Meet Our
Team Members
Henry & Diane Mayo, Founder/Owners
Henry & Diane Mayo, Founder/Owners
Diane Mayo, after a lifetime of living in or around Sonoma Valley, decided in 1990 to raise some grapes. Her husband, Henry, cleared off a beautiful valley and in 1990 planted 3,000 Chardonnay vines. In 1993 they bottled their first 200 cases and discovered that it was very good. The following year, 1,200 cases were produced, and they were overwhelmed. Henry still had his day job as a Real Estate Broker with Frank Howard Allen, so they picked up the phone and called their son, Jeffrey--the rest is history! Today they love the wines that Michael Berthoud is making and they love their Sonoma Valley...making it all a match made in heaven.
Jeffrey H. Mayo, President
Jeffrey H. Mayo, President
Since leaving his position in 1995 as Vice President of Acquisitions for one of California's largest homebuilders, Jeffrey Mayo has lived and breathed wine. In large part, Mayo Family Winery is a combination of Jeffrey's progressive and well-developed business expertise as well as his passion for wine. He is one of those wine lovers that seeks out the world's most interesting wines, takes every opportunity to indulge his palate, and believes that any wine can be good if it engages your intellect as well as your senses. To that end, Jeffrey put the family's winery on a path specializing in single vineyard wines. He realized early on that Mayo Family Winery had to take this road and never waver if its wines were to capture the imagination of wine lovers. Today, Jeffrey oversees sales and production. If he's not selling Mayo Family wines he's on a forklift moving bins of grapes or pallets of wine.
Michel Berthoud, Winemaker
Michel Berthoud, Winemaker
Formerly Winemaker for Arrowood Vineyards just down the road, Michel (Mike) joined the Mayo Family Winery just prior to the start of the 2004 harvest. Born and raised in Sonoma Valley, Mike began making wine with his father when he was just eight years old. He has now been creating award winning wines professionally for over 30 harvests! Mike oversees all the winemaking at Mayo Family and works closely with the winery's many growing partners.
Courtney Emer, Director of Sales and Marketing
Courtney Emer, Director of Sales and Marketing
Originally from Pittsburgh, PA, Courtney joined the family business and moved west after her cousin Jeffrey recruited her away from her career as an early education teacher in 2005. As Director of Hospitality and Marketing, she not only runs the day-to-day operations at the Main Tasting Room in Glen Ellen but is also the liaison with our Cellar Club members. Courtney loves living the Sonoma Valley life with her husband, daughter, winery dog, chickens, and a glass of wine in hand!
John Locher, Executive Chef
John Locher, Executive Chef
After “cutting his teeth” at Sonoma’s famed “The General’s Daughter” restaurant, John has contributed to the success of a multitude of Fine-Dining Establishments and Wineries in Sonoma & Napa Counties as both a professional culinarian and wine & food pairing consultant; specifically Equus Restaurant at the Fountaingrove Inn (Santa Rosa), Felix & Louie’s (formerly in Healdsburg), Viansa Winery, Beringer Winery, Chateau St. Jean Winery, Wilson Winery, Mazzocco Winery, Chateau Souverain Winery, and Elaine Bell Catering Company in Napa, where he lead professional culinary teams in serving acclaimed guests such as Aerosmith, The Wailers, Roger Daltrey & Pete Townshend, John Mayer, and many more. He then went on to open Prelude Restaurant at the Green Music Center where he achieved a average 4.5-star Rating on Open Table by utilizing local produce, sustainably-grown meats & seafood, and hand-crafted desserts in artfully-orchestrated combinations, paired with local wines and craft brews. Chef John then sojourned to Ft. Lauderdale, Florida for approximately a year where he served as a Chef Instructor at the Le Cordon Bleu Culinary School in Miami. After returning to Sonoma County, he resumed his pursuit and passion which has always laid in the wine & food experience, and has collaborated with multiple wine educators and chefs to further hone his wine & food pairing skills.