Sean Carroll grew up in Napa in a house that had a large vineyard behind it, and he loved to play there and swim in the swimming hole next to it.  Although his parents owned a restaurant and purchased wine for their patrons, Sean’s first taste of wine was during Holy Communion during second grade.  It wasn’t the best first impression of wine, but when he began waiting tables at Tra Vigne Restaurant, he was able to taste wines that customers left behind after finishing their meals.  After studying Communications and Business Administration, he began his career as a marketing professional, telling the stories behind both small, family-owned wineries and larger corporate wineries.  He has worked for Sonoma County Winegrowers, assisting with their sustainability efforts, and ultimately joined Jackson Family Wines in 2017.  Here’s Sean’s story.

You grew up in Napa; tell us about your family and your favorite things to do as a child. Do you have any siblings? Did you play sports?

I had a great childhood growing up in Napa Valley. I’m a third-generation Napan, so our family had a lot of roots and connections to the area. I was the youngest of three children (older sister and an older brother) and graduated from the same Catholic elementary school as my grandmother and mother. It was a normal childhood filled with sports, including basketball, baseball, football, and track and field. The house I grew up in had a large vineyard behind it, so my brother and I spent a lot of our summer days going to the creek and swimming hole adjacent to our house and the vineyard. It was inevitable that we’d be chased out of the vineyard by the foreman!

I attended Justin-Siena High School, where I got to know a lot of winemaking families, some of whom are still friends today.

Was wine a fixture at family gatherings? Did your parents work in the wine industry, or was there some other reason they chose Napa for the family residence? Do you recall the first time you tasted wine? Do you remember the variety and brand?

Neither of my parents worked in the wine industry, but when I was a small child, they owned a restaurant (while also working full-time as teachers!) and they got to know a few of the old guard winemakers in Napa Valley who would come in for dinner or to sell them wine. So, they understood wine and Napa’s significance as an emerging region back in the early 80s. My parents would also serve wine on occasion and at most holiday celebrations and family gatherings. The first time I tasted wine was for my first Holy Communion in second grade, so that was not the best first impression when it comes to wine… I’m sure a lot of other Catholics reading this can relate.

The moment that changed my life with wine was while working at Tra Vigne in Napa Valley during college and serving a lot of amazing winery owners and winemakers who would frequently leave the last sip in the bottle for us to try. Their generosity and passion for wine resonated with me, and I started to explore wine on my own.

You studied Public Relations and Communications at Carroll College, a Catholic liberal arts school in Montana. What caused you to choose this path?

I chose Carroll (not because of the name), but because Montana was completely different from my roots in Napa Valley. I loved nature and wanted to go to school somewhere in the outdoors, so Big Sky country was the best backyard you can ever ask for. I also chose the college because they had partnered with the local NBC-affiliate TV channel to build a state-of-the-art broadcast studio on campus. So, there were lots of internships and opportunities to learn about broadcasting, which was something I was interested in pursuing someday. However, I soon learned that the broadcast profession was not suited for me, so I pivoted to a degree in Public Relations and Communications, with a minor in Business Administration. I loved the mixture of media relations with communications, and the idea of the power of storytelling.

Ed Noonan was a very influential person in your life. You’ve said he told you that “anything is possible as long as you have faith, believe in yourself, and work hard.” How did you meet him and what was your relationship with him?

I tell this story often. While in college and even after college, I didn’t necessarily have a lot of confidence in myself. But, I had gotten to know Ed very well in college. He was the Director of Activities for the college. I worked for him to promote all the student activities across campus, but also was very involved in leadership at the school. He was a great mentor to me and always emphasized that it’s important to do things outside your comfort zone, whether it’s public speaking, or trying a new activity, or meeting new people. Those that know me now would probably not realize that I always considered myself an introvert and hated starting conversations or meeting new people or making new friends. When I graduated from Carroll, Ed sent me a card to congratulate me and he wrote that I need to have more confidence in myself, have faith, and that I could accomplish anything in life I wanted to aspire to. That encouragement gave me the confidence in those early career days when I was interviewing for my first professional job. Fast forward 25 years and that card is still tucked away in my work bag as a reminder when I’m struggling.

You worked for the Sonoma County Winegrowers for four years, from 2013-2017. How did you find this position and get started working there? Was that your first professional role in the wine industry? What was your most memorable experience during that assignment?

I am very proud of my time at the Sonoma County Winegrowers—it was one of the first times in my career that I felt I had “found my people.” My career started in tech PR, but I wasn’t passionate about that dot-com era. I moved back to Napa and worked at Benson Marketing Group for 10 years, managing PR campaigns for wineries from small family-owned to larger corporate brands. I also worked with the Bordeaux Wine Council hosting media tours. Through all this work, what stood out was the role farmers and winegrowers play in making wine. Wine always starts in the vineyard. This passion for the farming side eventually brought me to Sonoma County Winegrowers as Director of Marketing and Communications. That moment was life changing. I had the honor of representing 1,800 winegrowers and telling their multigenerational family legacies to media across the globe. I was also part of the team that launched the region’s initiative to become the first wine region in the world to be 100% sustainable. It was such a privilege to work alongside them and share how we were making a difference to the environment, our community, and our workers.

You now work at Jackson Family Wines as Director of Communications. When did you begin this position? What’s a typical day like? What is the number one goal you strive to achieve in your role at JFW?

During my time at Sonoma County Winegrowers, I worked with the Jackson family on several initiatives. They’ve been sustainability leaders for decades, so Katie Jackson and the team were always supportive in those early days of the SCW goals.  They were quick to respond, provide resources to growers, and led by example.

I jumped at the opportunity to work for this family wine company back in 2017, starting as a senior PR manager handling PR for wineries like Matanzas Creek, Siduri, Copain, and Stonestreet as well as properties across Napa, Santa Barbara, and Willamette Valley. I became Director of Communications before launching our Rooted for Good: Roadmap to 2030 sustainability initiative in 2021. That was an extraordinary opportunity to reinforce the family’s commitment to climate action and positive social impact.

What I love most is that every day is different. Some days I’m updating journalists on our Rooted for Good progress, sometimes I’m at vineyards hosting tours or learning new techniques. I work with our leadership team on keynotes and speaking opportunities at major conferences and collaborate with brand marketing teams to integrate sustainability storytelling into their marketing and sales channels. I also love attending events like Sustainable Brands Conference, SF Climate Week and NYC Climate Week to showcase how the wines we grow and make are a solution to climate change.

How did you meet your wife, Dene? Tell us about your two sons; how old are they and do you think they will follow in your footsteps?

We met in 2007 at a dinner date at the Girl & the Fig in Sonoma, followed by drinks at Murphy’s Pub where we talked for hours until they kicked us out at closing time! We’ve been together ever since. After getting married, we lived in downtown Petaluma for more than a year until our oldest son was born and we were given the opportunity to move into my wife’s family ranch house in Sebastopol. My older son Calvin is now almost 13 and my younger son Oliver is 9 years old.

I have no idea if they’ll follow in my footsteps. Neither one seems to understand what I do (My older son always asks why my name is not part of the media articles I secure!) and they have a lot of other interests. But, who knows, maybe they’ll surprise me someday!

In 2024 you were elected to the Petaluma Gap Winegrowers Board of Directors. One of your colleagues, Scott Welch, was leaving the board, and you were tapped to take his place. With a young family and a lot of responsibility with your day job, why did you decide to make time to be on our Board of Directors?

When Scott approached me about joining the board, I was excited for the opportunity to again collaborate with an AVA marketing organization and our grower and winery community. During my time at SCW, I had worked really closely with the Gap in the early days before it was officially approved as an AVA. I traveled across the country for the Sonoma in the City programs and got to know a lot of the leaders of this AVA, plus I really enjoyed the wines coming out of the region. They were some of the best Pinot Noirs in the region. It’s fun to serve on the board at such an exciting time for the Gap as it builds more credibility and awareness. Sonoma County is so diverse with a lot of hidden gems and the Gap is a perfect reflection of that.

Jackson Family Wines has vineyards in the Gap, but also in other regions. Can you help our readers understand what the company’s commitment is to the Gap?

Jackson Family Wines loves showcasing their cherished vineyard estate properties located on rare, coastal California terroir of mountaintops, ridges, hillsides and raised benchland soils. With a diverse selection of vineyard estates throughout the Pacific coastline, from Oregon all the way down to Santa Barbara County, our winemakers are able to showcase the extraordinary terroir of each vineyard and winemaking region.

Jackson Family Wines has approximately 550 acres of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay across 3 vineyards in Petaluma Gap, including our Cloud Landing site. That vineyard is the source for our Kendall-Jackson’s Jackson Estate Cloud Landing Pinot Noir and Chardonnay bottlings. Situated on the undulating hills between the San Pablo Bay and the Pacific Ocean, Cloud Landing is perched in the fog line more often than not, but still exposed to the persistent wind from the Petaluma Wind Gap.

Have you ever tried making wine? If so, what variety was it? If not, why not – you’re surrounded with pros who could give you plenty of coaching!

I have never made wine, but I have shadowed quite a few winemakers during harvest and also harvested grapes and followed them into the cellars. The closest I’ve ever come was making hard cider from an old Gravenstein apple orchard that my wife’s family owned. That was a fun experience! I’ve always wanted to make a barrel of wine, but just have never found the time to do so. With a full-time job and a family with two kids, I don’t have a lot of free time these days!

You also volunteer for the Town of Windsor Parks and Recreation. What do you do for them? Why did you choose to take on that role?

One of the values my parents instilled in me was to always give back to our local communities. Throughout my life, I’ve always volunteered or stayed active in the community. In college, I volunteered with Habitat for Humanity, and I served on the board of directors at Napa Valley Community Housing.

When my wife and I bought a house in Windsor five years ago, I wanted to find an opportunity to volunteer and get involved. I love the outdoors and spending time with my family at our local parks. So, I decided to apply for the town’s Parks and Rec Commission, which is a community advisory committee appointed by the Town Council. I was recently re-appointed to another 4-year term and I’m serving as Chairperson of the Commission this year. I love having a voice for our community on the future of our local parks and the various recreational programs for our kids, our seniors, and all other residents. Two projects I’m proud to be involved with are the Keiser Park master plan that will bring an aquatic center to Windsor within the next decade (hopefully) and updating one of our local parks to become one of the first playgrounds and parks in Sonoma County to be designed in the most inclusive way possible for those with disabilities and neurodivergent.

When celebrating a holiday or special occasion with your wife, Dene, what is your go-to wine? What do you serve it with?

It’s funny. My response to this question changes all the time. I don’t necessarily have a go-to wine or varietal. It always depends on what we’re in the mood for, what we’re celebrating and with whom, and also what we’re eating. We usually like to start by uncorking bubbles and we typically default to a local Pinot Noir. But, I also love to explore new wines, so it’s not uncommon for me to come back home with a totally random wine that I got from Bottle Barn. Lately, we’ve been firing up our outdoor pizza oven and making a lot of yummy pizzas, which always pair beautifully with a Pinot, Rhône blend, and Zinfandel.