2026 Sommeliers and panelists
Committed to date. Check back for updates.
Michael Jordan, MS, CWE
Director of Global Key Accounts
Jackson Family Fine Wines
View Bio
“Sommelier for the People”
Host of CRN DIGITAL TALK RADIO’S The Word on Wine Show
· 2022 Michael J was ‘KNIGHTED’ in France –
“For his contributions in educating the world of wine”
Five-time Sommelier of the Year and Veteran Restaurateur affectionately named “Sommelier for the People” Michael Jordan is Director of Global Key Accounts for Jackson Family Wines. Jordan travels the globe to work with key decision makers and hospitality industry leaders. Passionate and friendly, Jordan demystifies the world of wines as a true “Ambassador of Flavor” for wine lovers across the globe.
For twenty one years Jordan has hosted a weekly radio show, The Word on Wine – in many AM radio markets across the country and on CRN Digital Talk Radio.
With over forty years working in hospitality Michael holds both CWE and CMS Diplomas (only 15 people in the world hold both). Jordan worked his way up from dishwasher to executive chef and has also done every job in a restaurant.
Jordan was Chairman and Chief Judge of the Los Angeles International Wine Competition for many years and Hosts the Kapalua Wine and Food Festival on the island of Maui.
Jordan’s previous roles include years as Global Manager of Wine for Walt Disney Parks & Resorts Worldwide; Vice President of THE RANCH Restaurant & Saloon (Zagat 28-29-28), General Manager of Napa Rose Restaurant at Disneyland Resort (Zagat 29-28-28), GM of the “AAA Five Diamond Award” Pavilion Restaurant at Four Seasons Hotel Newport Beach.
“Michael Jordan is one of just 15 people in the world awarded both Master Sommelier and CWE (Certified Wine Educator) Diplomas. And if there were an equivalent for farming heirloom tomato expertise, he’d have that, too.” – Priscilla Mayfield’s column in Orange Coast Magazine – August 2013
Patrick Okubo, MS/RNDC
View Bio
He is also a Certified Wine Educator (CWE) and Certified Specialist in Spirits (CSS). The Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET) he holds the Advanced Sake Level 3 Award, and is a WSET Educator.
Patrick is the Fine Wine Specialist and Wine Educator for Republic National Distribution Company (RNDC) Hawaii since 2011.
Born and raised in Kaimuki he graduated high school from University Laboratory School in 2000. He then went to the University of Hawaii at Manoa with a Bachelor of Science in Travel Industry Management with an emphasis in hospitality. 2016 he earned his Masters from Hawaii Pacific University with a Master of Arts in Organizational Change and Development, graduating with Distinction.
He has been a member of the National Guard since 1999 in the 111th Army Band as a Sergeant First Class and retired in 2021.
Patrick started a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, Aloha Wine Foundation with a mission to Unite, educate, and inspire the Hawaii sommelier community. They primarily give scholarships to industry member to take wine classes.
Since the start of 2022 he was elected to the Court of Master Sommeliers Americas Board of Directors.
Previous to RNDC he opened Formaggio Grill in 2008 as Managing Partner managing all operations in the front house, kitchen, as well as business support operations. He opened the restaurant from construction to opening and expanded the operation to include a private banquet room. While he was there Formaggio Grill won Hale Aina Awards Gold Award for Best Wine Program from 2008-2010 and Ilima Awards Best Wine List.
Prior to Formaggio he was the Wine Director / Restaurant manager at Four Seasons Lana’i. He managed the fine dining restaurant at Manele Bay as General Manager. In addition to the restaurant he managed the wine program for both Manele and Koele including 13 different outlets from restaurants, banquets, room service, to retail shops.
Michael Kennedy
Vintner & Sommelier
The Ritz-Carlton Maui, Kapalua
View Bio
Michael Kennedy
STEVE POE, MS
View Bio
Steve Poe has been a food, wine, and hospitality professional for over twenty-five years – from washing dishes at a mom and pop Italian restaurant in his hometown of Diamond Bar in Southern California, to managing a Bar and Grill in Golden Colorado. His love of food and wine, however, was born in a fine dining restaurant at the Disneyland Resort called the Napa Rose, a world-class Dining Room specializing in Wine Country Cuisine, with a wine education and certification program that set new standards for excellence in the culinary world. There, he progressed through many certifications within the Court of Master Sommeliers before earning his Master Sommelier Diploma in 2008.
Since then, he has operated as a Director of Wine and Hospitality at Big Canyon Country Club in Newport Beach, California – a club widely regarded in the industry as having one of the finest wine programs in the nation.
A soldier right out of high school, Steve served with the 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment (Blackhorse!) in Fulda, Germany after completing Airborne and Air Assault training in Georgia and Alabama. His military service took him to West Germany, East Germany, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Iraq and Kuwait. He has credited his military experience with learning the true meaning of comradery, teamwork, discipline, and drive – all resulting in a deep appreciation for the liberty and freedom we enjoy in the United States. And, to take nothing for granted: ‘Earn it, Everyday’ – whatever you hold valuable.
Steve served as the Examination Chair on the Court of Master Sommeliers Board of Directors, overseeing and contributing to examination standards, content and examination execution at the highest level within the sommelier world of service. As a spirited mentor with a desire to grow and reward the sommelier community, he also served as Director of Enrichment trips on the SommFoundation Board of Directors, where aspiring sommeliers were awarded wine trip scholarships all over the world.
Service hospitality have always been his calling. From the Army to the restaurant floor, and from crushing Budweiser to drinking Bordeaux, genuine humility dwells in the heart of hospitality – it is an honor to serve in an industry where mentorship is celebrated, and where making people feel welcome, happy, and appreciated is always the mission. Hooah!
Greg Brewer
Brewer-Clifton
Santa Barbara County LOVE!
More Info
Jean-Charles Boisset was born into the world of wine in the village of Vougeot, Burgundy, France. His lifelong passion for wine began as a child, as he grew up above the cellars and within view of the centuriesold vineyards of Château du Clos de Vougeot, the epicenter and birthplace of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.
His parents, Jean-Claude and Claudine, founded the family winery in 1961 with an innovative and entrepreneurial spirit in one of the most traditional winegrowing regions in the world. Today, the family collection includes wineries that share more than 20 centuries of combined winemaking heritage and tradition in some of the world’s most prestigious terroirs, from Burgundy to the South of France, to California’s Napa Valley and Russian River Valley.
Jean-Charles leads the family firm with passionate commitment to fine wine, history, quality and a deep respect for the environment. He implemented organic and Biodynamic farming at all of the family’s estate vineyards in Burgundy and California. Together with his sister Nathalie, he created Domaine de la Vougeraie, uniting the family’s Burgundy vineyards, including prestigious monopoles such as the Vougeot 1er Cru Clos Blanc de Vougeot — planted in 1110 by the Cistercian monks, into one of Burgundy’s leading domaines.
He instituted the concept of “viniculteur”, redefining the company’s traditional role to encompass a close and active interest in all aspects of winegrowing to ensure premium quality and sustainable farming practices. He refashioned and elevated the family’s founding winery bearing his father’s name — Jean-Claude Boisset — into a premier boutique vigneron in the Cotes de Nuits.
In 2003 Jean-Charles brought DeLoach Vineyards, a pioneering producer of Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Zinfandel in Sonoma’s Russian River Valley, into the family collection. He immediately recognized the similarities to Burgundy: each boast a confluence of river, mountains, and soil that is perfect for growing world-class Pinot Noir. He began a mission, inspired by his Burgundian heritage to produce terroir-driven wines with the same commitment to terroir and organic and Biodynamic farming he had instituted in Burgundy.
In 2009 Jean-Charles’ quest for California wineries with a sense of history, heritage and a pioneering spirit led him to Raymond Vineyards in the Napa Valley, where five generations of family winemaking anchors it to the earliest days of the Napa Valley. Under his vision, Raymond has become a leading producer of luxury fine wines, implemented organic and Biodynamic farming on its 150 acre Rutherford & St. Helena estate vineyards, and become among the most dynamic winery destinations in California, earning “Winery of the Year” honors from Wine Enthusiast magazine.
In 2011, Jean-Charles’ dream of championing California wine history became a reality when Buena Vista Winery, California’s first premium winery founded in 1857, became a part of Boisset Collection.
Jean-Charles continued to grow the Boisset Collection with the introduction of JCB by JeanCharles Boisset tasting salons in both Yountville and on Main Street in downtown St. Helena. “Tell me what you drink and I will tell you who you are…” Jean-Charles Boisset for Baccarat Jean-Charles continued his legacy of pioneering innovations in 2018 with the introduction of JCB Spirits, luxury vodkas and gin distilled from Burgundy wine made from Pinot Noir and Chardonnay that includes the first-ever caviarinfused and truffle-infused vodkas.
In 2015 Jean-Charles and Raymond Vineyards partnered with Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, Tony and Golden Globe-award winning singer, songwriter, humanitarian and philanthropist John Legend to create the LVE: Legend Vineyard Exclusive collection of wines, which number six and counting. As a world-renowned singer, songwriter and performer, John Legend’s passion for inspiring memorable moments led him to become devoted to another art form, that of winemaking. The partnership has developed into a friendship, with Jean-Charles and John frequently attending each other’s events, including several private concerts given by John both in Napa Valley and the Los Angeles area.
In 2019 Boisset Collection acquired Oakville Grocery, with the nearly 140-year-old flagship location in Oakville in Napa Valley (the oldest continually operating grocery in California. A Victorian house dating from 1874 also sits on the Oakville property, which Jean-Charles has turned into Oakville Wine Merchant, a lounge featuring 50 wines by the glass and 350 by the bottle, as well as the 1881 Napa Valley Wine History Museum. Visitors can enjoy wines from Napa Valley’s finest producers while perusing the first-of-its-kind in Napa Valley collection of relics related to the wine trade, winemaking, viticulture and cooperage as well as many of Jean-Charles’ antique decanters. In addition, guests learn about the various sub-appellations of Napa Valley through displays and by tasting wines from those varied regions.
Realizing his love affair with Rutherford, Boisset purchased Elizabeth Spencer at Rutherford Cross in December 2021, where he created the Kathleen Thompson Hill Kitchen Memories Collection.
Jean-Charles has expanded from the world of wine and spirits to include a lifestyle vision; he has created namesake collections for jewelry, candles, perfume and the JCB Passion Collection by Baccarat — the first glassware line the historic French crystal company has ever done with a vintner. In addition, the JCB offerings include home accessories that exemplify the JCB world of hospitality and entertaining.
He debuted The Alchemy of the Senses, an inimitable “wine” book that speaks not only of tannins and barrels, but also emotions and fantasies, hope and imagination. Jean-Charles created the Alchemy of the Senses book as an experiential voyage through your dreams, your emotions, your senses, and your passions—all inspired by wine! The book is an opportunity to experience the limitless dimensions of wine. It was his second book, following Passion for Wine in collaboration with Marnie Old.
Boisset continued his commitment to California history with the acquisition of the Calistoga Depot, which underwent more than three years of renovation before its full grand opening in the Spring of 2024. At the same time, the Calistoga Depot Distillery unveiled a portfolio of handcrafted spirits inspired by the legacy of the Calistoga Depot and its founder Sam Brannan. Boisset continued his creation of luxury spirits with the debut of Casa Obsidiana tequila with the Beckmann-Gonzalez family in 2024. With Casa Obsidiana, Jean-Charles sets forth a vision of the wine and luxury worlds centered on family, passion, history, innovation and a commitment to sustainability. Decanter magazine has included him on its “Power List” of the 50 most important people in the wine world each year of its publication since 2007; in March 2008, he received the Meininger’s International Wine Entrepreneur of the Year; and in December 2008, he was named “Innovator of the Year” by Wine Enthusiast. In 2012, he received Wine Enthusiast’s American Winery of the Year honor for his renaissance of Raymond Vineyards. The French-American Foundation awarded him their first-ever French-American Partnership Award in 2013, bestowed upon an extraordinary individual or organization that has contributed to creating a strong and enduring French-American partnership in business, government or academia. Haute Living named him to the Haute List San Francisco, recognizing the 100 most influential people in the San Francisco Bay Area. He was honored with the 2014 Jefferson Award by the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, which celebrates the museum’s historical connection to wine. Also in 2014, JFK University in Concord named Jean-Charles and his wife Gina Gallo its “Entrepreneurs of the Year.” In 2015 Jean-Charles was named an Honorary Co-Chair of that year’s Sonoma Harvest Wine Auction, which broke all records by raising a staggering $4.5 million. In that same year, Wine Enthusiast again honored him with a Wine Star Wine & Culture Award alongside John Legend for their Legend Vineyard Exclusive (LVE) wines. In March 2017, Jean-Charles and Gina received the Mondavi Food & Wine award Robert Mondavi Wine & Food award by The Collins College of Hospitality Management in honor of their vision and leadership to advance the wine industry.
In May 2019 Jean-Charles accepted the Wine Country Business of the Year French American Business Award from the French American Chamber of Commerce of San Francisco. Wine Enthusiast Magazine named Jean-Charles their Wine Star Award 2024 “Person of the Year”. In 2025, Boisset was honored with the C Level Community Thought Leadership Award, a recognition bestowed upon exceptional business leaders who have made a significant impact in their industries.
Christopher Klapp
Petrossian Caviar
Veuve Clicquot & Petrossian Caviar
The Ultimate Pairing
