Our Team

Kathryn Walt Hall is the proprietor of HALL Wines and WALT Wines, and has been involved in the California wine industry since her family first purchased a vineyard in the 1970’s. She has had a distinguished career as a successful businesswoman, attorney, community activist, and as the United States Ambassador to Austria.

Kathryn and her brother managed the family vineyard from 1982 to 1992, selling grapes to other wineries, as well as producing Sauvignon Blanc and Cabernet Sauvignon under the label WALT Vineyards. Kathryn began her public career as assistant city attorney in Berkeley, California. Later, she joined Safeway Stores, where she was responsible for developing and administering one of the nation’s first and largest affirmative action programs. Subsequently, she worked as an attorney and businesswoman in Dallas, Texas, where she was president of an inner city development company and partner of Hall Financial Group, Inc.

Long committed to social issues, Kathryn has served on numerous non-profit and institutional boards, addressing issues related to social care and mental health. She co-founded the North Texas Food Bank, served on the U.S. House of Representatives Hunger Advisory Committee, and was the director/vice president of the Texas Mental Health Association. Kathryn has served on the National Advisory Council for Violence Against Women and as a trustee of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars.

From 1997 to 2001, Kathryn served as the United States Ambassador to Austria. Since her return to America, she has resumed her role as proprietor of HALL Wines along with her husband Craig. Continuing upon her experience promoting American agriculture in Austria, in September 2001 she was appointed to the United States Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Technical Advisory Committee (ATAC) for international trade and to Texas One, promoting international investment in Texas.

Kathryn serves on the Napa Legal Aid Board of Directors and is fluent in French and German, earned a B.A. in Economics from the University of California, Berkeley, a joint MBA from UC California, Berkeley & Columbia University and a J.D. from the University of California, Hastings College of Law. Together with her husband Craig, they have four children.

Craig Hall is the owner of a collection of family-owned brands including HALL and WALT Wines and Dallas-based HALL Group. Hall is a New York Times bestselling author, civic leader, philanthropist, and the entrepreneur who started HALL Group in 1968 at age 18. Today, HALL Group’s diversified business interests include active operations in winemaking, commercial real estate ownership, development and management, structured financial lending, and early-stage investments for promising start-ups. The HALL and WALT luxury wine brands are widely recognized for quality by some of the industry’s top critics.

Hall actively supports new entrepreneurs, nurtures young start-ups and often speaks publicly about the importance of encouraging entrepreneurship worldwide. Together with his wife Kathryn Hall, he funded the Fulbright – Kathryn and Craig Hall Distinguished Chair for Entrepreneurship to teach entrepreneurship in Eastern Europe. Hall also founded the Dallas Regional Office of NFTE (Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship). He is the author of six published books, including his most recent, “A Perfect Score: The Art, Soul, and Business of a 21st Century Winery,” which was co-authored with his wife and listed as a ¬New York Times Non-Fiction Bestseller.

A lifelong art collector, Hall believes art nourishes the human spirit and can make a profound difference in people’s lives. Throughout his businesses, pieces from Hall’s personal art collection are on public display. Important works by artists from all over the world can be found at the HALL St. Helena and HALL Rutherford wineries in Napa Valley, as well as at HALL Park in Frisco, Texas and HALL Arts in Dallas.

In 2007, Hall was named a lifetime member of the prestigious Horatio Alger Association for Distinguished Americans, and was inducted into the North Texas Commercial Real Estate Hall of Fame and the Entrepreneurs Foundation of North Texas’ Ring of Honor. He was named the 2013 Dallas Real Estate Executive of the Year and in 2016 he was inducted into the Junior Achievement of Dallas Business Hall of Fame. Most recently, Craig and Kathryn were co-awarded the 2017 Master Entrepreneur of the Year award for the Southwest Region from the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year program and were named finalists in the national real estate category award program.

Hall and his companies are often recognized for significant achievements and civic and charitable contributions. Hall received the 2002 Obelisk Award from the Dallas Business Committee for the Arts for his long-time support of Texas artists, and was named Real Estate Entrepreneur of the Year in 2002 by Ernst & Young. In 2006, he received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Mortgage Bankers Association. He has served on the Board of Trustees of the American University in Bulgaria, the American-Austrian Fulbright Board and the Board of the Horatio Alger Association for Distinguished Americans.

The Halls have made it a lifelong mission to put people first – those in the community, those whom they employ, and those who enjoy their wines. Hall strongly believes that entrepreneurship is a catalyst that makes a difference both today and in the future, and intends to leave the world better than he found it. This is a philosophy he has been putting into action for 50 years, both in business and through his family foundation, established in 1977. Craig and Kathryn Hall work to give back across four categories; Community, Arts, Responsible Business Practices, and Entrepreneurship. They have significantly contributed to Napa and Sonoma County non-profit organizations and host a number of community-related events each year, including the annual HALL Cabernet Cookoff, an event that has helped raise over $500,000 for Napa Valley non-profits since its inception. Additionally, Craig continues to support a number of community organizations that directly impact education, healthcare, wellness, animal rights, the environment, and the arts including Clinic Ole, Legal Aid Napa Valley, Auction Napa Valley, Sonoma Barrel and Wine Auction, and Napa Emergency Women’s Services.

Mike Reynolds began his tenure in 2002 at the inception of the winery, shortly after Craig and Kathryn Hall returned from Austria. Since then, Reynolds has led all aspects of the HALL, WALT, and BACA businesses, including production, vineyards, operations, and construction.

Mike was the founding winemaker at HALL and was promoted to President in 2006. He is passionate about vineyards and winemaking and remains an active member of HALL’s blending team. Mike oversaw the design and construction of the new state-of-the-art winemaking facilities and tasting rooms at both HALL Rutherford and HALL St. Helena. He also leads the vineyard acquisition program for Kathryn and Craig Hall, who now own and lease approximately 500 acres of premier vineyards in Napa, Sonoma, Mendocino, and Santa Barbara counties.

His first winemaking experience was with Napa pioneers, Jack and Jamie Davies at Schramsberg. Mike made wine at Schramsberg for 11 years and served as both the Winemaker and General Manager. He then spent two years with Jackson Family Wines where he was General Manager for both the Stonestreet and Vérité wine facilities prior to joining HALL. Mike holds an MBA from the University of California, Berkeley, Haas School of Business, and a BS in Fermentation Science (winemaking and viticulture), from the University of California, Davis.

In addition, Mike is a Board Member of the California Wine Institute, a member of the Young Presidents Organization, and is the current President of Winegrowers of Napa County. Mike's youngest son, Jack, provided the artwork for the HALL "Jack's Masterpiece" Cabernet Sauvignon.

Don Munk, Director of Vineyard Operations, provides a lifetime of knowledge and experience to HALL Winery. Having grown up in the wine industry, born and raised in the Napa Valley, Don began working in the vineyards of a family friend at the age of fifteen and has been farming ever since.  Don holds a bachelor’s degree in Agriculture Business Farm Management from California State University, in which his studies strongly focused on viticulture. Don’s professional experience began at Buena Tierra Vineyards, where he worked as a harvest assistant and grafter for 6 years. From there he became the equipment manager and vineyard assistant at several vineyards where he participated in vineyard development, field monitoring, soil sampling, equipment operations as well as pruning, tying, suckering, grafting, and shop maintenance. Don then took his skills to Foster’s Wine Estates in St. Helena, CA in 1990. There he took on the role of vineyard manager where he was responsible for the operations of 725 acres. Now, Don is committed to carrying on HALL’s dedication to the environment and eco-friendly farming, while ensuring the production of the finest wines possible.

“I strongly believe you must be environmentally sustainable with your farming and you need to be responsible to your community.  We can never forget that Napa Valley is truly one of the premier winegrowing regions in the world and we should farm it with reverence: Farm to the vineyard and farm to the vine. Let the vine tell you what it can do. Create a healthy, balanced scenario for the vine so that it can express itself as it should.” –Don Munk

Whitney Jacobson has more than 25 years of experience with investment, strategic and communications leadership within the political, business and wine industries. Jacobson provides overall guidance for all HALL and WALT Wines investor relations, communications, brand and charitable investment functions in support of the company's mission, vision, values and strategic objectives. Jacobson serves as an interface with the investment community and actively engages with internal and external stakeholders to support the development of the company’s reputation and positioning. Jacobson’s efforts involve acquiring and securing financial funding so the wine properties continue to emerge as state-of-the-art, iconic venues that allow the luxury wine brands to consistently be innovators in wine hospitality.

Before joining HALL & WALT in 2006, Jacobson worked at the White House in several capacities. From 1995-1997, she oversaw the Office of Personnel as Deputy Director under the Bill Clinton Administration, with a focus on Presidential nominees. Then in 1997, Whitney was appointed Chief of Staff for United States Ambassador to Austria, Kathryn Hall. Jacobson also served as the Public Relations Manager at United Airlines during September 11th attacks.

Jacobson is involved with various non-profit organizations within the Bay Area, including being on the board of St. Isidore School located in Danville, California. She earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in from Georgetown University and a Master’s Degree in Business Administration from Kellstadt Graduate School of Business at DePaul University. She lives in the Bay Area with her husband, Jody, and three children. 

For more information about opportunities to be a partner at HALL Wines, please contact Whitney at partners@hallwines.com

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Jeff Zappelli is a seasoned veteran in the wine industry. After dedicating eight+ years in restaurants, including Morton’s Steakhouse in San Francisco, Jeff made a career shift in 2006 and joined HALL Wines, based in Napa Valley, CA. There Jeff played a pivotal role in shaping one of Napa Valley’s most successful Direct-to-Consumer programs. In 2012 owners Craig & Kathryn Walt Hall introduced WALT, a new Pinot Noir and Chardonnay brand. This new wine brand broadened Jeff’s responsibilities to encompass a myriad of day-to-day efforts for both HALL and WALT Wines.

Fast forward to 2016, Jeff assumed the role of General Manager at WALT, with a goal to grow the brand with responsibilities involving winery development, sales planning, execution, distribution and vineyard acquisitions. In 2022 Jeff’s role expanded again, adding the title of Vice President of Sales to his resume. In this broad capacity, he leads a robust wholesale program and export sales for HALL, WALT and the company’s newest brand, BACA, continuing to serve as WALT General Manager.

Originally from Seattle, WA, Jeff pursued his education at the University of Santa Barbara, earning a Bachelors degree in Biopsychology. Jeff resides in Marin County, CA, with his wife and their three daughters.

Vice President of Winemaking, Megan Gunderson began her career in the Napa Valley in 2001 when she moved from Colorado to California and worked as an intern at Robert Mondavi Winery. Early on, she discovered a passion for wine and viticulture and went on to become a Laboratory Manager for St. Supery Vineyards in Rutherford, then Dominus Estates in Oakville. At Dominus, she was able to refine her winemaking skills under the mentorship of Christian Moueix and Jean-Claude Barrouet, learning to hone her winemaking craft with unique methods.

In 2005, she joined HALL Wines as Enologist and quickly rose through the ranks with increasingly central roles within the winemaking operation. In 2018, Megan was promoted to Vice President of Winemaking, leading the wine program for the three, family-owned luxury brands, HALL, WALT and BACA Wines. Her multiple degrees in Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics have given her a unique and unmatched perspective into the scientific aspects of winemaking.

Megan lives in Napa Valley with her husband and two daughters.

Alison Frichtl Hollister didn't take the conventional path to making wine. Growing up in a creative household, she has always viewed the world through an artistic eye and her love for the winemaking craft came through her desire to create something new. Alison had an early introduction to American winemaking after moving to the Willamette Valley, Oregon as a teenager. This set the field as she was looking for direction with her degree in Biology from the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma, Washington. After her first harvest at Etude Wines in 2006 she knew she had found her place and settled in Napa.

In 2008 Alison joined HALL wines as Enologist and has grown with the brand. In 2012 she was promoted to Assistant Winemaker. In 2016, the Halls proposed making Zinfandel. Alison was up for the challenge and was promoted to Head Winemaker for BACA Zinfandel. Starting in 2020 Alison has taken on the role of Senior Winemaker for the HALL Family of Wines. As she continues her central role in crafting the HALL collection, she has added WALT Pinot Noir to her personal portfolio as Head Winemaker.

When she’s not making wine, Alison can be found fermenting everything from kombucha to kimchi, sketching in the studio, and remodeling the Howell Mountain home she shares with her husband Bruce, a landscape designer and artist.

After eight years managing restaurants including three years at San Francisco-based Morton’s Steakhouse, Jeff Zappelli joined HALL Wines in 2006, helping define one of the most successful Direct to Consumer industry efforts in the Napa Valley. In 2012, with the 2010 vintage, Craig and Kathryn Walt Hall unveiled a long sought-after project –a Pinot Noir and Chardonnay label under WALT which expanded Zappelli’s role to both HALL and WALT brands.

In 2016, Zappelli was appointed General Manager of WALT, making him responsible for the day-to-day operations and strategic planning for the Sonoma-based brand. Zappelli is an active speaker throughout the Bay Area, participating in conversations and panels related to direct-to-consumer trends, wine industry technology, sales as a science, CRM and direct marketing campaign strategies.

Born in Seattle, WA, he attended the University of California Santa Barbara and earned a Bachelor’s of Science in Biopsychology. He currently resides in Marin County with his wife, Veronika, and their three children.

Jennifer Brown is the Vintner of BACA Wines, a modern wine brand focused on heritage vineyards, by the makers of HALL & WALT Wines. Jennifer leads marketing, operations and sales for the recently launched luxury wine brand based in Healdsburg, California. Prior to working at HALL, WALT and BACA Wines, Jennifer was the founder of Omghow/Girl Karma Inc., a social platform and positive destination for teen girls. Jennifer grew up in the wine industry and is the daughter of Vintner Kathryn Walt Hall. Some of her fondest childhood memories are skipping through her family’s Zinfandel vineyards in Redwood Valley with her brother.

Jennifer earned her Bachelor of Arts degree at Northwestern University and went on to receive both a Master’s in Business Administration and a Law Degree from Stanford University. Jennifer is fluent in German, which she learned when her mother served as Ambassador to Austria. She is an avid hiker and yoga enthusiast, incorporating wellness and healthy living as a core part of her personal and professional regimen. In her free time, she loves to travel, explore new experiences, and spend time with family and friends. Jennifer resides in San Francisco with her husband, Eric Brown, and their three daughters. 

As the Vice President of Marketing and Direct Sales, Emily is responsible for the creation and execution of the HALL Family Wines strategic vision, curating the customer journey for consumers through all touch points. Emily manages the Membership, Marketing, Public Relations, E-commerce, and Shipping departments across the HALL, WALT, and BACA brands. In her role, she works in many capacities from developing omnichannel marketing campaigns to optimizing wine club operations and everything in between.  With over 15 years of marketing and operations experience, Emily utilizes her digital strategy background to develop and execute meaningful direct-to-consumer strategies.

Before joining HALL Family Wines in 2015, Emily worked in digital marketing at various advertising agencies where she developed campaigns for global and national brands across the wine & spirits, tech, consumer packaged goods, finance, and automotive industries. Emily holds a Bachelor of Arts in Advertising from the Academy of Art in San Francisco. In addition to her role with HALL Family Wines, she works closely with NEWS, a non-profit organization in Napa that provides domestic violence & sexual abuse services. She began this important work in 2018 and has served as a NEWS board member since 2021. She resides with her husband, two children, and four dogs in Napa Valley, California.

Hospitality veteran, David Eriksen, embarked on his wine journey immediately following college by managing events and tasting room operations for Mirassou Vineyards, one of America’s oldest winemaking families in California. With over two decades of hospitality management experience, including selling wine in luxury resorts, wine bars and cruise ships, David found his way back to his roots in Napa Valley and with focusing on family-owned winery operations. David was hired by HALL Wines in 2021 as Vice President of Hospitality, overseeing operations for three distinct wine brands and managing five tasting room locations in Napa and Sonoma Counties. Additionally, he is actively involved in expansion plans, working towards the opening of a sixth tasting room destination in downtown Palm Springs.

Armed with a degree in Public Relations and an Executive MBA in Wine Business from Sonoma State University, David’s expertise goes beyond the operational realm. He has also contributed to the field of education by developing curriculum and teaching courses in Hospitality Management and Wine Appreciation at institutions such as The Professional Culinary Institute, Monterey Peninsula College, and San Jose State University. Dave resides in Napa Valley, CA, with his wife Jenny, where he additionally sits on the Board of Directors for Community Action of Napa Valley that runs the regional food bank and other community assistance programs. 

Matt hails from the heart of Northeast Ohio, known for its steel and automotive manufacturing. His professional career started at ATD Corporation in 1993, where Matt rose from Associate Buyer to Director of Purchasing, Shipping, and Materials in two years. He played a key role in establishing a 10-acre under-roof manufacturing facility at age 25. Matt joined QAD in 1998, serving as Senior Project Manager before roles in Corporate Project Management and Marketing Operations. In 2006, Matt joined HALL Financial Group as Vice President of Acquisitions and Dispositions, holding various Vice President roles within HALL Group, Structured Finance and HALL Family Wines. His responsibilities include development, asset management, shipping and modern art placement at the various HALL properties.

Matt’s commitment to excellence is evident through certifications, including Certified Purchasing Manager (NAPM, 1995) and Institute of Supply Management (ISM, 2000). Additionally, Matt became a licensed California BRE agent in 2004 and a California DRE Broker in 2006. Matt earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and earned his Master of Business Administration from University of California, Irvine with a focus on both Price Theory and Finance. Matt’s personal interests include BMX racing, interior design and home improvement, investing and hiking. He resides in St. Helena, with his wife Anna and their two children.