Villa San-Juliette Merlot 2008

Nigel Lythgoe - Known in the tasting room for his “great pours” (read: generous), Nigel’s day job features an impressive array of credits, including Pop Idol, the predecessor of American Idol. Nigel began as a dancer in the British song and dance group The Young Generation, later becoming its choreographer– a career move that would affect the rest of his professional life. He has choreographed over 500 shows in the UK and Europe, working with stars like Chita Rivera, Ben Vereen, Cyd Charisse, the Muppets and Gene Kelly. In the 80s he became a television producer and director, bringing American Gladiators to the UK, which became a major success for London Weekend Television, and which led to the company hiring him as Controller of Entertainment. In 2000, he produced and became a judge on the British version of Popstars, and was soon after invited to join Simon Cowell to develop Pop Idol. The show became an instant hit on British television and around the world. He later went on to co-create and executive produce the Emmy Award-winning So You Think You Can Dance, where he returned to the front of the camera as a resident judge.

Ken Warwick- At the winery, Ken is known for his keen “design eye” as he is consistently looking for ways to make the estate and the experience more beautiful for everybody. Outside the winery, Ken has had an amazing career, culminating with his current role as Executive Producer on worldwide productions of American Idol, World Idol and An American Idol Christmas for FremantleMedia. Ken has received numerous awards for his work, including Europe’s top television award, the Golden Rose for Montreux (the Rose d’Or), a British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) Award, and National Television Award for Best Entertainment Program, as well as five Emmy nominations. His work on American Idol has earned 30 Emmy Award nominations to date, and in 2007 he received the prestigious Governors Award, the Television Academy’s highest honor, for Idol Gives Back. Ken also executive produces the wildly successful America’s Got Talent, and previously produced primetime entertainment shows for the BBC and ITV, including Gladiators, Don’t Try This At Home and Royal Tournament coverage.

Dan Smith was raised in Tualatin, a small city 12 miles south of Portland, Oregon surrounded by the vineyards of the Willamette Valley. As the youngest of five children, he watched his siblings as they progressed through school and various careers and decided at an early age that he needed a plan of action. "It was a mixture of the geography around me, on top of a fascination with my Aunt and Uncle’s obsession with collecting wine that led me to tell my parents that I wanted to be a winemaker when I was 14 years old. Always supportive, they bought me some books to read and even let me paint my room in a wine color theme." In 2005, Dan ventured out of Oregon to start school in Cal Poly’s Wine & Viticulture B.S. program. It was his first experience with California’s Central Coast and he immediately fell in love with the SLO life. Dan met many influential industry leaders and mentors while working on his degree at Cal Poly. "I remember a career discussion before graduation I had with my Viticulture professor, the late Dr. Keith Patterson, where I expressed my desire to keep living and working in the area. He strongly encouraged me to leave the region and get as much experience as possible, then return given the right opportunity.” Dan took Dr. Patterson’s advice and worked vintages in Sonoma, New Zealand, California’s Central Valley, and back in Oregon before one of his college mentors, Matt Ortman, asked him to become Villa San-Juliette’s Cellar Master in 2013. "It’s been an amazing experience working with the VSJ vineyard and wines along with our small team, and I’m thrilled to step in as Winemaker and continue producing quality, hand-crafted wines."