16 Oct Shared Notes: From Wine to Coffee

A few years ago, I was in Sonoma and met with winemakers Bibiana González Rave and Jeff Pisoni. Over sushi, they told me about their joint project, Shared Notes, a collaboration between the two accomplished winemakers and partners in life. It was a story of harmony, respect, and balance, expressed through elegant Sauvignon Blanc and inspired by the wines of Bordeaux’s Graves region.

This week, I found myself again across the table from Bibiana, once more over sushi. This time at Sushi Tomoki in Los Angeles. It felt like a reunion. In her hands, she carried a bottle of the latest vintage, the 2024 Les Leçons des Maîtres (Lessons of the Masters), a blend of Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon.

As she poured, the wine shimmered pale gold in the glass. The first sip revealed bright acidity and precise citrus notes, underpinned by a minerality that brought to mind seashells and sea breeze. Despite being aged in 100% new oak, the wood was invisible, integrated seamlessly, adding quiet structure and grace rather than weight. The Semillon contributed texture and depth, rounding out the edges of the Sauvignon Blanc’s linear profile.

The wine was a perfect partner to our omakase. With each course, delicate sashimi, pristine nigiri, and a few pieces with spice, the Les Leçons des Maîtres revealed new dimensions. The acidity lifted the pure, clean flavors of the fish, while the minerality emerged more distinctly when a touch of spice came into play. It was one of those pairings that feels effortless, as though the wine and food had been composed together. I enjoyed the wine from the first course to the last, each sip as captivating as the one before.

Bibiana said something to me that lingered. “Food is love. Wine is love.” Our shared meal was a beautiful representation with the meticulous cuts of fish to the elegance, clarity and preciseness of the wine.

As we conversed over lunch, Bibiana told me how she has always dreamed about having a farm in Colombia, her homeland. While owning land is still a dream, she has already found a new way to connect to her roots, through coffee.

Shared Notes has always been a joint-venture in winemaking. With Shared Notes Coffee, they desire to share the same passion for coffee as they have for wine. The freshly roasted coffee beans come from selected, high elevation farms in Colombia. The coffee is fermented and dried in Colombia and then she and Jeff work directly with the green beans that are roasted on demand at the winery.

That connection between wine and coffee is unmistakable. Both wine and coffee begin with fruit grown in a specific place, each expressing terroir, craft, and time. Both depend on fermentation to shape aroma and flavor. Bibiana describes the process with the same spark she brings to winemaking, explaining how the pulp of the coffee cherry must be fermented or dried to release the beans, a step that resonates deeply with her understanding of fermentation in wine. The sensory details of smell and taste are just as important in coffee as in wine.

Bibiana sent me home with a bag of single origin 100% Colombian coffee from the grower Don Victor located in Jerico, Antioguia. The coffee varieties are Dos Mil, Caturra, Castillo. My bag was a dark roast of whole beans which had been roasted just three weeks earlier. I put the whole beans in my grinder to make espresso.

I ground the beans and made my espresso. The espresso mirrored the precision of her wines: bright yet balanced, with lively acidity and layered texture. The expressive and elegant coffee offered notes of lemon zest, orange blossoms, and cacao nibs. On the palate, the espresso was smooth.

As I sipped my coffee, I thought about how, from the Sauvignon Blanc to the Colombian coffee, I could feel Bibiana’s passion. Both are sensory expressions, shaped by science and intuition, and both invite savoring and enjoyment.

Shared Notes offers both wine and coffee and the bottom of the coffee bag summed it up perfectly: “Coffee in the morning, wine in the evening. Don’t mix them up.” Both linger long after the last sip, each in its own moment. Both are true expressions of her philosophy food is love, wine is love, and also, coffee is love.

If you would like to try the Shared Notes coffee, you can order it at Shared Notes Wine Shop. You can pick if you want a light or dark roast and if you want whole bean or a particular grind. They also offer a coffee subscription.