Michael and Andrey have been friends for more than a decade and represent just a tiny slither of the St. Louis-grown sommelier community that has to this point created 15 Advanced Sommeliers and 2 Master Sommeliers since 2009. He has risen to international acclaim with his four projects around the world. We are happy to share one with you to start.

Michael Kennedy created the Vin Fraîche Wine Group in 2018, after launching three distinct wineries in Napa Valley, Bordeaux and Oregon. In 2020 an additional winery was acquired to the group in Tuscany, Italy. Kennedy's drive to create wines of freshness, vibrancy and life has created a thread of commonality in the wines throughout the brands. His passion for wines that are complex, long lived and built for food has driven him to assemble a team of winemakers and friends that help create wines of substance.

In 2017, Kennedy was named to Forbes Magazine’s 30 Under 30 list for his work in the wine industry. He has been called a “Rising Star” by Food & Wine Magazine, “Super-Somm” by Bloomberg’s Elin McCoy and a “Top Young Entrepreneur in America” by Business Insider. He splits his time between Napa Valley, Bordeaux, Tuscany and his hometown, St. Louis. He and his beautiful wife Rachel have two sons.

Winemaker: Marc Gagnon & Michael Kennedy

Winery Stats

Vineyard Size: State of Mind sources their fruit from larger vineyards.
Total Production: 19,200 bottles
Farming: Organic Practices
Certification: None
Grapes Planted (Red): Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Verdot, Malbec, Cabernet Franc
Grapes Planted (White): Chardonnay, Riesling

Winery Story

Michael Kennedy created the Vin Fraîche Wine Group in 2018, after launching three distinct wineries in Napa Valley, Bordeaux and Oregon. In 2020 an additional winery was acquired to the group in Tuscany, Italy. Kennedy's drive to create wines of freshness, vibrancy and life has created a thread of commonality in the wines throughout the brands. His passion for wines that are complex, long lived and built for food has driven him to assemble a team of winemakers and friends that help create wines of substance.

Philosophy

"At SOM we approach our winemaking far different than a traditional winery: as a collective. We are a team of sommeliers, winemakers, and vignerons, all of who have an equal say in our wine production. We believe this intensively collaborative process shines through in the distinctiveness of our wines."- MK2

With SOM Wines in 2016, this was a winery formed with a group of winemakers and sommeliers who all have an equal say in the style the wines are made. Founded in 2018 by Michael Kennedy with one goal: to be a family of wineries with a common thread of small production, site-specific, terroir driven wines from California, Oregon, Washington, Italy & France.

-Zillah Ranch Vineyard is a cool growing site in the Rattlesnake Hills AVA. It’s rocky, rugged ground overlooking the western end of the Yakima Valley. Some of the best American Riesling created in the past 40 years comes from the same vineyard.

-In the heart of Willamette Valley lies L.S. Vineyard (named for Master Sommelier, Larry Stone). This vineyard enjoys cool temperatures with an environment reminiscent of France.

-In the south, cool end of Napa Valley lies Caldwell Vineyard in Coombsville. This site’s unique characteristic include: high altitude soils at a lower altitude due to the collapse of a caldera, an ancient aquifer – a very rare resource that gives the vineyard an infinite water supply, and a cool climate thanks to the ocean breeze that comes up from the bay.

Something Random

Andrey proctored Michael’s Certified Sommelier Exam in 2012. While others clumsily offered $50 bottles of non-descript red wines, Michael confidently recommended the 1995 Château Latour. The examiner then said “well if we are rolling like that tonight, what should we have for dessert?” To which Michael quickly replied “the 1998 Château d’Yquem of course!” We knew we had a winner on our hands….

Video: What's in the Box- January 2023

A Collaborative Approach to Winemaking

by Allyson Gorsuch

Bliss Wine Imports is going through some fun changes! Andrey Ivanov, Master Sommelier, and now the newly minted President of Bliss, has been working as a sales representative and overall consultant with the company since 2015. His philosophy and approach to the wine he chooses to import going forward will not change. You will see some changes to the website, and he is adding Bliss Wine Concierge—personalized tasting selections from a unique winery each month, accompanied by a newsletter—so we can all explore the wines and regions together!

The inaugural shipment and newsletter pay homage to Ivanov’s hometown of St. Louis, MO, by choosing another St. Louis native to showcase his stellar and forward-thinking wines. Michael Kennedy II became somewhat of a pioneer in wine sourcing, production, marketing, and sales at a very young age. He now owns a company by the name of Vin Fraiche Wine Group, which in turn owns four different wineries—SOM (State of Mind)- the one on which we focus now. 

What sets SOM apart from other wineries is its rooted philosophy of encouraging the entire team—from the viticultural to the winemaking to the sales and marketing role—to influence each wine's final style. Kennedy admits it may slow down some of the decision-making processes, and can even sometimes be challenging, but the end product speaks for itself. 

When Kennedy met Marc Gagnon, who has made wine at epic wineries in Napa including Screaming Eagle, Bryant Family Vineyards, and Caldwell Vineyard, they toured the vineyards and waxed philosophical (and just hung out) with a beer in hand. Gagnon then poured him a taste of wine that would solidify their future together. This experience laid the base for the company as a whole and the SOM wines, established in 2017—and for the wines’ amazing complexity and collaboration.

SOM Riesling, Zillah Ranch Vineyard, Rattlesnake Hills, Columbia Valley, Washington 2020

Hailing from a historic vineyard in the third established American Viticultural Area, this riesling is racy and vibrant. Stainless steel fermentation of free-run juice and 12 g/l of sugar allows high acidity with a roundness on the palate. Ivanov declares it as, “One of the fundamentally most delicious bottlings of riesling from the United States.”


Food pairing suggestion: Lemon Chicken; El Pastor tacos (fast food: Orange Chicken from Panda Express)


SOM Chardonnay, L.S. Vineyard, Eola-Amity Hills, Willamette Valley, Oregon 2019


Another iconic vineyard, the L.S. Vineyard stands for Larry Stone, a revered Master Sommelier. 

It lies in Eola-Amity Hills, the coolest AVA in Willamette Valley. It lends itself to a style of wine similar to Burgundy.  The SOM team decided to make a wine that blends the two styles of white Burgundy—soft, round on one side and reductive, angular on the other. The result is an “energetic, texturally interesting wine,” explains Kennedy. This wine has bracingly high acidity and exhibits a salty and savory character but finishes with a distinct richness—fantastic food wine.


Food pairing suggestion: buttered popcorn; Adobo Chicken


SOM Pinot Noir,  L.S. Vineyard, Eola-Amity Hills, Willamette Valley, Oregon 2019

“Sometimes the less you do the more complex the wine is,” Kennedy declares. The SOM team decided to use a minimalistic approach to winemaking, making this Pinot Noir sing. With 25% whole cluster, concrete fermentation, and nine months in oak.


Food pairing suggestion: Duck with duck fat fried potatoes; octopus; salmon with cherries or beets


SOM Cabernet Sauvignon, Caldwell Vineyard, Coombsville, Napa Valley, California 2019

An exclusive wine from The Cheese Shed in Napa, SOM’s tasting room, this is a field blend of the vineyards in Coobmsville. It is a true Bordeaux blend, including all of the Bordeaux varieties: Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Tannat, Malbec, Carmenere, and Petite Verdot. The wine exhibits a fabulous structure but is generous and drinkable. This is a serious wine but also extremely approachable. Kennedy shares, “It mirrors exactly who we are: it’s rustic; it’s historic; it’s really special to us.”


Food pairing suggestion: Lion’s Choice (a roast beef sandwich fast food chain); Italian Beef; Philly Cheesesteak



Each wine shows an incredible juxtaposition of elegance and rusticity. With wines expressing not only the beauty of their individual sites, but also the nuanced result of teamwork and collaboration, the SOM wines and Bliss Imports share the same theory and thoughts behind the most wonderful wines being produced in the world.

Even better that Bliss Wine Concierge chooses to build upon strong relationships and shared reasoning—this month highlighting a St. Louis wine pioneer, and further the St. Louis wine community, which boasts a diverse, supportive, close group of colleagues and friends, near and far. It’s about the romance of how all components come together to create something special.