Some of the greatest legends in the wine industry will speak at the Notre Dame Slainte Liquor Industry Symposium. These four wine greats represent the Four Horseman of the wine industry. I provided some background information on these speakers.

Eric Jensen of Booker Wines-Eric Jensen left a comfortable life in a gated community in Southern California, moved to Paso Robles and made a major impact on the wine industry. His wine, My Favorite Neighbor, provided Mr. Jensen with a unique and special place in the wine industry. He was named 2022 Paso Robles Wine Industry Person of the Year.

Mr. Jensen’s success in wine making led to Constellation purchasing his winery and business. From taking a chance and leaving a comfortable life, Mr. Jensen transformed the wine industry. His story of a self-made man in the wine industry is truly inspirational.

Andrew Waterhouse-Dr. Waterhouse is the Director of the Robert Mondavi Institute of Wine and Food Science at UC Davis.

Dr. Waterhouse is an expert in wine chemistry and is an internationally recognized expert in the field of Enology and Viticulture. He is the Co-Editor of the Journal of Food and Science and authored the book, Understanding Wine Chemistry. Nobody can match Dr. Waterhouse’s credentials on the issue of wine chemistry.

Paul Hobbs-Paul Hobbs has been referred to in the media as the Steve Jobs of Wine. Mr. Hobbs was first hired by Robert Mondavi because of his expertise in using oak in aging. Then he revolutionized the wine industry by highlighting the great wines in Argentina, which at the time were mainly unrecognized.

Mr. Hobbs runs his own wineries with a portfolio of Paul Hobbs Winery, Crossbarn, and Hillick and Hobbs. Further, Mr. Hobbs runs international partnerships with Viña Cobos (Mendoza, Argentina), Crocus (Cahors, France), Yacoubian-Hobbs (Armenia) and Alvaredos-Hobbs (Galicia, Spain). A true revolutionary and the man responsible for recognizing great South America wineries and putting them on the map, Mr. Hobbs continues to make an indelible mark on the wine industry.

David Duncan-Mr. Duncan is the CEO of Silver Oak and Twomey Cellars, and is best known for his commitment to quality and innovation. From 2006-2008, David led the rebuild of Silver Oak’s Napa Valley winery, which became the first commercial winery in the world to achieve LEED Platinum status (Existing Buildings, Operations and Maintenance). Silver Oak then became the first North American winery to own and operate an American oak barrel cooperage in 2015 when the Duncan family purchased The Oak Cooperage in Higbee, Missouri.

In April 2020, Silver Oak’s Alexander Valley winery became the largest, certified Living Building in the world.