John Dawson grew up in the Connecticut suburbs, just outside New York City. His father worked in the wine industry and he was allowed his first sips of wine once he turned 10 years old. John almost dropped out of college after forming a rock band, but returned school to get a BA degree in International Relations from Tufts University. After turning down one recording contract, he and his bandmates signed a multi-album record deal with MCA/Universal Music. He then went on to law school, worked a harvest in Sonoma and ultimately married and moved his family to wine country. Today, he practices law in Santa Rosa, primarily serving clients in the wine industry. John begins his first term as a member of PGWA’s Board of Directors this month. Here’s his story.
You grew up in the suburbs, just outside of NYC. Tell us about your community, family, and what life was like growing up. Do you have siblings?
I grew up in a large, “modern blended” family 30 minutes north of Manhattan. There was never any distinction between biological siblings, stepsiblings, etc. We were/are just one big, hardworking, and slightly quirky family. Many famous musicians lived in our town and were actively involved in our public schools. I met Cab Calloway in 5th grade at a school assembly in which I was a speaker. Duke Ellington’s nephew John Ellington was our band teacher. The platinum-selling R&B group Atlantic Starr graduated from our high school and regularly came back to give us free concerts in our auditorium. Unsurprisingly, our music program was quite good!
What were family celebrations like? Your dad worked in the wine industry for many years. Was wine poured at the family table on a regular basis? When did you get interested in wine?
Family gatherings were loud and happy, with tons of home-cooked food. On Sundays my father would take us to Grandma Azzara’s house (which bordered the Bronx), where conversations were in English and Italian. Beginning on my 10th birthday, I was allowed a small pour of wine with Sunday meals. Fresh ravioli from Arthur Ave. in the Bronx was regularly paired with old Chianti Classico from great vintages (’71, ’78, ’85). I still have some of the labels from those bottles.
My father loved to share his knowledge of wine with us during those Sunday meals. He was an assistant for Mary Ewing-Mulligan M.W. at the International Wine Center for 5 years, then consulting wine buyer for Planet Hollywood and other restaurants, and then worked at Zachy’s Wines for 14 years. By the time I was 18, after years of learning at the dinner table, I could regularly pick out a Bordeaux from a Burgundy in blind tastings.
You received a Bachelor of Arts Degree at Tufts University (outside of Boston). What attracted you to Tufts, and why did you choose History as a major?
I started college at what felt like the end of the Cold War (Fall 1989). I wanted to be a diplomat, and Tufts had great International Relations (“IR”), Political Science, and History programs. In my first semester IR 101 class, I wrote a paper predicting the reunification of Germany, which was not well-received. About 3 weeks later, the Berlin Wall fell. I wanted to ask for a re-grade, but the department was so big, and there were so many students that it proved impossible for a freshman to get that kind of attention. The professors in the History department, on the other hand, were brilliant lecturers who were readily accessible. They also had a knack for inspiring students to roll up their sleeves to get primary source materials (including interviews) where possible, and encouraged us to travel out-of-state to source from the basements of the great archives in New York and elsewhere.
Is it true that you almost dropped out of college to sign a recording contract as a musician?
Haha, yes. In the summer of 1990, my five friends from high school and I formed a jazz-rap band called Justice System. We started playing shows in Manhattan and quickly developed a large following. In late 1991, we turned down a record deal with RCA Records (much to my mother’s delight). After I graduated in 1993, we signed a multi-album contract with MCA Records/Universal Music. Being on a major label came with many perks; we recorded our debut album in Jimi Hendrix’s Electric Lady Studio and other historic spots, we had a big tour bus and traveled across North America as the opening act for The Fugees, Public Enemy, Coolio, and US3. It was a ton of fun, but it’s a tough business, and after a few years I decided to go to law school to become an entertainment lawyer. During law school I developed a passion for Intellectual Property Law (particularly trademarks) as well as international legal issues. After graduating I became an associate at a large national law firm in midtown Manhattan.
What was your first wine-related job?
A: During law school, I worked at a small bottle shop called The Wine Cart on Manhattan’s Upper East Side. I worked the floor, helping customers choose wines. During the occasional downtime I read books by Robert Parker, Hugh Johnson, and Andre Simon.
You also have experience on the production side of the wine industry. Tell us about what it was like to work a crush for a Sonoma winery. Did you ever consider becoming a winemaker or owning a winery?
In the spring of 2000, at our Easter dinner, my father blind tasted me on a rich, decadent red wine that tasted like the essence of milk chocolate. It was a 1992 La Jota Cabernet Franc made by Bill Smith with help from consulting winemaker Helen Turley. I was determined to find out how a wine like this could be made. At the time, my wife only had 1 week of vacation (compared to my 3 weeks), and she gave me her blessing to fly out to California and try to work a few weeks that harvest. I wrote a letter to Bill asking if he would consider taking me on as a harvest intern. The letter said I would work for free, give him a written assumption of risk/waiver letter, and bring a case of wine to share (including 1989 Pichon Lalande, 1995 La Gomerie, and 1995 Dujac Clos de la Roche) if he showed me how he made that Cab Franc. A few weeks later Bill left me a message saying, “Well, if you’re bringing that case of wine you are more than welcome to come join us for crush.” I worked two weeks that harvest at the La Jota Winery on Howell Mountain, working on their La Jota Cabernets and W.H. Smith Pinot Noirs. Every morning started at 7am sharp on the crush pad and ended between 9pm and 1am, depending on how many punchdowns and gravity-flow délestages we did on his Pinots using a forklift and a modified sump-bin that we drained over and into the open-top fermenters.
I came back for harvest with Bill in 2002 and 2003, by which time he’d sold the La Jota Winery and was making his W.H. Smith Pinot Noirs at a crush facility in Sebastopol. I also helped out with his friend Eric Sussman’s new label, Radio-Coteau. By that time, my wife and I had also been visiting Sonoma County for all our vacations, and we fell in love with the natural beauty and connection with the land demonstrated by our friends in the area.
How did the world of wine become part of your legal career?
The hands-on education I received working harvest gave me an insight and understanding of the wine business that complemented what I’d learned working retail and from my father. I decided I wanted to be a wine lawyer working and living in Sonoma County rather than a partner at a firm in Manhattan, and my wife Amanda was equally excited by the prospect of raising our children in wine country. As soon as we moved to Sonoma County, we were embraced by a number of winegrowers and winemakers who made us feel like family. That was 20 years ago, and our connections have grown deeper and wider throughout the greater wine community.
You’re now a senior partner at Carle, Mackie, Power & Ross LLP and a member of the firm’s Wine Group. Tell us about the kind of work you do for wineries, vineyard owners, and other businesses in the wine industry.
We assist clients with everything from formation, drafting and negotiating contracts, registering and protecting trademarks and other intellectual property, purchasing and selling vineyards, wineries, and other assets, and advising on employment matters, alcohol beverage licensing, trade practices, and litigation. We counsel and guide clients on day-to-day matters as well as on their overall strategy. My days are largely focused on trademark matters, contracts, mergers and acquisitions, and being a sounding board to clients.
You live in Freestone and were actively involved in establishing the West Sonoma Coast Vintners trade association years before the AVA was officially recognized. We hear you’re also a fan of Petaluma Gap wines. What are your thoughts about the two AVAs and how they differ?
I think the Petaluma Gap and West Sonoma Coast are the two most exciting AVAs in all of Northern California, both in terms of site expression and potential. I see a number of similarities; the differences largely stem from applicable wind and fog patterns, elevation, and soil types (e.g., volcanics, clay and loam in the Gap as compared with sandstone, decomposed marine, and iron-rich Goldridge). But there’s nothing like the daily caress of wind and the sustained presence of fog experienced by vineyards throughout the Petaluma Gap.
What’s your favorite varietal wine? What would you pair it with? Do you have a favorite Petaluma Gap wine?
Pinot Noir – the beguiling grace and aromatic wonders presented by Pinot is to me what great wine is all about. Hard to pick a favorite from the Petaluma Gap, but one of the firsts was the Pax Griffin’s Lair Syrah 2004. My understanding is that the double whammy of winds from the Pacific Ocean and the San Pablo Bay cause the Syrah grapes grown at that site to be smaller, with thicker skins and a more oblong shape, resulting in a concentrated wine with great acidity, freshness, and firm (but not jagged) tannins.
Tell us about your current family life. What type of activities do you enjoy? Do you play sports or have any hobbies?
My wife (Amanda) and I live in Freestone with our son Owen, who is a senior at Analy High School and off to UChicago next fall. Our daughter Carolina is a senior at UC Berkeley. Our favorite hobbies are gardening, cooking/eating, and going to our kids’ track and field and cross country meets. I also continue to write and produce music with Justice System, we’ll be releasing our 7th album in 2026.
Congratulations on being elected to the Petaluma Gap Board of Directors. What motivated you to get involved with PGWA, and what do you hope to achieve while on the Board?
Next fall, we will be empty nesters, and I was already planning to volunteer for a new organization when this opportunity presented itself. Given the current challenges in the industry, I want to help wineries and growers in any way I can. In particular, I hope to help maximize consumer awareness about how and why the Petaluma Gap is one of the great winegrowing regions in the United States, and why a bottle of wine on the table makes life that much better.