Nikkei Wine Summit 2024 – American Wine with Japanese Soul

As a child growing up in Chile Eiji Daniel Akaboshi had fond memories of his father enjoying wine at the dinner table. Years later while in college, he had a eureka moment where he realized that he could combine his major in Biology with his passion for wine by pursuing a career in winemaking. After obtaining a Master’s degree in Enology from CSU-Freno, he was fortunate enough to start working in Napa, CA making wine.

In his 17 year career making wine, he has gained experience in various wineries in Napa and Sonoma. His first encounter with Freeman Winery happened 10 years ago when he tasted the wonderful Freeman Pinot Noir and was instantly in love with them. Now, 10 years later his dream has come true by becoming part of the winemaking team at Freeman Winery working along with Akiko and Ken. He also feels that fate had to do something with this encounter as his blood relative Nagasawa Kanae had been making wine 150 years ago in Sonoma as well.

A second-generation winemaker, David is a 35-year industry veteran who graduated from the University of California, Davis. As Director of Winemaking at Woodbridge by Robert Mondavi, he led a team of enologists in creating and evolving their wine style to improve the quality of Woodbridge wines. He helped pioneer winegrower lot processing for direct wine quality feedback, supported barrel aging of premium wines for enhanced quality, and drove stylistic winemaking in hundreds of different wines.

David’s winemaking philosophy stems directly from Robert Mondavi himself, driving continuous improvements while nurturing a respect for both winegrape and wine. Today, his belief in true varietal expression and wine’s natural marriage with food makes him a pivotal member of the LangeTwins team.

A native to Tokyo, Akiko attributes her love of wine to her grandfather, whose influence imbued her with a lifelong passion for the enigmatic beauty of great Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. After earning her master’s degree in Italian Renaissance art history from Stanford in the mid-1990s, Akiko traveled throughout Europe and as far as South Africa to explore the great winemaking regions of the world. Returning to California in 1997, she worked with Ken to realize their longtime dream of establishing a small, family-run winery dedicated to crafting expressive, cool-climate California Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.

Today Akiko’s palate guides every Freeman wine, every vintage. When she and Ken founded Freeman Vineyard & Winery in 2001, she immersed herself in the world of viticulture and winemaking, and apprenticed herself to renowned winemaker Ed Kurtzman. Akiko now oversees every aspect of Freeman’s winemaking program, from the organic farming of the estate vineyards and the selection of grower partners to fermentations, racking, lot evaluations and blending. Her vision and refined palate have positioned Freeman as one of the great benchmarks for cool-climate New World wines, while establishing Akiko as a winemaking talent in her own right.

If I had to describe in just a few words who I am as a winemaker, it would be as follows: I am a native Californian, born and raised in the central valley. I’m a purist. I prefer unadorned wines, or at least those that carry their adornment gracefully. I want to be as natural as I can but don’t consider myself a “natural” winemaker, in the current sense of the term. Like most new world winemakers, I am inspired by old world wines but I firmly believe that in the new world, we should be creating our own traditions, and not merely copying what came before. 

In addition to my own wine, I work with several other small brands: McIntyre Vineyards, Small Vines Wines, McEvoy Ranch, ShunYi Cellars, and Whistler Vineyards, all in California. It’s not a coincidence that all but ShunYi are winegrowers—I like to be close to the source, so to speak. The old cliché is true—great wine is made in the vineyard.

The Mikami family wine legacy originated in 1896 when Jason’s grandfather emigrated from Japan to Northern California and began growing wine grapes in Lodi. It was interrupted by the family’s internment in Rohwer, Arkansas, but was rebuilt upon their return to Lodi. In 1963, Jason’s father, Jim, purchased the land where Mikami Vineyards stands today. Jason evolved the business in 2004 when Mikami Vineyards began producing its wines, a move that has yielded accolades to continue the Mikami family wine tradition.

Jessica Mozeico co-founded Willamette Valley winery Et Fille Wines, which means “and daughter”, with her father Howard Mozeico in 2003. Jessica grew up helping her dad with his winemaking hobby in their garage. She fell in love with wine, though it was a passion she cultivated from the sidelines as she pursued an undergraduate degree from Hamilton College, an MBA from Wharton at the University of Pennsylvania, and a career in biotechnology marketing. After years of leading biotechnology drug launches and marketing teams, Jessica founded Mozeico Consulting to provide strategic planning services.

Finally, Jessica and Howard decided to co-found Et Fille Wines. They ran the winery together until Howard’s death. Jessica learned everything about winemaking from her dad. Today, Jessica operates the business, making elegantly complex wines inspired by her late father's legacy and her daughter's future. She led Et Fille to its certified B Corp status and drives its commitments to sustainable winemaking, community, and diversity and equity. She feels fortunate to be part of the collaborative and encouraging Oregon wine community.

Born and raised in California’s Silicon Valley, Kurtis Ogasawara had a clear vision of what his future would look like, and grapes were not involved. A longtime competitor, Kurtis earned himself a spot on the Division I wrestling team at UC Davis and began majoring in Mechanical Engineering, looking forward to seamlessly graduating into the technological lifestyle he left at home. All of this changed when he enrolled in a freshman year course called “Introduction to Winemaking.” 

Immediately enamored with winemaking’s blend of art and science, Kurtis changed to the Viticulture and Enology department, and began interning as a laboratory technician at Mumm Napa, where he learned the ins and outs of a winery and gained hands-on experience. After graduating in 2011 with a successful college wrestling career under his belt and a B.S. in Viticulture and Enology, Kurtis landed a job as a laboratory technician at Domaine Chandon. There he worked closely with the winemaking team to hone his skills and develop his own unique style. His efforts were well-received and he quickly transitioned into the role of enologist at the lauded Newton Vineyard in St. Helena, CA.

During his time as an enologist, Kurtis wore a variety of hats. From managing and training harvest staff, to conducting wet chemistry analyses and coordinating wine blending sessions, Kurtis gained valuable experience in virtually every aspect of winemaking and viticulture. In 2015, after three years at Newton Vineyard, Kurtis took his well-rounded winery knowledge to Oakville as the assistant winemaker at the iconic Robert Mondavi Winery, and was promoted to winemaker in 2018. Kurtis was appointed Director of Winemaking in April 2023. 

Working with a world-renowned winemaking team led by Chief Winemaker Geneviève Janssens, Kurtis has contributed his talents to a number of estate wine programs since his arrival, including the 2016 Burgundian varietals and the winery’s iconic To Kalon Vineyard bottlings. In January 2023, To Kalon Vineyard achieved organic certification through California Certified Organic Farmers (CCOF), in which he played an integral role in hitting this milestone. Working for Robert Mondavi Winery has been “like a dream,” Kurtis says. “The amount of history here is staggering,” he enthuses, “and the opportunity to learn from Geneviève, who has so much accumulated wisdom, is an unbelievable opportunity.” Kurtis lends his vast experience to helping shape Robert Mondavi Winery’s future legacy as the winery continues a historic transformation to cement its stature as the defining fine wine leader in Napa Valley.

Kurtis lives in Napa with his wife and their two daughters. When he’s not in the vineyard or winery, he enjoys cooking and sharing fine wine and cold beer with family and friends.

Jennifer Tusa was the long-time hospitality face of Clos Du Bois Winery in Geyserville in Sonoma County for 20 years while surviving winery ownership changes from Allied Domecq Wines USA to Beam Wine Estates and Constellation Brands.  During Jennifer’s time at Paradise Ridge Winery in Santa Rosa, CA, she assisted the Byck family with researching and translating Kanaye Nagasawa’s historical records and documents.  Today, Jennifer is the Estate Manager of Hartford Family Winery in Forestville in Sonoma County and manages hospitality and the tasting rooms at its Forestville and Healdsburg locations.