Description

BARON ZIEGLER – OWNER

A native of Minnesota, Baron began buying Bordeaux futures at the age of 15, the sale of which later funded the down payment for a Boston condo while in college at Boston University. At 18 he was hired by Food & Wine Magazines 2012 Top Sommelier Peter Eastlake, to work in his wine retail shop where he worked under the radar for three years. By 21 he was managing three stores and purchasing wines by the container. Baron then deferred medical school to work for a James Beard award-winning wine importer, Eric Solomon. After managing most of the East Coast for ve years, he took over the role of national sales director, where he ran all aspects of sales for the next ve years. Baron moved to California in 2007 and two years later Banshee Wines became a reality followed by the founding of Valkyrie Selections (imported wines), Averaen (Oregon), Valravn (Sonoma) and Requiem (Washington State).

ROB FISCHER – WINEMAKER

A native of Napa, Rob had no plans to pursue the valleys natural professional path in winemaking, but that quickly changed when he landed a job in the tasting room at Domaine Carneros. What was intended to be a summer job soon turned into a series of fortuitous opportunities that quickly jumpstarted Robs winemaking career. During his six years with Domaine Carneros, Rob advanced quickly holding a variety of roles in the cellar and lab, finding that winemaking was a natural fit for his keen attention to detail and analytical approach, but mostly intrigued by the creative aspect. Before heading back to school to complete a degree in Enology at Fresno State, Rob worked at Donum Estate where he was immersed in the production of Carneros and Sonoma Pinot Noirs. Upon graduation, Rob joined the Ancien Wines team as assistant winemaker and worked alongside Ken Bernards. In 2008, Rob joined Etude Wines as associate winemaker, and for the next 9 years advanced to winemaker positions at Etude, Lyric and Beaulieu Vineyards (Treasury Estates).