François Peltereau-Villeneuve, Christopher Hansen, Mark Canepa, Neil Koch, Michele Testa McGarry, Adam Schulz, Douglas Rennie, Andy Byars, Ramiro Herrera
François Peltereau-Villeneuve, President and CEO
 |
François Peltereau-Villeneuve is president and CEO of Seguin Moreau Napa Cooperage. He joined the company in 2008 and was previously president of Laurent-Perrier US, the North American subsidiary of the Champagne house, Laurent-Perrier. Peltereau-Villeneuve joined the company in 1994 and opened up the U.S. market in 1998. He began his career in the mid 1980s at Cork & Seal of California (now incorporated into Alcan). A native of Reims, France, Peltereau-Villenueuve visited New Orleans as a teenager , and returned in conjunction with school for an internship at SOPEXA, the organization promoting French wine in the U.S.
Christopher Hansen, Sales Manager
Cell Phone: 707-260-4199
chansen@seguinmoreau.com
 |
Christopher Hansen, who began his cooperage career in 2004 before joining Seguin Moreau Napa Cooperage in 2008, had been hired by John Forster to manage the Napa Valley. He was promoted to sales manager in 2010, after covering Napa and Oregon. He makes critically acclaimed Syrah from the historic Four Cairn Vineyard in St. Helena, in a partnership with his father-in-law.
Mark Canepa, Sales Territory Manager, Napa Valley
Cell Phone: 707-696-7693
mcanepa@seguinmoreau.com
 |
Mark Canepa, a native Californian, took over from Sales Manager Christopher Hansen as Napa Valley Territory Manager. Before this post, he spent eight years in barrel rack sales, as the sales manager for Western Square, covering Napa and Sonoma Counties. Prior to that, Mark worked in high tech and telecom sales. Since 2004, he has made his own Syrah and Merlot. When not making wine or talking barrels, Mark’s time is spent swimming or coaching.
Neil Koch, Sales Territory Manager, Sonoma
Cell Phone: 707-738-7375
nkoch@seguinmoreau.com
 |
Neil Koch joined Seguin Moreau Napa Cooperage as Sonoma Territory Manager. After attending California State University, Fresno, Neil garnered more than seven years of wine industry experience, as the enologist at Lewis Cellars and prior internships at Seavey Vineyards and Bryant Family. After that, he spent four years in barrel sales, covering Sonoma and Napa.
Michele Testa McGarry, Sales Territory Manager, Central Coast
Cell Phone: 805-234-5902
mtesta@seguinmoreau.com
 |
Michele Testa McGarry came to Seguin Moreau Napa Cooperage with experience in winemaking and wine industry sales. She has winemaking experience in Santa Barbara and Monterey Counties, as well as McLaren Vale, Australia. Michele worked as an assistant winemaker for Kendall-Jackson for a number of years, and more recently was the Central Coast technical representative for Enartis Vinquiry. She graduated from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo with a Bachelor of Science in Wine & Viticulture, as well as a Bachelor of Science in Agricultural Business.
Adam Schulz, Sales Territory Manager, Pacific Northwest
Cell Phone: 509-240-6833
aschulz@seguinmoreau.com
 |
Adam Schulz was born and raised in Columbus, OH. He performed with opera houses, for more than eight years, domestically and abroad as a bass-baritone in venues such as Carnegie Hall and Teatro di Lucca in Lucca, Italy. Adam joined Seguin Moreau Napa Cooperage following three years as General Manager of CorkWest in Kennewick, WA. He currently resides in Walla Walla, WA with his wife Karen, joined by their daughter Kathryn Grace and their dog Bonnie.
 |
Douglas Rennie, a fourth-generation cooper from Glasgow, Scotland, has been with Seguin Moreau Napa Cooperage since before there was a cooperage. July 2011 marks his 20th anniversary with the company. For Rennie, coopering is about tradition and craft, doing things the same as they have been done for hundreds of years. He loves how the ancient trade has been kept, while integrating modern technology for the ease of process. “It’s about tried and true methods. You follow the rules. Respect the wood,” Rennie says. Before coming to the US, he played semi-professional football (soccer) in Scotland for 12 years.
 |
Andy Byars, a Glasgow, Scotland native, coopered there from 1997 to early 1993, when he was brought over to Napa for the opening of Seguin Moreau Napa Cooperage. Master Cooper Douglas Rennie greeted Andy at the airport with a plaque on the afternoon of February 6th. Eighteen years later, his favorite things about coopering are enjoying the final product and doing the job right. “Anyone can make a barrel look pretty,” Byars says. “But to get the inside right—that’s another story.” In his spare time, he and his wife, an enologist, love to cook and especially cooking food to pair with wine.
 |
Each of the Seguin Moreau Master Coopers has been with the cooperage for a span of double-digit years. Ramiro Herrera, who in 1995 answered an ad in the paper looking for people to work with wood, has now been coopering here for 17 years. Herrera says that training in the ancient craft of coopering is not a quick process. “You start slow. They watch for a week. Little by little watching and learning the process,” Herrera says. “It’s about quality. The quality of the product, the quality of the work. How you handle tools. How to stop leaks, handle the grain, prevent blisters. Quality takes time.” When he’s not on the cooperage floor, he’s playing soccer in Napa. Right defender no less.
