, Trial Attorney and Partner at Hill, Peterson, Carper, Bee & Deitzler by day and self-proclaimed Francophile by night, first experienced the infinite pleasures of the vine as a law student in the early 70's. Though Jim and his classmates didn't have much money, they convinced local wine distributors and wineries to donate wines for tastings. And so began a life and passion for fine wines. Jim made his first trip to Napa in 1976. Struck by the beauty, peace and sense of comfort the Napa Valley had to offer, Jim began returning to Napa every year since. Although Jim resides in West Virginia, he makes frequent trips to Napa to taste the evolution of his wine. Soon, he will be following his dream of relocating to the Napa Valley and becoming more involved on a daily basis with Falcor Wine Cellars.
(a.k.a., Mike Bee), Wine Connoisseur & Attorney-at-Law, joined forces with Jim Peterson at Hill, Peterson, Carper, Bee & Deitzler in 1990. Here, the two partners often shared a bottle of wine at the end of the day, learning more about the styles of wine that they favored while refining their palates. In 1994, during a law convention in San Francisco, Mike, Jim, and their colleagues spent a day touring and tasting in the Napa Valley. The turning point of the day came when Mike and Jim turned to one another and said, "Why can't WE do this?" Since then, Mike and Jim have become legendary for their dinners in Napa, inviting locals, winemakers and even people they have just met in tasting rooms to join them in enjoying and discussing wine. It was at one of these dinners that Mike and Jim met Andy Gridley, who took the two men under his wing, helped them articulate their favored style of wine and made introductions around the Valley which ultimately led them to noted winemaker Ray Coursen of Elyse Winery. Thus, in 1995, Falcor Wine Cellars was born!
began his career in the wine industry by working the harvest of 1983 at Mt. Eden Vineyards in Saratoga, CA. In 1984, he began working for Tonella Vineyard Management in Rutherford, where he learned the art of pruning, trellising and training the grapevines and how vital vineyard management is to the winemaking process.Ray then went on to Whitehall Lane, selling wine in the tasting room. The winemaker, Art Finklestein, noticed Ray's potential and immediately had Ray working in the cellar where, shortly thereafter, Ray was promoted to winemaker. Studying under Art, Ray learned the secret to great wines is in the blend. In 1987, Ray created Elyse Winery, named after their daughter, with 200 cases of Zinfandel. They have since grown this label to focus on Zinfandel, Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon. Ray has also added the Jacob Franklin label, which is dedicated to their son. This label focuses primarily on Petite Sirah and an Estate Cabernet.Ray's career in the wine industry spans over 20 years. During this time he has learned that making great wine begins with outstanding fruit. This is achieved by selecting the best vineyard locations, working in the vineyard, pruning and canopy control to maximize even ripeness. It is also crucial to pick at the right time - when there is a harmonious balance between sugars, acid and ripeness. Ray has passed his outstanding knowledge onto our wines. Through Ray we have formed and maintained great relationships with all of our growers to provide us with the best fruit available. Ray then takes this fruit and creates wines that reflect the nuances of each unique vineyard location. Ray is our consulting winemaker and we're proud to have him.
CHAY CANNON WOERZ, a Napa native is our newest addition to the Falcor team! Chay has lived and worked all over the globe from opening his own Restaurant/Bar in Lugano, Switzerland to consulting for restaurant openings in Buenos Aires, Argentina. His American Bar and Restaurant in Switzerland, S.O.S. was an instant hit giving his fellow students at Franklin College (the 4 year American College based in Lugano) and ex-pats an oasis to gather and enjoy homey comfort food, drink and atmosphere. In Buenos Aires, Chay explored the world of the gaucho cuisine and spent six months opening a New York style lounge/Martini Bar/Restaurant for a local banker. We met Chay when he moved back to California in 2002 when he won us over with his cooking and Wood Fired Pizza parties. After seven successful years as a Director of Sales of a prominent luggage company he decided to go back to his passion of food and wine starting his own catering company CHEF CHAY. In one short summer he made a name for himself by winning the Kelly Cleaver Cookhouse Competition in Sonoma over two prominent and experienced Bay Area Chefs (with the help of our own Ryan Bee as his Sous Chef), while beating out four well established catering companies to cater the food for the 500 VIPs over the 2 night Black Cat Cabaret charity event, headlined by performers from Cirque Du Soleil.
When the Director of Marketing and Hospitality position became open there was no better fit to head our front of house operation and running the Kitchen, Tasting Room and Wine Club. Please consider Falcor and the masterful expertise of CHEF CHAY to plan, execute and/or cater your next corporate event, birthday or anniversary dinner right here in our cozy salon. No event or occasion is too small to impress a few friends, family or clients with a wine and food pairing extravaganza. Please contact Chay by phone or email (707) 255-6070 or chay@falcorwines.com.
is an International Man of Viticulture. Larry was born and raised in nearby Vallejo and attended the University of California, Davis where he was an all-star Football and Baseball player and, at one time, was drafted by the San Diego Padres. Lucky for us, he settled on degrees in both Renewable Natural Resource Science and Viticulture.Since his graduation from UC Davis, Larry has worked as a Vineyard Manager and Viticulture Consultant for some of the top wineries and vineyards around the world, including: Adelaide Bay Vineyards - Tasmania, Cain Cellars, Clos du Val Winery, Clover Hill Winery - Tasmania, Elyse Winery, Falcor Winery, Flowers Winery, Morisoli Vineyards, Taltarni Vineyards - Australia, Spencer Roloson Winery, Tietjen Vineyard and V. Sattui Winery to name a few. In his spare time, Larry enjoys cooking, fly fishing, gardening, golfing & snowboarding.