Glenn Alexander began his wine career as a passionate consumer. Working and traveling around the country and Europe he had the opportunity to dine at some great restaurants and drink some wonderful wines. It became clear early on to him, to enjoy any wine at its best, it had to be made in harmony with its environment and it had to be paired with the right foods.
Glenn and his wife, Melissa, moved to Sonoma County to pursue their dream of making great wines and enjoying wonderful cuisine. They bought a vineyard in the Russian River Valley. He completed the viticulture program at Santa Rosa College, interned at Preston Vineyards and worked closely with longtime vineyard manager, Arturo Robledo, before launching his own vineyard management company, Bacchus Vineyard Management.
For the last few years at Bacchus, he has worked closely with some great winemakers and viticulturists and has learned from all of them. Now he is putting that knowledge to work, growing fruit that is personally farmed, harvested, and vinified.
Russell Bevan has been involved in the wine industry since 1987 when he started working for the Gallo Winery as a work study student in college. From his meager beginnings, setting up displays of Carlo Rossi and Andre Champagne, Russell followed his passion and began writing about wine as a freelance writer which eventually led to a syndicated wine column and articles in the Wine Spectator.
In 2004, after moving into a home on Sonoma Mountain with several plantable acres of grapes, Russell decided that he should put all of the hours he had spent in wineries to use and make wine for himself. The results were so encouraging, 93 point scores from both Robert Parker and Wine Spectator. He then decided to plant his own vineyard and his relationship with Glenn Alexander and Sanglier Cellars began.
The partnership between Sanglier and Russell was a natural one. Russell wanted to work with a variety of special vineyards and Sanglier wanted to make a collection of wines ranging from vineyard designates to county blends so a natural partnership was formed.
Melissa Alexander's love affair with food began early in life. Fresh vegetables and fresh fruit desserts were a part of everyday life. "I can't imagine not having fresh local ingredients to work with."
Over the years, Melissa has made many trips to France and Italy attending various cooking schools and exploring the local foods and wines. But the time she spent with Georgeanne Brennan in the small Provencal village of Aups had the most influence on her approach to cooking and living in wine country. Daily trips to the local baker, butcher, and farmers' market were the rule not the exception. The quality of the food products is exceptional.
"I knew I wanted the best local ingredients and freshest foods I could get, so the move with my husband Glenn to Sonoma County and our journey into the local food and wine country was perfect. We have locally caught wild salmon and crab, shopped organic dairies and numerous family farms and farmers' markets. Meat and poultry producers CK Lamb, Liberty Duck, and Caggiano Sausages are here as well as cheese makers Andante, Redwood Hill Farms, and Pug's Leap. Sonoma County is a food and wine paradise."
"For me, wine has indelibly linked family, friends, and food. A sip of wine revitalizes your palate brightens ones outlook, and results in joy, laughter and conversation at the table which is a great gift."
After graduating from TCU in 2000 Chelsea moved to New York for a career in the fashion industry. Great Manhattan restaurants and wine shipments from her parents in Sonoma County soon had her thinking more and more about the wine business. After some time spent working in Aspen, Colorado and hanging out with some chef friends, she was more than ready to relocate to Sonoma County and help her parents launch the family's new wine, Sanglier.
While working through legal and compliance issues related to setting up Sanglier, Chelsea interned with her father's vineyard management company and learned first hand the importance of vineyard location and farming techniques required for great fruit. She also worked at Ridge Vineyard's Lytton Springs tasting room and helped crush Sanglier ‘s 2007 vintage.
Chelsea has completed wine tasting and wine business classes at UC Davis and Santa Rosa College, but will tell you, "You can go to all the tasting classes you want, but a regular seat at my mother's table and routine trips to my father's cellar are a lot more fun and far more insightful into the romance and mystery of wine and food."
Dustin still anchors the family to our Texas roots. A 2001 graduate from Texas State University, he is a geography teacher at a Fort Worth high school. His interest in world cultures has led him to establish an educational travel program for urban students that take them to destinations such as Paris, London and Rome.
His exploration of other cultures has translated into a pursuit of local food and drinks. "Understanding why people eat and drink certain food and beverages is critical to understanding their society and cultural institutions."
Dustin visits California regularly and attends various wine tastings and events including wine education programs at the University of California at Davis. As a managing partner, he is a member of the team that plans Sanglier's business operations and is the company’s representative in the Texas market.
An avid sports enthusiast, Dustin has coached high school football and baseball. He plays league volleyball and completed Push America's Gear Up Florida, a 900 mile charity bike ride that serves people with disabilities.
