Napa Insider
Badass women and deals
By Christina Julian
B ecause women in wine tend to crush it year-round, I want to give a nod to Badass Women in Wine, a collective of female wine professionals dedicated to advancing women in leadership roles across the wine industry. In January the association announced the 2026 recipients of the second annual Heilmann Trophy for Badass Women in Wine, Karina Gallegos and Jade Palmer. The award provides financial support for career advancement through education, including certifications from programs including the Court of Master Sommeliers and the Wine & Spirit Education Trust, among others. Gallegos, who began her wine
when earlier this year, it was announced that the doors of his Chateau Buena Vista tasting room in Napa and the JCB Tasting Salon in Yountville, were closing. The former is expected to relocate to the Buena Vista Winery in Sonoma, billed as part of a reshaping of some of Boisset’s local brands. The only JCB locations which will remain are at Raymond Vineyards and the tasting salon on Main Street in St. Helena, with talk of a new location in Rutherford. Despite the closures, it feels unlikely that these moves and shake-ups are the final swan song for Boisset, who continues to snatch up properties as freely as others might scoop ice cream, having bought the Flora Springs winery and tasting room just last year. While JCB has legions of loyal fans — along with critics who find his avant-garde approach to wine tasting over the top, I can’t help but rubberneck in the wake of any new
Karina Gallegos serves as Production Assistant at Summer Dreams Wines
career in restaurants before taking her first sales position at Robert Sinskey, currently serves as Production Assistant at Summer Dreams Wines in Healdsburg. She plans to use her award funds for winemaking studies at UC Davis and hopes to launch her own wine brand. Palmer, former flight attendant turned GM and Sommelier at Madeira Park in Atlanta, champions small producers using regenerative viticulture and works to eliminate gatekeeping in the industry. As the mother of a budding badass, I appreciate movements that bolster women and offer extra means to succeed, especially during a time when the industry is struggling. Game over One of my most memorable interviews to date, even after all these years, was with Jean-Charles Boisset, of the Boisset Collection, who I met on assignment for our Game Changers issue more than a decade ago. I knew going into the gig that the sit down would be like no other and his reputation as a showman did not disappoint. He was every bit the part, flamboyant in attitude and attire, dressed in a purple velvet suit coat and flashy reptile shoes, as he toured me around the Raymond Vineyards property and various party rooms, some draped in leopard print. Talking with Boisset felt a bit like interviewing someone on a movie set; his energy was contagious. It was impossible not to get sucked into the joyride that is JCB. Over the years I would bump into him occasionally, and each encounter was equally charged, his enthusiasm for every new project and opening — electric, with certain run-ins marked by trapeze artists flying overhead and caviar abounding. One of my more recent sightings came when he launched a new tequila brand, Casa Obsidiana, with much fanfare at the re- imagined Calistoga Depot in 2024. Boisset has always carried an air of success with every flourish, flashy smile and outfit, acquiring and transforming spaces and places with his signature Midas touch. All of which is to say I was surprised
“experiences” and acquisitions he conjures.
After years in the technology and advertising trenches, Christina Julian traded city life for country and unearthed a new philosophy— life is complicated, wine and food shouldn’t be. Her debut novel, a romantic comedy called The Dating Bender , is now available. Learn more at christinajulian.com . You can reach her at cjulian@ northbaybiz.com. Bite this Restaurant week and the Napa Lighted Art Festival in January brought me to A16, the newest outpost for the San Francisco culinary darling. The space is bright and white with a buzzy vibe and clamor that reminds me of dining in the city paired with an open kitchen window where wafts of blistered, wood-fired pizzas entice with every sniff. The sticker shock I’ve always believed was reserved for Up Valley haunts, is apparently an everywhere kind of thing, with wines by the glass at A16 ranging from $15 to $29 depending on which potion you pick. But I can overlook all of that because the homemade pastas and sauces were outstanding. The Restaurant Week deal was a steal at only $32, for a three-course meal with selections that included the little gem salad with watermelon radishes and the Maccaronara pasta plate with ragu Napoletano, ricotta salata, and basil. The pork meatballs were so tasty we ordered a second plate, and the vanilla gelato reminded me of my days in Florence. While I am quick to riff on the exorbitant prices that Napa has become synonymous with, I appreciate the periodic perks that come during the offseason. As my family roamed the waterfront during the Napa Lighted Art Festival, taking in the sights and reveling in the projected art on three historic buildings in downtown, it felt like a true celebration of what it means to be a local living in one of the most beautiful culinary and wine destinations in the world. u
Where Ideas Are Born 2026
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