Herzog
Winemaking
Our Team
Joseph Herzog
PARTNER, VICE PRESIDENT
As an eighth-generation member of the Herzog family, Joseph Herzog knows the business of wine. Prior to coming to California, Joseph worked at the Kedem Winery in upstate New York. He eventually left the snow for the sunny shores of the Golden Coast and moved to California in 2005 as Vice President of Operations for Herzog Wine Cellars.
He, more than most, knows how special Herzog wines are. First, every bottle of wine carries the family name, and that means something. If they weren’t proud of what they do, they wouldn’t put their name on it. Second, Herzog has a spectacular winemaking team that operates as a family, but is always willing to change and adapt fast. And that is another reason Herzog wines are so special—the winemakers aren’t set in their ways. The Herzog team tastes widely to ensure they are not only keeping up with the trends and tastes of all wineries, but also leading the way in creating something new. He thinks it’s vital to always be open to innovation.
As the family’s onsite representative, Joseph oversees everything from Herzog’s California vineyard partnerships to the winery’s special events, tasting room as well as its in-house, fine dining restaurant, Tierra Sur. His personal philosophy is to make sure Herzog can stand the test of time. “I believe we are all links in a chain. It’s my job, as the chain gets longer and longer, to make it strong enough to hold the weight. We need to be our best now in order to leave a company that the next generation can build upon.”
David Galzignato
DIRECTOR OF WINEMAKING AND OPERATIONS
David Galzignato has built an illustrious career, beginning in the fall of 1998 at La Fracce Winery, Oltrepo Pavese, Italy. He has led winery teams in Napa, Sonoma, Paso Robles, Washington state, and Italy.
Over 17 years as a head winemaker, Galzignato has focused on farming first and attention to detail in the cellar as a close second, always approaching scenarios from a hands-on perspective. Galzignato’s winemaking mentors include First Growth and Cru winemakers and consultants from Bordeaux and Chateauneuf du Pape. He has spent 15 years in Napa learning from some great houses, including Peter Mondavi Sr. family Estates–Charles Krug, Duckhorn Wine company, and most recently at Provenance Vineyards Rutherford. As a result, David and his teams have garnered over 100 scores of 90/90+ points from the top wine media influencers.
“Over the years, I have come to value authenticity, humility, and innovation as the key drivers that make both people and businesses successful,” says Galzignato. “I have a tremendous amount of respect for the 150-year history of Herzog Cellars. I’m excited to work closely with the team focusing on sustainable farming and winemaking priorities, as well continuing to work with some of the best vineyards in both Napa and Sonoma.”
Alicia Wilbur
PRODUCTION WINEMAKER
In 2001 a chance encounter with Benyamin Cantz—the solitary and talismanic kosher winemaker of Four Gates in the hills of Santa Cruz—changed the entire trajectory of Alicia Wilbur’s life. Seeing the beauty and artistic endeavor that is kosher winemaking, Alicia decided to dedicate her life to the practice and uproot herself for a move to Sonoma in 2004. After experiencing the thrill of getting her hands dirty in the vineyards at Loxton Cellars while also working the tasting room at BR Cohn, she pursued a formal wine training at Fresno State University where she completed her Bachelor’s in Enology in 2004.
Upon completing her degree, she applied to the Court of Master Sommeliers to attain the title of Certified Sommelier while working as a Wine Director in Metro New York restaurants. But it was a fateful call from former winemaker of Herzog Wine Cellars Joe Hurliman that ultimately brought Alicia where she had aspired to be. Herzog was always the goal, to be part of one of the largest and most prestigious kosher winemaking operations in the world. She jumped at the chance, joining Herzog as an enologist in 2013 and moving to Assistant Winemaker in 2016, where she oversaw the production of the worldwide bestselling Jenuesse line, as well as the Variations line, where she brought the world’s first Kosher cabernet that was both organically grown and had no added sulfites to market. She is now the Production Winemaker at Herzog.
Away from the winery, she spends time with her incredible husband and children, bikes and hikes in the nearby mountains, and raises chickens. She loves wine with bubbles and funky Mediterranean whites.
Patrick Toomey
ASSISTANT WINEMAKER
Patrick brings with him a wealth of knowledge and experience that combine to create a formidable addition to our winemaking team. He kindled his passion for winemaking at the University of Missouri (Mizzou) in their grape and wine program. From there he honed his craft, learning winemaking in Oregon and New Zealand before finally settling in Paso Robles. It was there, in California’s Central Coast that Patrick established himself, working as an Assistant Winemaker for both Justin Vineyards and Midnight Cellars, two of the most prestigious wineries in California’s fastest growing wine region. As a Chicago native he enjoys cheering on his favorite Windy City sports teams (Go Cubs!) while savoring some of his favorite wines, the Domaine Pegau Chateaneuf du Pape and the Domaine Beaurenard Chateauneuf du Pape.
Dorian Williams
ENOLOGIST
Born in Ventura, CA, Dorian grew up in a military household with a 20-year Navy veteran for a father and five older sisters as the youngest of six children. Working in a bakery gave him extensive experience with yeast, allowing him an opportunity to work at a winery in Washington state in 2013. In the past decade, Dorian has worked at both Reininger Winery and Prospect Wines in Washington, and interned at Spottswoode Winery in Napa, CA. He has worked as a cellar hand and worked his way to cellar master, a position he held for eight years. He holds an AA in both Enology and Viticulture. He sums his winemaking philosophy up as follows, “wine proves to be the ultimate common denominator connecting people from all walks of life. Nothing makes me happier than working on my craft and spending time with my family creating memories.” He favors anything containing Carmenere and always keeps a bottle of Cote-Rotie Cote Blonde on hand.
Zev Shifrin
CELLAR MASTER
Following in the footsteps of his father, Zev has been part of the Cellar Crew for over two decades – starting in Santa Maria and moving 3 times with the winery. His passion for boutique wine making is met only by his love of the outdoors. The smell of the woods, the majesty of creation, the purity of a campsite sunrise. All inspiration to capture the natural essence of the vine and share it with his friends and family. And probably why he is an American Oak man.
Joe Hurliman
WINEMAKER EMERITUS
Joe Hurliman began his winemaking career in the mid 1980’s, working with Alban Vineyards and Sine Qua Non Winery. He first came to Herzog Wine Cellars in 1998, playing a central role in the design and construction of the Herzog Wine Cellars winery. He knew when they were designing Herzog that they wanted to be able to do both very small lot and large production winemaking. So, he took a lot of time and effort designing the cellars to accomplish both of those things.
Having a hand in all aspects of the grape growing process inspires him. And being able to allow the grapes to perfectly represent themselves is what drives him as Herzog’s winemaker. He really feels fortunate to work with Herzog Cellars entire winemaking team. “I’m truly in awe of what they all accomplish and how they work tirelessly to vault Herzog forward.”
Josh Goodman
CELLAR MASTER
BARREL CELLAR
The Herzog Cellar Crew shares the Herzog family’s commitment to excellence; carefully guiding the grapes from tank, to barrel, to bottle. Cellar Master Josh Goodman has been with Herzog Wine Cellars for 23 harvests and leads a cellar crew that has a combined experience of over 50 years. That time has taught the team what it takes to make great wine, and illustrates their commitment to quality wine making.