The Vine Whisperer Speaks - Greg La Follette

Widely referred to as "The Vine Whisperer," Greg La Follette is a California legend, a grape grower and wine maker who has worked with dozens of wineries, made hundreds wines and, for nearly six decades, has been an essentail part of the engine driving the maturation of the California and American wine industries. A one-time seminarian, medical researcher and plant biologist, he first made his mark in wine as a lab rat fascinated by the esoterica of what creates our tactile impression, the mouth feel, of Pinot Noir.

Greg La Follette has worked with dozens of grape varieties but he's never lost his fascination with Pinot Noir, dubbed "the heartbreak grape" because it can be so difficult to work with. Of course, when it does work, it makes a sublimely beautiful wine. In a wide-ranging conversation, Greg talks with host Lyn Farmer about his, and the industry's, early days in California, about the steady growth of the American wine industry over 50 years, about how he successfully persuades yeast to do things others struggle to achieve, about his time with his legendary predecessors like Andrei Tchelistcheff, his mentoring of new generations in the wine industry and why he doesn't like the term "winemaker."

Join us for a fascinating visit with a wine OG, Greg La Follette, exploring the past and especially his bright future at his new project, Marchelle Winery. We are delving into California's sense of place on Postcards in a Glass.

You can learn more about Greg La Follette and the exciting work of Marchelle Wines at their website:

https://www.marchellewines.com