Lane grew up in Woodland, California and attended Woodland High School where she met John. After attending Chico State and San Jose State University she returned to Yolo County, married John in 1976, and employed her college education at the Giguiere family ranch driving a tractor, herding sheep and managing the ranch office. In 1983, she and John along with brother-in-law Karl founded R.H. Phillips winery. In the early years Lane worked in the vineyard, managed the winery books, headed the shipping department and hand labeled wine bottles at the kitchen table. In 1996, when the winery went public Lane assumed charge of public relations, hospitality, and sales administration. Lane retired from R.H. Phillips in 2004 to start Crew Wine Company, now Matchbook Wine Company. “I love the energy of the wine business. It’s a product that brings people together and you get to enjoy it with food,” she says. Besides her work Lane enjoys golf, taking road trips with Gigs and running in her Land Park neighborhood.

John, wife Lane and brother Karl started R.H.Phillips Winery in 1983 on land that was part of their family farm in the Dunnigan Hills of northwestern Yolo County. Starting as a small family owned vineyard and winery operation the company grew into a 750,000 case producer sourced mostly from estate fruit from their 2,500 acre vineyard which is rare for such a large producer. The company produced such noted brands as Toasted Head, EXP and R.H.Phillips. John helped to take the company public (Nasdaq) in 1995 and oversaw the sale of the company to Vincor International in 2000. John remained with the company after the sale and became the President and CEO for Vincor’s U.S. operations. John left the company in August of 2005 to start Crew Wine Company, now Matchbook Wine Company. John lives in Sacramento with his wife Lane and is an avid San Francisco Giants fan, plays golf and likes to travel.

Karl Giguiere was born in Washington state, but grew up on the family farm right here in the Dunnigan Hills. He attended Esparto High School and graduated from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo with a degree in Accounting. A short stint in a large CPA firm convinced him that his heart was in farming and he returned home to take over management of Giguiere Ranch in 1973. Not content with the area’s traditional dryland wheat and sheep farming, he was the first to drill wells and plant vineyards in the area, which lead to the creation of R.H. Phillips Winery in 1983. For the next 22 years, Karl continued to innovate new farming techniques in harvesting, trellising and irrigation while growing the company’s vineyard operation from 10 acres and 1 employee to 2800 acres and a full complement of viticulturists. He retired from R.H. Phillips in 2005 to concentrate on managing the Giguiere Family’s vineyards and olive orchards. When Karl and his wife Vicki are not at the beautiful home they built in the Dunnigan Hills, they are with their family at the beautiful home they built in Mount Shasta.

Pat Kane joined Matchbook Wine Company in March 2017 as President and CEO. Pat is a seasoned wine & spirits executive that came to us with over 25 years of experience. In his role as President and CEO, Pat will focus on the growth of Matchbook Wine Company for the Giguiere family.

Pat is an old friend and colleague of the Giguiere family from the RH Phillip days. “In the 35 plus years I’ve been doing this, I cannot think of anyone better suited to lead our company than Pat,” says owner, John Giguiere.

Most recently, Pat was National Sales Director for Joseph Wagner’s Copper Cane Wines & Provisions. Pat has extensive experience in national sales and channel management for premium alcohol and wine companies. He has held management positions with multiple wine producers including: RH Phillips, Vincor, Constellation Brands, Heublein, Diageo and Copper Cane Wines. In addition to Pat’s experience with producers, he has held several management positions with Alliance Beverage, a Charmer Sun Belt and Glazers Family joint venture, managing premium wine, spirits and craft beer business across all trade channels. Prior to joining the wine industry, Pat began his career with Beecham Products, now GlaxoSmithKline.

Pat is originally from the Chicago area, but has lived out west for 20 years. When Pat is not busy working, he enjoys spending time with his 4 children, the occasional round of golf or cheering on his hometown, Chicago, sports teams the Cubs and the Blackhawks.

UC Davis graduate in Viticulture, Dan started his career at Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars in 1987. In 1993, he left Napa to become winemaker at De Loach Vineyards where he specialized in ultra-high end chardonnay, pinot noir, zinfandel, and 12 other varietals. He also was instrumental in growing the business from 100,000 cases to 290,000 cases and developing two new production facilities. Dan lives in Calistoga with wife Anne and son Alex. His hobbies are throwing pots in his studio, gardening, golf, backpacking and fishing.

Greg is no stranger to the Dunnigan Hills, he is the son of Karl and Vicki Giguiere and spent the first 10 years of his career grape farming here for R.H. Phillips and JK Vineyards. Greg then spent 8 years working in the vineyards of Oregon and Washington state. In 2017, Greg came home and re-joined the family business, bringing back all the secrets of the vineyards from the Pacific Northwest. Greg is a UC Davis Viticulture and Enology graduate and passionate about growing exceptional wine grapes. He is especially interested in conservation and is active on local conservation boards. When he is not out in the vineyards, Greg enjoys spending time with his family and four children, Declan, Aisling, Caitlin and Roslynn, in the great outdoors – camping, hiking, skiing and exploring the Mount Shasta region.

A Woodland, California native Brian started his career as a mechanic for a small garage in Sacramento specializing in foreign sports cars. After 5 years working on sports cars, Brian switched gears and started working as a diesel mechanic and managing a diesel repair business. In 2003, Brian started with R.H. Phillips as a vineyard mechanic. He worked with R.H. Phillips until in 2007, when Karl Giguiere persuaded Brian to rejoin the family business as part of the vineyard management team at Matchbook Wine Company. Brian works with the team to manage our 1600 acres of wines grapes and 270 acres of olives. When Brian is not out in the vineyards, he enjoys spending time with his family, camping, fishing and taking in a good game – especially a San Francisco Giants game!

From the great Midwest, Mikayla was born and raised between Milwaukee and Madison in the quaint city of Pewaukee, Wisconsin. She earned her Bachelor of Science Degree in Chemistry from Carroll University in WI. After graduating, her adventurous nature and a friend living in Davis, CA brought her out west. Mikayla joined Matchbook in the summer of 2013. Without any prior winemaking experience, Mikayla jumped in feet first and quickly learned the ins and outs of her lab tech responsibilities. Now our lab director extraordinaire, she is able and willing to do anything and everything. As an amazing human, she volunteers at the Woodland Adult School, helping adults to learn English as a second language. She also enjoys reading, writing and spending time playing with her beautiful son Sam!

Merlissa was born in San Jose and raised in the heart of California’s Central Valley. She came to Matchbook as a harvest intern while she was studying Viticulture and Enology at UC Davis. Winemaker Dan Cederquist hired her full-time after she graduated in 2015 because she “shows promise to be a great winemaker.” Merlissa enjoys everything about wine: analyzing and manipulating the blends, the processing aromas and colors. When she’s not in the lab, Merlissa likes cutting hair and spending time with her mom. What a lucky mom!

Aimee grew up in the Dunnigan Hills with her parents Karl and Vicki Giguiere. Growing up here, Aimee developed a love for the country life and has chosen to raise her family here on a ranch next to the Matchbook Vineyards. In 2016, Aimee joined the family business, to work with her Dad, Karl Giguiere, and the vineyard management team to grow the highest quality wine grapes and olives. Aimee is a UC Davis alumni and before joining the family business she worked as a preschool teacher for 12 years while raising her three children. When Aimee is not working, she enjoys spending time with family and friends, gardening, going on long walks with her dogs, traveling, and giving back to our community by helping the homeless and mentally and physically challenged people.

Blake grew up in a small town outside of Chicago. He attended Northern Illinois University before making the move to Tucson and transferring to the University of Arizona in 1988. Blake spent 16 years in Food and Beverage management, including directing the Food and Beverage divisions of two 4 Diamond resorts. He also had a partnership in a very successful Tucson restaurant. He developed a taste and passion for fine wine, which eventually led to a career move when he went to work for a national wine and spirits distributor. Blake joined Crew Wine Company/Matchbook in 2006 and is now Regional Manager covering the mid-US. He now resides in the city of Chicago and is thrilled to be back in his home state. When he’s not on the road he enjoys cooking, spending time with his family, and working out just enough to counterbalance his addiction to great food – so many choices in Chicago!

John is a skilled Wine & Spirits executive with over 25 years experience. Tarver has worked with both producers and distributors, including Benziger Family Winery, Young’s Market Company, Delicato Family Vineyards and most recently Pacific Highway and Distillery No. 209. John is responsible for working with our distributors to broaden our retail chain distribution with the goal of making it easier for consumers to choose Matchbook. When John is not busy working, he enjoys spending time with family, listening to jazz, hiking and “RVing.” John and his beautiful wife raised four children together and live in Sonoma County.

Katelyn was born and raised in Woodland, California. After graduating from Sonoma State University, she returned in 2016 to the Yolo County area, where she began her career within the administrative side of the medical industry. In 2019, while looking for some extra work on the weekends, she stumbled upon Matchbook Winery and was easily convinced to join the team as a part-time tasting room associate. Within the first two years, Matchbook quickly became a family affair for Katelyn, and the tasting room recruited her two younger sisters to join the team. Three years later, the fun, weekend-only job, would soon turn into accepting the position as the Matchbook Director of Hospitality in 2022, leaving behind the medical insurance world at the University of California, Davis, for a brand-new career in the wine hospitality industry. When she is not out at the winery, you can find her on a golf course, traveling, or spending time with her family.

Ken is another Matchbook member reunited with John and Lane after their R.H. Phillips careers. A graduate of the University of Cincinnati, Ken entered the world of retail at Color Tile and Burger Chef. In 1982, he was lured into the wine world by Ohio Valley Wine and Beer Company in Cincinnati. He started out with a training route and by 1986 was managing the sales of the company. He survived several buy-outs serving as general sales manager for Allied Wine and Spirits Company and for Metamora Importing, where he was introduced to R.H. Phillips, the Giguieres and Steve Crosta. After two years as CEO of the Mad Monk Beer Company, Ken called Steve, then John Gigs, to request a position with R.H. Phillips. After a stellar interview in a smoked-filled, Chicago bar, Ken started his new life with R.H. Phillips in March of 1999. He survived the Vincor buy-out of R.H. Phillips in 2000 serving as Region Manager for the Mid-Atlantic. He didn’t survive the Constellation buy-out of Vincor in the summer of 2006 and was able to accept the Giguieres’s invitation to join the crew. Ken lives in Wake Forest, North Carolina, is married to Jacqueline, is the father of three beautiful children and master of two long-haired Chihuahuas. His hobbies include attempting to play golf, creating friendships, enjoying great wine and food, Sudoku and reading.

Born in Los Angeles but raised in sunny Scottsdale, Arizona, Matt attended Saguaro High School and loved sports! He spent a brief stint at the University of Arizona, but moved on to Arizona State University to major in Marketing. As a Sun Devil (and true to the reputation that goes along with the fun Sun Devil University), he fell in love with the restaurant and bar industry. Matt worked his way bartending through college and gradually felt a calling. He became GM and then director of operations for a restaurant group. Wine was always a large part of family life growing up and soon became the focus. At the young age of 29, Matt opened his first Wine Lounge in Scottsdale. Three years later he opened his second location in Tucson. He owned and operated these lounges for 10 years before deciding a new challenge and direction was in order. Matchbook had been a success at his wine bars, and Matt felt a connection to the Matchbook Wine Family. Great wines that over-deliver! He started in September of 2014, and the rest is history. Matt loves traveling, cooking, golf, exploring wine and spending time with family and friends.

Megan was raised in Chicago and made her way out to California to attend Cal State University, Long Beach. She joined Matchbook in the Spring of 2019, bringing over 15 years’ experience in the Hospitality and Beverage industry including night club and restaurant management as well as National Account’s Manager for one of the state’s largest wine distributors. She lives in beautiful Manhattan Beach in close proximity to Southern California’s great culinary restaurants. In her spare time, Megan practices the art of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and loves traveling the world to train at different academies.

Born in Mons, Belgium, Rob lived the life of a military brat, moving every few years before his father retired from the Air Force in 1986. That’s when the Vacha family settled in North Texas—the place Rob has called home ever since. Rob has a Bachelor’s of Business Administration from the University of Texas at Arlington. He joined the Matchbook family in the summer of 2015, hopping aboard after 11 years of experience selling wine and spirits with distributor organization RNDC. Rob enjoys spending time with his family and has fun helping out with his son’s Little League baseball team. He also keeps busy tackling home improvement projects.

A New England native, Ryan has made his home in Florida and he is our Regional Manager for the Panhandle (Florida and Mississippi). He comes to Matchbook with nearly 30 years’ experience in the wine and hospitality industry and has a contagious passion for the business. Ryan is not new to the Giguiere Family as he worked for RH Phillips/Vincor from 2002-2005, while with us at RH Philips/ Vincor and he grew the business from 27,000 – 45,000 cases in Florida. Ryan has a successful track record as a Region/Division Manager in the Southeast for wineries like Kendall-Jackson, Cline Cellars and Mendocino Wine Company. Ryan is happily married to his wife, Sabrina, and is the proud father of his 2 young sons. When he is not working Ryan enjoys spending time with his family, cooking and cheering on his favorite sports teams: Boston Red Sox, Miami Dolphins and Boston Celtics.

Tom grew up in Bucks County, PA, outside of Philadelphia. He attended the University of Notre Dame before moving to the west coast and spending the early part of his career working in the wine and spirits industry in Southern California, Northern California and Arizona. He moved back East fell in love and started a beautiful family while continuing to work in the wine business. Tom previously worked with the Giguieres back in the waning days of the Vincor era and re-joined them at Matchbook in 2016. He is Region Manager covering the northeast. When he’s not pounding the pavement in search of new placements for the Matchbook portfolio, he enjoys cooking, exercising and most importantly spending time with his family. Tom is married to an incredible wife, is the father of three beautiful children and the master of one handsome mini-Golden Doodle.

Grew up in the Central Valley of California, went to Oklahoma State University for college where I studied Aerospace Engineering which eventually led into Bachelor of Science in Business Management and Bachelor of Science in Entrepreneurship. I met my beautiful wife Sara in Oklahoma, married in 2014 and moved back to California to start a family. Joined the Matchbook Family in April of 2022 after spending 8 years at the Distributor. I love spending time with my wife and 3 children, playing basketball, snowboarding, and BBQing for the whole family!

Juan Pablo “JP” was born in Jalisco, Mexico and has worked for the Giguiere family since the R.H. Phillips days. We are very happy to have his mechanical experience and expertise on the Matchbook bottling line. When asked what he does in his spare time Juan Pablo will only confess to being single and happy.

Maria was born in Sinaloa, Mexico and came to us as a part-time cellar worker. Her ability to multitask, her proficiency and productivity lead to a full time job in the cellar and on the bottling line. Maria is married and has a son and a daughter. In her spare time she enjoys being with her family, camping and playing a rousing round of paintball.

Petro was born in Aguas Callientes, Mexico. He came to the U.S. and started his wine career at R.H. Phillips in 1992, working on the bottling line, in the cellar, and in the warehouse shipping and receiving. He joined Matchbook/Crew Wine Company in 2008 when the Zamora winery was brand new. Petro says he enjoys the physical and mental aspects of cellar work and the fact that he gets to be outdoors all day. Petro is reliable, consistent, dependable, sets the bar high for the cellar crew. He lives in Winters with his wife, his son and his daughter. Ever industrious, Petro spends his spare time working on projects around his home.

Lesli joined Matchbook in October 2017, she came to us from Tony’s Fine Foods with over 20 years’ experience in Finance and Accounting. She holds a BS in Information Technologies and an MBA in Finance, both from CSU Sacramento. Lesli grew up in the farming community of Linden, CA, so coming to work for a family of 5th generation farmers, is a perfect fit! Lesli and her husband have 3 dogs and a cat and love to travel. As a couple, they have travelled to South Africa, Paris, Venice, London and Belfast.

Robert grew up just north of Matchbook in the small town of Wheatland, CA. His passion for pitching led to collegiate baseball and a semi-pro stint with the Sacramento Smokies where he threw two no-hitters before being sidelined by injuries. He received his Accountancy degree from CSU Sacramento in 2006 and spent a brief time with a start up in Silicon Valley before moving back to Sacramento in 2008 to begin his career in public accounting. Robert joined Matchbook in 2018. He lives in Woodland with his wife, his darling daughter, three dogs and two cats. In his spare time Robert likes to golf, travel, BBQ with friends and, of course, play competitive softball.