INTERVIEW CONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS PAGE

JL: Why did you partner with Eric Railsback, and how do you complement each other?

BM: Eric isn’t on the Court of Master Sommeliers side. We have a different pool of people that we bring to the table in terms of a network. That’s kind of fun. We also have different skills. I’m more on the writing and education side, kind of handle the creative aspects. I’m good to take out the trash and lift boxes. He is really strong on the business side. He’s been a Wine Director for some big programs, worked the floor. He opened The Hungry Cat in Santa Barbara. He also knows the local clientele really, really well. That being said, his knowledge of European wines and his specialization in Burgundy. The guy speaks fluent French. He knows all the winemakers. It’s a network that I could never crack without knowing the language. We play off each other really, really well. He’s also my best friend, so that helps.

JL: What’s the criteria for a wine that you’re going to sell at Les Marchands?

BM: Philosophically, it’s going to be an even split. The European demographic is under-represented, so mainly France, Italy, Austria, Germany, and then focusing on the wines that you don’t see on the open market too much. So back label cuvées, special bottlings, getting a collector to consign their cellar. It’s a huge way, obviously, to lower overhead, but from a consumer point, they’re tasting vintage wines that are really cool, that you don’t see on the open market. That’s huge.

The other side is promoting the area. The fact that we make wine and believe in the raw materials in Santa Barbara and feel like, when people mention California wine, their first inclination is Napa/Sonoma. The fact that Santa Barbara isn’t mentioned in the same breath as those regions, to us is a huge area of opportunity. We believe raw materials in the valley are incredible, so it’s going to be a heavy – on the domestic side – Santa Barbara County focus, a lot of producers that even people in Santa Barbara have no idea exist. 27, 30-somethings making 100 cases, doing amazing things. Pretty special.

JL: When you’re visiting somebody else’s establishment, whether it’s a restaurant or wine bar, what is it that you’re looking for in a wine list and a wine program?

BM: Often times, when you go into a wine bar, you want to drink wines you like to drink. You understand very, very quickly whether somebody is playing the business angle, versus, “Let me think about this from a boutique standpoint.” Are they really focused on producer and what people are doing well? It’s the same thing with food. You can go to the store and get processed food, get this, that and the other thing. Or you can go to the farmers market and talk to people who actually grow the stuff and produce the stuff and are connected to the right people there. It’s kind of like a boutique pharmacy approach or a farmers market approach to what we buy. We see wine lists out there that are very thoughtful in their selections. Those are the types of places we gravitate towards. A lot of it has to do with, since wine doesn’t have ingredients on the label, it’s very easy to pull the wool over people’s eyes when it comes to producers. There are a handful of people that really know inside and out whether producers are killing it, what they’re doing in the winery, what they’re doing in the vineyard, and when we see that, it’s awesome. They’re few and far between, but it’s a lot of fun for us.

JL: Would you like to see wine labeling change?

BM: I’d love to see people put ingredients on the label. There’s a lot of manipulation going on, and while it’s not good for big business, it’s a product, just like anything else. We tend not to think of alcohol in terms of health benefits, but in every other area of the world, you’re going to have ingredients on the label. The fact that stuff is going on under the table, all the time, makes a lot of people, including myself, think there should be ingredients on the label when it comes to winemaking, for sure.

JL: Where and what do you like to drink when you’re not working?

BM: I’m a huge tequila fan, and a huge beer fan. When you go through the whole process of the Court, you can’t turn your brain off. You’re constantly analyzing, so to have a tequila or beer, I can turn my brain off, finally. If I’m drinking wine though, I probably drink 90% white wine. I love Chablis. That’s my all-time favorite, so high acid, mineral driven white wines are my jam.

JL: If you had to fill your glass with only one more wine, what would be in the glass?

BM: Let’s do Raveneau Chablis, my all-time favorite. Awesome producer. I had a chance to go to the domaine, was lucky enough to go there. Chardonnay cannot get more pure or transparent. Top of the top.

JL: Would you pair any food with it?

BM: Any food. Seafood’s incredible, cheese. There are limitless pairings with high acid white wines. Honestly, I could drink it on its own all day. It’s delicious.