaker, Signorello Estate

Priyanka joined Signorello Estate as Winemaker in Spring 2019. She looks forward to building upon our decades-long legacy by focusing on precision viticulture and restrained winemaking that will best express the resilience and strengths of our estate vineyard. She will also be overseeing the construction of a new 28,000 square foot winery and caves.

Prior to joining Signorello Estate, she worked alongside Winemaker Andy Erickson and Consulting Enologist Michel Rolland at Dalla Valle Vineyards. Originally from Mumbai, Priyanka holds a Master of Science in Viticulture and Enology from University of California, Davis.

Elias Fernandez

Winemaker, Shafer Vineyards

When I graduated from UC Davis, I knew I wanted to work for a smaller, family-owned winery because it would give me the chance to be a "hands-on" winemaker, getting involved in all aspects of running a cellar. I had a lot of excitement getting into this career and that excitement has stayed with me.

Coming into this more than 25 years ago, I thought that winemaking happened underneath the roof of the cellar. Today who I am as a winemaker has umbrellaed in a big way. Winemaking starts in January with pruning and continues throughout the year. I'm not just selecting the best fruit, I'm selecting the best corks, the right barrel staves, ensuring that the bottling line is working at top efficiency. What I've also learned is to let the land dictate the best grape variety and the style of the wine that ends up in the bottle.

Julien Fayard

Winemaker, Purlieu Wines

With more than two decades of winemaking expertise, Julien Fayard is one of Napa Valley’s most respected winemakers producing California varietals with French finesse. He believes in producing wines with an identity, exploiting what makes each one unique. Julien’s wines are a pure expression of their terroir, highlighting the specificities and characteristics of the fruit, vineyard management, soil and climate. He has a track record of building brands both in terms of quality and market presence.

Originally from France, Julien began his career as a winemaker producing quality rosé at his family’s winery in Provence. In Bordeaux he worked at Lafite Rothschild and Smith Haut Laffite before relocating to Napa Valley. In Napa, he was Philippe Melka’s director of winemaking for a few years before launching his own projects.

Julien earned his Master in Agri-Business from ESA France and his Master in Winemaking from Toulouse France. In 2011, he received his MBA from UC Davis.

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