Geneviève Janssens, Winemaker

Geneviève, a winemaker with a lifelong appreciation for art, was born to a French vintner family. Geneviève moved to California in 1979 to work at Robert Mondavi Winery as an assistant enologist.

In 1989, she was appointed director of Production at Opus One (a joint venture between Robert Mondavi and Baron Philippe de Rothschild of Chateau Mouton-Rothschild). She was responsible for creating the team, the environment, the program and the day-to-day winemaking operation. The wine is now legendary.

In 1997, Geneviève was appointed Director of Winemaking at Robert Mondavi Winery. She was a key member of the team charged with developing the To Kalon project, the largest wood fermenting facility in the world. She also guided the production of Robert Mondavi Winery's 24 wine labels.

In May 2009, the French government awarded Genevieve with one of its highest honors in the field of Agriculture: the prestigious "Croix d'Officier dans l’Ordre du Mérite Agricole". She was also honored with the title of Commandeur d’Honneur de l’Ordre du Bontemps in Pauillac, Médoc, France.

In January 2010, Geneviève was named Winemaker of the Year by The Wine Enthusiast and in February 2020 was honored as Best Women Winemaker by "SAKURA" Japan Women's Wine Award.

Luc Janssens, Printmaker

Luc, an artist with lifelong appreciation for wine, was born in Brussels, Belgium where he graduated with highest honors from the Royal Academy of Fine Arts. Soon after, he moved to California where he established his studio. He later earned a Master’s Degree from California State University and a Doctor’s Degree from the University of San Francisco where he was recognized with the Distinguished Dissertation Award for outstanding scholarship and significant contribution to the field. His dissertation focused on the values and beliefs of the mountain people of Laos.

Luc was a faculty member and Arts Division chair at Merced College, a faculty member and Foreign Language Department chair at Diablo Valley College, a trustee and president of the Board of Trustees at Napa Valley College, California. He was a frequent visiting professor at Jinan and Shandong Universities in China.

Now retired, Luc devotes his time between the winery, his art studio and his philanthropic projects with the Lao Rehabilitation Foundation of which he is the president and founder. For his humanitarian work in Laos, he was awarded the distinction of “Unsung Hero of Compassion” from his holiness Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama.