, 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.
began his career learning about wine while attending the College of Charleston in Charleston, SC. Ryan's early stints as a server, bartender and manager of various bars and fine-dining restaurants led him to appreciate the correlation between fine food and fine wine. After graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in Business and a double minor in Finance and Biology, Ryan came out to the wine country to work for the family business. Ryan began as the National Sales Manager and was responsible for creating distribution channels in eleven states. Ryan is now the General Manager and Assistant Winemaker.
has had a passion for food and wine from the start. This Napa native began his inevitable journey into the wine industry when he began working at Domaine Chandon’s famed Étoilé Restaurant. After working up through the ranks, Doug joined Auberge du Soleil in 2004. Doug was challenged with expediting their entire kitchen and mastering four-star service but always made time for the special sommelier classes offered by Director of Wines, Kris Margerum. The next stop for Doug was accepting a position to manage and buy for Dean and DeLuca in 2006. It was at this point that he realized he had to work wine into this gig. Therefore, he and his team began offering cheese and wine pairings for any winery, free of charge, if you just bring him the wine!
Doug received National acclaim for his creativity and pairings by being featured on “In Wine Country” and Parade Magazine’s “In Your Kitchen.” Doug says, “As Napans, our guests’ experience of visiting this valley has to be paramount to all of us in everything that we do to entertain them; from the wineries, restaurants, hotels, and more. It is fundamental to the Napa Valley continuing as the wine paradise we all know and love. What we provide is an art form; if you fall, just pick yourself up and keep going.” Doug joined our team in 2008 as the Director of Marketing and Operations.
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.