STEREOGRAPH: How Two Perspectives Become One Vision, with Sally Johnson Blum and Max Blum

Podcast EpisodesWine EducationWine Industrywine tipsWine TastingNapa ValleyWine Spotlights

Aug 4

Written By Nicole Lamberti

Episode Notes:

A rock star Napa Valley winemaker, her marketer-musician husband, and four wines that gave us actual goosebumps

We're heading into the earliest harvest in 40 years here in Sonoma County, which means the Sangiovese and Grenache are about to hit the crush pad any day now. But before we get swept into harvest season, Michael and I got to sit down with two of our favorite people in wine: Sally Johnson Blum and Max, the husband-and-wife team behind Stereograph Wines.

If the name Sally Johnson Blum sounds familiar, it should. She's one of Napa Valley's most celebrated winemakers, with nearly 30 vintages and multiple 100-point scores to her name. I met Sally almost 15 years ago when she was the winemaker at Pride Mountain Vineyards, where I was working the tasting room and quietly dreaming about making my own wine one day. She's been an inspiration and mentor to me ever since, and she's been on the podcast more times than I can count — including one of our very first episodes.

Today, Sally is still winemaking for other producers, is the winemaker at Tamber Bay Winery in Calistoga, and somehow, in whatever time is left over, makes her own wines with Max under the Stereograph label. Max brings a totally different toolkit: he co-founded a successful wine industry marketing agency, designs every one of Stereograph's labels himself, and yes, can absolutely shred on a guitar.

This was the first time the four of us — Sally, Max, Michael and me — sat down together to record, and it did not disappoint. We tasted four of their wines, talked through the real story of how the brand got its name, and Michael may or may not have gotten actual wine goosebumps on mic.

From Someone Else's Winemaker to Her Own Thing

Sally still makes wine for other clients, and she's honest that it requires a different headspace than making her own. "When someone is paying me to craft their wines, I'm going to make absolutely sure that I create the wine that they are looking for," she told us. "Whereas with Stereograph, Max and I really work together, and I think the wines reflect both of us very well."

That creative freedom shows. For a small brand, Stereograph has an ambitious seven-wine portfolio — plus, as Max let slip, one "secret handshake" wine that's entirely off the books.

What "Stereograph" Actually Means

We'd been teasing this on the podcast for a while, so we finally got the full story. A stereograph is a piece of 1840s photography technology — two nearly identical photos, taken from slightly different angles and mounted side by side, that create a 3D illusion when viewed through a special lens called a stereoscope. Think of it as the great-great-grandfather of the View-Master.

Max's father was an antique dealer who collected these cards, and Max inherited the collection. But the name stuck for a deeper reason too: "We sort of look at ourselves as a stereo image of each other," Max explained. "Right and left brain, if you will."

Sally put it even more simply: two perspectives, one vision. Max handles the visuals and aesthetics; Sally handles the wine. Their other guiding phrase — the one printed right on their website — is authentic independent Napa Valley. As Max explained it, authentic means every decision is theirs, made with total vulnerability, and independent means doing it their own way, outside the larger corporate wine establishment. "We need small, family-owned and independent projects," he said. "We need more of them."

The Sip Spotlight: Four Wines, Four Stories

Old Vine Chenin Blanc — Henry Ranch, Napa Valley (1947 planting)

We started as far from a typical Napa Cab as you can get: an old-vine Chenin Blanc from the oldest Chenin vineyard in the Napa Valley, planted in 1947 — the same year as Sally's mother's birth. The vineyard, Henry Ranch in Angwin, is owned by Sally's friend Josh Anstey, who initially told her flatly there wasn't a single grape available. Sally kept at it, and months later Josh called out of the blue to offer her the fruit — not knowing Sally's mom was, at that very moment, going through her first cancer infusion. "It just felt really meant to be," Sally said.

The wine is partially fermented in a 66-gallon ceramic globe (a birthday gift Sally bought herself for her 50th), which gives it a gorgeous, mouth-coating texture and lets the floral top notes shine. Michael's read: bright stone fruit, peach, and floral notes, with a viscosity closer to Viognier than Sauvignon Blanc — the kind of wine that would be incredible with oysters.

Fiano — Rutherford, Napa Valley

Next up was something almost nobody in Napa Valley is making: Fiano, an ancient Italian grape that's still a beloved table wine back in Italy but nearly unheard of here. Sally sources it from a genuinely clever vineyard setup — white grapes planted underneath Cabernet Sauvignon vines in a "bunk bed" trellising system, giving the whites shade and protection while stressing the Cab into higher quality fruit.

The result is lighter and crisper than the Chenin, with notes of apricot, beeswax, and honey. Max's label design leans into the grape's ancient roots with a bold, playful gargoyle — deliberately irreverent rather than stuffy.

2024 Cabernet Franc — Blackbird Vineyard, Oak Knoll

This is the wine that got Michael. Sourced from the Blackbird Vineyard in Oak Knoll and made without decanting, it delivered grapefruit brightness, real acidity, soft tannins, and — according to Michael, mid-recording, hand over his heart — actual goosebumps. Max called Cab Franc his "spirit animal" and said he did metaphorical cartwheels when Sally told him she was making one. The label features a 3,000-year-old bronze horse figurine from Max's own antique collection.

Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

We closed with the wine that's meant to prove Napa Cab doesn't have to be a $125 splurge — the current average price, by the way, per a stat I'd just read. Stereograph's Napa Cab comes in at $80 and is built to be approachable now, not five years from now. "A lot of Napa Cab is made in a very serious style," Sally said, doing full air quotes on "serious." "We're trying to make a wine that's just really, really tasty."

Wines & Pricing

Fiano — $45
Semillon — $45
Old Vine Chenin Blanc — $60
Napa Valley Cabernet — $80
X2 Red Blend — $100
Oakville Cabernet (single vineyard) — $140

Stereograph is producing around 475 total cases across the portfolio and is already nearly sold out of their debut vintage.

How to Get Stereograph Wines

Stereograph's 2024 Napa Valley Cabernet and 2024 Cabernet Franc release on August 12th. Head to their website and join the mailing list to get your invitation to purchase. They're also currently offering free ground shipping and $40 off FedEx overnight shipping — both automatically applied at checkout.

Want to taste in person? Stereograph does by-appointment tastings at Tamber Bay Winery, a working horse ranch in Calistoga.

Sally and Max are also parents of two teenagers who are heading into their own harvest season right now, which makes it even more impressive that they carved out the time to sit down with us. Huge congratulations to them on building something this good, this fast, as a husband-and-wife team.

As always, you can find Michael's and my wines at sollevatowines.com — our 2023 Grenache and Sangiovese are available now and ship to most states. Use code PODLISTENER for 10% off. Wish us luck as we kick off the 2026 harvest, and until next time — sip well.One More Thing: The Tasting Room Is Open

As of this week, The Tasting Room — my wine tasting membership community — has officially launched. This has been in my heart for a long time: a place where you can literally sip with me, with wines from around the world shipped to your door through a partnership with Vinebox.

I've been talking about this for a long time, and I'm finally doing it. I'm launching a virtual tasting room membership— and I want your input before it goes live this summer.

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What excites me most about this isn't just the wine — it's the community. After 100+ episodes of podcasting, I love what I do, but it's a one-way conversation. The tasting room means I get to see you, hear your questions, answer them in real time, and watch you discover a wine you've never tried before. That's the whole point.

Membership will include the curated tasting kits, access to our live virtual sessions, and other perks and resources I'm building in to help you develop your palate, get out of your comfort zone, and explore wine regions you might never have tried on your own.

An Exciting Offer for The Tasting Room Founding Members

Here's the news I'm thrilled to share: Gökhan is gifting one free year of SOMMO Premium (a $30 value) to every founding member of Sip with Nikki: The Tasting Room.

That means when you join the membership, you get the tasting kits, the live virtual tastings with me, the private community — and a full year of SOMMO Premium already unlocked so you can track every wine we taste together, build your palate profile, and explore on your own in between our sessions.

The timing of Gökhan finding me — right as I was about to launch — felt like the universe sending me exactly what I needed. I'm so grateful, and I can't wait for you to experience it.