Jeff Stewart – Award Winning Artisan Winemaker of Buena Vista Carneros

My guest on July 1st is Jeff Stewart, the award winning winemaker at Buena Vista Carneros, California’s oldest premium winery. Fresh off an award-winning tenure at La Crema and a graduate of the prestigious University of California at Davis, Jeff came to Buena Vista with 15 years’ achievement in cool-climate viticulture. His focus on gentle handling of the grapes and temperature moderation produces wines with complexity, character and depth. Jeff’s influence on the recent releases from Buena Vista Carneros is evident – with the award-winning initial releases of the Estate Vineyard Series wines as well as the new Carneros releases garnering much critical acclaim. Jeff & I will talk about Buena Vista Carneros, his latest releases – including conducting an on-air tasting, food & wine pairings, the wine industry, social media, and much more.

Born and raised in Lake Tahoe, California, Jeff Stewart is, not surprisingly, an avid skier, but it was a summer trip to France and an enthusiastic chemistry teacher that enticed him into winemaking.
“In France, wine is food. I was fascinated with the lifestyle and the importance of wine in that culture,” says Jeff. “I knew I wanted to pursue a career in Science and enrolled in the Viticulture and Enology program at U.C. Davis. The idea of combining agriculture, science and esthetics to create wine, a beverage revered in many cultures for thousands of years, was mesmerizing.” Having also held winemaking positions at Laurier, De Loach, Mark West, Kunde and La Crema, Jeff brought with him to Buena Vista a wealth of experience and an established reputation for quality. His deft hand with Chardonnay and Pinot Noir in particular made him the perfect fit to put Buena Vista Carneros at the top of the list of world–class Carneros producers.