Meet the Winemakers
Daniel Fetzer – Jeriko
The story of Jeriko started with Kathleen and Barney Fetzer when they bought a vineyard in 1957, in Redwood Valley, CA. Daniel Fetzer is the youngest of eleven children, and chose to follow in his parents grape growing and winemaking footsteps, by creating his own brand called Jeriko Estate. Today Jeriko is home to a number of selective clones of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. The vineyard is surrounded by olive trees, as well as other plants and animals that line the estate and play key roles in the Biodynamic and organic farming practices.
Mark Lyon – Eco Terreno
For the past 36 years, Mark has been focused on expanding his knowledge of winegrowing. It all started at the early age of 16 when Mark began to develop a deep seeded passion for fine wines while on his frequent family trips across Europe. Mark was drawn to the unlimited potential of creating great wines in Sonoma County and accepted a job at Sebastiani Vineyards in Sonoma, California. Along with his new position, he found property within Sonoma County to cultivate his own grapes. He and his father bought a 122 acre vineyard in Alexander Valley in 1980 and he began making his own wine soon after that.
Wine Women Wine Dinner at Rancho Las Palmas, Sunday March 26th at 6pm
Jim Milone – Terra Savia
Jim followed in the footsteps of his great grandfather, who emigrated from Italy as a young man. Jim grew up working in the family vineyards developing a love for the land that has only increased over time, founding the first winery in Hopland after prohibition. His mantra: “Put more effort in the vineyard and minimize treatment in the cellar; winemaking starts when you lay down the first compost in the Fall and prune in Winter. Every step of wine production, from pruning to bottling is considered to minimize our impact on the environment and our products.”
Wally’s Wine Tasting, Friday March 24th at 6pm
Mark Burch – Chacewater 
A harvest job with Gallo changed the direction of Mark’s career and life abruptly, as it was then that he decided to changed his major to Viticulture. In 1989 a former colleague wooed him away from the Central Valley to Sebastiani in Sonoma and 10 months later they made him their Cellar Master. On a quest to learn as much as possible about making wines, he went to Kendall-Jackson where he worked as their Assistant Winemaker, then off to Wildhurst Vineyards working his way from the cellar to winemaker. Chacewater wines are exceptional because of Mark’s creativity, vision, and experience.
If you are restaurant interested in booking a public wine dinner or an individual interested in scheduling a private wine dinner with one of our winemakers during the weekend of the Palm Dessert Food and Wine Festival (March 24th-26th), please contact Annie Arnold: wine@organicwineexchange.com or 760-565-WINE (9463)
