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Benoît Lecat

Benoît LECAT is currently Head of the Wine and Viticulture Department at California Polytechnic State University in the USA. He was Professor of Marketing in the School of Wine and Spirits Business, ESC Dijon/Burgundy School of Business in Dijon, France but also Visiting Professor in different universities including HEC Genève, HEC Lausanne and UNESCO Department in Inter-cultural and Inter-Religious Exchanges at the University of Bucharest. His research has focused on management of luxury goods, fine wines and spirits with a specific interest on price premium, price determinants, m-commerce, scarcity, terroir and tourism. He was co-organizing with Joëlle Brouard the International Conference on Innovation & Trends in Wine Management (ITWM) held in Dijon. He is teaching courses relevant to the wine industry such as Global Wine and Viticulture, European Wine Tour and Wine Business Classes. Recently, with his team, he implemented the new Justin and J. Lohr Center for Wine and Viticulture and fundraised more than 25 million dollars to make the Center operational.

Molly Lonborg

Molly Lonborg is a Paso Robles winemaking veteran with a passion for organic farming and deep experience in crafting Rhône-style wines. Molly graduated from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo in 2009 with a B.S. degree in Earth Sciences and a concentration in Wine and Viticulture. After studying geology in New Zealand, she gained wine production skills at two Central Coast wineries. She then joined Halter Ranch in 2011 and rose through the ranks to the position of Associate Winemaker. In late 2019, Molly was named ‘Winemaker of the Month’ by Wine Business Monthly, which affirmed her as a rising star in California winemaking. She took the head winemaker position at Alta Colina Vineyard & Winery in 2020, where she honed her talents with Rhône varieties. As Senior Winemaker at Booker Vineyard since the spring of 2025, Molly oversees the daily winemaking operations at this iconic Willow Creek District Estate. Molly lives on a ranch in Paso Robles with her husband, Regenerative Vineyard Consultant Jordan Lonborg; their two children, daughter Alma and son Ziggy; and beloved dog Desmond. Along with wine, Molly enjoys camping, hiking, traveling, live music and growing organic crops.

Matt Steel

A native of Australia, Matt Steel is well-versed in cool-climate grape varieties and right at home in the vineyards of the Central Coast, where he is General Manager, Viticulture and Winemaking for Sea Smoke.

“There are many parallels between California’s Central Coast and Australia’s coast, especially the great effects the maritime influence has on our grapes,” says Matt. “I want to incorporate this aspect into the wines in a way that is really expressive of the region.”

Matt’s interest in wine started as he worked alongside his father in the family wine shop. He went on to earn a bachelor’s degree in Agricultural Science with a focus on Enology from the University of Adelaide in South Australia. He then built a strong foundation in winemaking as an apprentice at Petaluma Wines in Piccadilly. It was there that Matt developed his acute attention to detail in the vineyard and in the cellar.

Matt’s winemaking journey led him through the varied terrain of Victoria, specifically the vineyards of the famed Yarra Valley, Australia, where he served as Chief Winemaker for both still and sparkling wines at Domaine Chandon Australia. As the Winemaker and General Manager of Medhurst Wines, also in the Yarra Valley, Matt elevated the wine quality and built the winery’s reputation among wine connoisseurs. He then served as the General Manager at JUSTIN & Landmark Vineyards in Paso Robles. Prior to working at Sea Smoke, Matt oversaw winemaking at some of the most acclaimed brands in the GALLO portfolio: Talbott Vineyards in the Santa Lucia Highlands, Denner Wines & Vineyards in Paso Robles and The Language of Yes, a collaboration with Randall Grahm sourcing across the Central Coast.

Matt enjoys exploring the Central Coast through a variety of outdoor activities with his family and friends. He loves being a part of such an active community, where he can run, ride and hike in his spare time. Matt also loves cooking and making a mess in the kitchen while he experiments with flavors from all over the world.

Nicholas Miller

Nicholas Miller

 

Nicholas is EVP of the Miller Family Wine Company and Chief Sales & Marketing Officer.  He represents the companies on several boards and associations, including director of the Wine Institute and the Santa Barbara County Vintners Association.  

In 2022 Nicholas was recognized by The Wine Enthusiast as their Wine Executive of the Year for their Wine Star Awards.

As Chief Sales & Marketing Officer & Executive Vice President for Miller Family Wine Company, Miller has brought innovation, growth and strategic planning to his family’s multigenerational business, guiding the company through recent acquisitions, exclusive partnerships and exciting new brand launches.

In 2025 the Millers were recognized by the California Association of Winegrape Growers with their most prestigious honor as Winegrowers of the year.

Casey Di Cesare

Winemaker Casey Di Cesare joined Scheid Family Wines in 2017. His innovative spirit has served him well as lead winemaker for the Sunny with a Chance of Flowers and Metz Road brands, as he explores new techniques for making great wines.  

One of the techniques he developed was a proprietary process to craft Sunny’s low-alcohol, zero-sugar, low-calorie wines. The wine quality created through this process helped catapult the brand to a top ‘Better for You’ brand in the market. Sunny has earned multiple 90+ point scores across the seven wines in its line-up, making it the highest rated wine in the category. In 2024, Casey also took the lead as Lean Champion at Scheid Family Wines, developing efficiency-improvement processes and projects across the portfolio. 

Casey enrolled in Cornell University and received his Master’s degree in Enology while studying in the Finger Lakes AVA. Upon graduation in 2017, he joined Scheid Family Wines, where he has flourished with the creative opportunities that the broad portfolio offers.  

Casey was named a 2021 Wine Industry Leader by Wine Business Monthly and was selected in 2022 to represent Monterey County as a Founding Board Member of the Vintners Institute. In 2024, Casey was named a Wine Enthusiast Future 40 Tastemaker

Fintan du Fresne

Born and raised in New Zealand, Fintan (Fin) du Fresne has been making wine in California since 2001.  His Degree in Geology, Postgraduate Degree in Viticulture and Enology and MBA in Wine Business give him a well-rounded academic background.

Originally a viticulturalist, Fin transitioned to winemaking during harvest in 2001 but retains his passion for the viticultural side of the business.

After stints in Martinborough and the Hawkes Bay (NZ), Calera and Adelaida Cellars (California) he was hired as head winemaker at Chamisal Vineyards in 2006. Following the acquisition of Chamisal by the Crimson Wine Group he was promoted to General Manager and Winemaker.

In 2022, Fin transitioned to GM at Phase 2 Cellars, managing 13,000 tons of custom crush.

In 2018, Fin saw a need for winery specific contracting services on the Central Coast and started Winemech.  Since 2018, Winemech has grown to serve over 450 wineries between Temecula and the Santa Cruz Mountains.  Winemech has service contracts with 4 of the largest winery equipment suppliers and numerous smaller suppliers.  To support this rapid growth, Fin moved to managing Winemech full-time in June of 2024.

Fin is a current Vineyard Team Board member and past Board member for the World of Pinot Noir and SLO Coast Wine Collective.  Fin is a strong supporter of the Cal Poly Wine and Viticulture program, assisting with their commercial wine production and scientific programs for a number of years.

 

Dr. Miguel Pedroza

Dr. Miguel Pedroza is an Associate Professor of Enology at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, where he teaches winemaking, fermentation science, and general education courses on wine and viticulture. His research bridges chemistry, sensory science, and neuroscience, with a focus on how wine aromas develop in grapes, evolve through winemaking, and ultimately shape emotional responses in consumers.

Born and raised in Monterrey, Mexico, Miguel holds a Ph.D. and M.Sc. in Enology from the University of Castilla-La Mancha in Spain, and a B.Sc. in Food Science and Engineering from Tecnológico de Monterrey (ITESM) in Mexico. His academic and professional journey spans multiple countries, with research and enology internships in France (Bordeaux and Jura), Italy (Piacenza), and the U.S. He previously served as Assistant Professor of Enology at Fresno State and was a postdoctoral researcher in cognitive neuroscience at the CNRS in Lyon, France, where he explored the brain’s response to wine through neuroimaging.

Miguel has conducted research on wine aroma chemistry, sequential fermentation with non-Saccharomyces yeasts,  innovative enological techniques, and has led or contributed to research projects funded by the USDA, the Agricultural Research Institute from the CSU, and international institutions. His current work includes studying the composition of Mediterranean varietals of the Central Coast of California and the relationship between aromas and emotional experience in wine.

An active mentor and public speaker, he regularly presents at scientific conferences and industry events. Since 2014, Miguel has also served as a wine judge at prestigious competitions across Europe, Mexico, and the U.S., including the Concours Mondial de Bruxelles and the California State Fair.

Miguel enjoys finding connections between wine, food, places, cultures, and people. In his free time, he loves cooking, playing guitar, hiking, soccer, golf, and spending time with his wife and young son.