James Allen was the owner, founder and winemaker of Sequoia Grove Winery from 1978-2004, and founding partner with Taittinger’s California Champagne project—Domaine Carneros. He was a modern day pioneer of Rutherford Cabernet, and one of the first proponents of the Rutherford Appellation and Bordeaux blends in the Napa Valley. Working with the famous Russian wine master, Andre Tchelistcheff, Allen soon achieved international recognition as a top winemaker of the Napa Valley, winning the Gold Medal at the International Wine Competition in London for his 1982 Estate Cabernet Sauvignon and the Platinum Medal and Best Cabernet in America for the 1985 Estate Cabernet Sauvignon.
Jim Allen got interested in wine during the occupation of Germany, working later as an interpreter for the United Nations in Vienna, attending the university of Austria and teaching in Europe. Once back home he researched the possibilities of growing vinifera grapes in states such as Utah, Arizona, Colorado and New Mexico, but discouraged by the bad winters in those areas, he moved to the Napa Valley.
