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Boisset to talk on ‘Ideal Wine Blend’

Jean-Charles Boisset, international wine entrepreneur and proprietor of wineries in Sonoma County and Napa Valley will be speaking on “France and California – the Ideal Wine Blend” at 7 p.m. Thursday, March 14, at Vintage House senior center in Sonoma.

Drawing on his family wine heritage in Burgundy and his own experiences as an innovator in viticulture and winery operations in Napa Valley and Sonoma County, Boisset will describe the unique blend of wine and wine culture between France and California. Expect his usual exuberance.

Boisset grew up in Vougeot, France, among the historic vineyards of the Côte de Nuits, Burgundy, where he was immersed in a family deeply involved in the world of wine as his parents started the family wine business in 1961.

As a wine entrepreneur himself, Boisset’s search for a premium New World terroir for pinot noir was achieved with the addition of De Loach Vineyards, in 2003. DeLoach was one of the original wineries in the Russian River Valley, specializing in premium pinot noir. In 2009, Boisset continued the company’s growth through three strategic acquisitions, two in France and Raymond Vineyards in the Napa Valley which last year was named American Winery of the year by “Wine Enthusiast Magazine.” He acquired the historic Buena Vista Winery in Sonoma in 2011 and made extensive renovations and venue improvements to enhance the visitor experience along with an expansion and rebranding of the wines.

David Bolling, editor and publisher of The Sonoma Index-Tribune will be the moderator of the event. Following the lecture there will be a question-and-answer period, to be followed by light refreshments and a reception.

Boisset’s lecture is one in a series of seven on the theme of “Windows to the World – the Countries of Sonoma’s Sister Cities.”

The remaining lectures will be about Italy, Ukraine and Egypt in April, May and June. The series is sponsored by the Sonoma Community Center and the Sonoma Sister Cities Association. Sonoma Sister Cities promotes international good will in seven countries through citizen diplomacy exchanges, cultural events, humanitarian programs and economic development.

This lecture will take place at Vintage House, 264 First St. E. in Sonoma.

Tickets are $15 a person and can be obtained online from the Sonoma Community Center’s electronic box office at svbo.org; or by telephone at 938-4626, ext. 1; or in person at the Sonoma Community Center, 276 E. Napa St.

For more information about Sister Cities, contact Bill Boerum at 766-4329.

For information about Sonoma Community Center events, contact Tom Montan at 938-4626, ext. 4.