Richard Mendelson
Richard Mendelson’s lifelong engagement with wine began as a graduate student at Oxford, where an academic curiosity quickly became a personal passion. He moved to France to deepen his education and worked at Bouchard Aîné & Fils, a respected Burgundy winery, before returning to the United States in 1979 to attend Stanford Law School. Soon afterward, he settled in Napa Valley, joined the firm of Dickenson, Peatman & Fogarty, and began a career devoted to wine law.
Over the decades, Mendelson has been involved in many dimensions of the wine world, from growing grapes and making wine to advising growers and wineries on legal, land use, and appellation issues. Much of his work has centered on protecting Napa Valley and its identity as one of the world’s great wine regions. He founded and directed the Wine Law and Policy Program at the University of California, Berkeley, and co-founded the International Wine Law Association, headquartered in France, serving as its president.
He is the author of several books, including From Demon to Darling: A Legal History of Wine in America, Wine in America: Law and Policy, Appellation Napa Valley: Building and Protecting an American Treasure, Common Ground: Charting the Future of Napa Valley, and, most recently, Cabernet Sauvignon, The Love Affair that Built the Napa Valley.
His creative work extends beyond wine to sculpture and metalwork, reflected in his book Spirit in Metal and his forthcoming book, The Silent Center: Sacred Sculptures by Richard Mendelson. Richard and his wife Marilyn live in Napa Valley, where they remain closely connected to the land, the community, and their family of children and grandchildren.
Jeff O’Neill
Wine and spirits industry expert, entrepreneur, and CEO Jeff O’Neill founded O’Neill Vintners & Distillers in 2004. A third-generation agriculturist, O’Neill learned early that those who cultivate the land carry a responsibility to steward it for future generations, values that have shaped both his career and his mission: inspire a happier, more sustainable world, one glass at a time.
Since founding O’Neill Vintners & Distillers, following 19 years as CEO of Golden State Vintners, O’Neill has become one of the wine industry’s most influential voices on regenerative agriculture, proving that scale and sustainability can go hand in hand. Under his leadership, the company became one of the first in the industry to achieve B Corp Certification and Regenerative Organic Certified® status, and it has earned the Green Medal Leader Award from the California Wine Institute for its climate-smart, soil-first farming practices. O’Neill has used that platform to drive regenerative and climate-smart viticulture in the industry’s broader conversation, championing practices that go well beyond his own vineyards and pointing toward what he sees as the future of wine and spirits. That commitment has also translated into the marketplace, with O’Neill launching the first Regenerative Organic Certified® wines in retail, helping bring regenerative agriculture from the vineyard to consumers at scale. In 2022, Wine Enthusiast named him “Person of the Year,” recognizing his role in shaping the future of the wine industry and advancing a more sustainable path forward.
With winery Estates in Sonoma and Paso Robles and a winery facility in Parlier, O’Neill’s portfolio includes Ram’s Gate Winery, Robert Hall Winery, Line 39, Wines of Substance, FitVine Wine, Harken Chardonnay, Rabble Wine Company, Charles Woodson’s Intercept, Vino, No. 209 Gin, and BrandyLab,
O’Neill’s commitment to advancing the industry extends well beyond his own company. He is a longtime supporter of education, having served on the Board of Directors of Summer Search and the University of California, Davis Viticulture & Enology Executive Leadership Board, and having developed the Charles Woodson & O’Neill Family Wine Scholarships. He has also served as Chairman of The Presidents’ Forum of the Distilled Spirits Industry, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Woolf Farms in California’s Central Valley, and Chairman of the California Wine Institute.
O’Neill attended the University of the Pacific Eberhardt School of Business and Public Administration, earning a BS in 1978.
Michael Silacci
Michael Silacci is celebrating a remarkable 25 years as Winemaker with Opus One. Prior to his current appointment, Michael oversaw viticulture and winemaking at Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars and at King Estate in Oregon. He spent six years at Beaulieu Vineyard as enologist, viticulturist, and production manager. He has also made wine in France and Chile. Michael holds undergraduate degrees in enology and viticulture from U.C. Davis and the Université de Bordeaux, as well as a master’s degree in viticulture from U.C. Davis.
Through Michael’s leadership, Opus One has seen many innovations in viticulture and winemaking. He continues to also grow his focus in mentoring, global sustainability, and guiding Opus One towards being Climate Positive. He enjoys channeling all he has learned from his mentors, Andre Tchelistcheff and Warren Winiarski, into the members of his team.
Michael embraces the principle that classic wines are expressions of time and place. Human beings are an element of terroir and therefore are part of nurturing and guiding the process. He works to ensure a seamless connection between viticulture and winemaking at Opus One, reflecting the founding philosophy of Baron Philippe de Rothschild and Robert Mondavi.
Opus One produces ultra-premium wines at its winery in Oakville, California. The 2022 vintage was released on October 1st, 2025, and it is distributed in all 50 U.S. States and 90 countries worldwide; the 2023 vintage will be released on October 1st, 2026.