Masterclass: Nothing But La Vérité

Nicolas Seillan, the son of Vigneron Pierre Seillan, was hired by Jess Jackson in 2003. Under the leadership of his father, Nicolas transitioned into winemaking and production side of the business and became involved in the operations at Vérité and the family’s property in Saint-Émilion, Château Lassègue. Alongside his wife Christina, Nicolas carries on his father’s legacy at Château Lassègue and Vérité.

Christina Seillan discovered a deep love of wine during her time at Yale Law School while she served as President of the Wine Society. Shortly after graduating with her law degree, Christina worked harvest at both Vérité and Château Lassègue where she met her husband, Nicolas Seillan. Christina and Nicolas split their time between Sonoma County, California and Saint-Émilion as they carry on the family legacy at both Vérité and Château Lassègue.

Born and raised in rural Maine, USA, Lisa graduated from Colby College, ME, with degrees in English Literature and Performing Arts. Her wine career began by happenstance when, living as a struggling playwright in London after college, she was offered a job as the manager of a wine bar. Upon acquiring the position, she promptly enrolled for classes at the WSET (Wine and Spirit Education Trust) and continued her studies with them until achieving the institution’s highest accreditation level: Diploma. Lisa progressed through wine sales and marketing roles in the UK wine trade throughout the ‘90s and early noughties before moving to Tokyo in 2002, where she worked as a wine buyer for one of Japan's top fine wine importers and a wine educator at Tokyo's Academie du Vin. In 2008, Lisa moved to Singapore and began writing a column for Robert Parker’s website, eRobertParker.com. Later that year she achieved her Master of Wine (MW) qualification and the Madame Bollinger Medal for excellence in wine tasting. In 2013, she became the Editor-in-Chief for Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate and RobertParker.com. She is also the publication’s critic for the wines of Bordeaux, Napa Valley and Sonoma County Bordeaux Varieties. In 2015, Lisa’s first book, Taste Like a Wine Critic: A Guide to Understanding Wine Quality, was published. Recently, she relocated to Napa, California, to set up the new office for The Wine Advocate. She now lives in Napa with her British husband, two young daughters, their Border Collie and three sheep.