EP 563 Randall Grahm of Bonny Doon Visits the Thunder Show – Part I

In the first 2-part interview in WLTV history, Gary Vaynerchuk chats and tastes with Bonny Doon’s Randall Grahm.

Having trouble viewing this video? Try the Quicktime version.

Wines tasted in this episode:

2007 Ca Del Solo Albarino
2004 Le Cigare Volant

Latest Comment:

View More

AMS

Classic East coast vs West coast personality contrasts: Mile-a-minute, raw, in-your-face, call ’em like I see ’em, no “holes” barred, “you tawkin to me?!?” take no prisoners “bubble yum gum paintball shot” vs calm, pensive, overeducated, painfully thought out, esoteric, eccentric (kooky), mellow, wet stones/minerality treehugger California. Not to say that one is better than the other, just observations.

Tags: california, Randall Grahm, red, review, Video, white, wine, wines

Episodes >


  • Wowwwww, a legend on the Thunder Show!

    I’ll be right back to watch.

  • Best show ever!

    Best guest ever!

  • Best show ever!

    Best guest ever!

  • Paryb

    Wooooowwwwwwww Talk about an education. Gary this is a spectacular show I CAN’T WAIT for tomorrow. I’ve never seen a guest really give you a true run for it before bro, but Randall, oh man he worked it out baby.

  • Paryb

    Wooooowwwwwwww Talk about an education. Gary this is a spectacular show I CAN’T WAIT for tomorrow. I’ve never seen a guest really give you a true run for it before bro, but Randall, oh man he worked it out baby.

  • Cuse Wino

    Very cool episode. Could listen to
    you guys talk about wine for a half hour, or even more.
    Can’t wait for tomorrows episode

  • Cuse Wino

    Very cool episode. Could listen to
    you guys talk about wine for a half hour, or even more.
    Can’t wait for tomorrows episode

  • Gary scores!

    Can’t wait to get off work and start watching two of the biggest personalities in the industry!

  • Gary scores!

    Can’t wait to get off work and start watching two of the biggest personalities in the industry!

  • SurfCityJay

    Awesome so far…

    You need to do an episode(s) like this maybe once a month… get a real engaging wine expert and it’s the BOMB!

    Le Cigare… in to the Pound! What a STORY (we all know the French are a LITTLE off!)…

    Can’t wait for Part 2 tomorrow… I bet he has an unreal QOTD…

  • SurfCityJay

    Awesome so far…

    You need to do an episode(s) like this maybe once a month… get a real engaging wine expert and it’s the BOMB!

    Le Cigare… in to the Pound! What a STORY (we all know the French are a LITTLE off!)…

    Can’t wait for Part 2 tomorrow… I bet he has an unreal QOTD…

  • Looking forward to the finale.

    I have a bottle of the Volant somewhere I need to try. Hope it’s not a ’98!

  • elron

    Didn’t watch the episode but am a fan of Bonny Doon wines and Randall Graham. Will watch when I have more time and I am sure I will enjoy the show.

  • Looking forward to the finale.

    I have a bottle of the Volant somewhere I need to try. Hope it’s not a ’98!

  • elron

    Didn’t watch the episode but am a fan of Bonny Doon wines and Randall Graham. Will watch when I have more time and I am sure I will enjoy the show.

  • Kevin K

    I have to admit that I usually do not like the guest episodes. That being said, Randall Grahm is such an interesting character that I could have easily watched another 30 minutes. The only other guest show that I wanted to see more of was “Wine David” from Woot.

  • Kevin K

    I have to admit that I usually do not like the guest episodes. That being said, Randall Grahm is such an interesting character that I could have easily watched another 30 minutes. The only other guest show that I wanted to see more of was “Wine David” from Woot.

  • Leftcoast

    It was nice to see Randall admit his errors in self marketing. He is definitely a top ten wine “character”- aka goofball but his wines have been so crappy for so long serious wine people lost interest.

  • Leftcoast

    It was nice to see Randall admit his errors in self marketing. He is definitely a top ten wine “character”- aka goofball but his wines have been so crappy for so long serious wine people lost interest.

  • sam

    Rad!

    I love wine nerds! (Well, enjoy them much.)Randall is a very cool and calm, yet passionate and intriguing character. He is both entertaining and instructive. Having visitors with first-hand knowledge is educational and fun.

    Great show…looking forward to the second half of the show.

    See y’all tomorrow.

  • sam

    Rad!

    I love wine nerds! (Well, enjoy them much.)Randall is a very cool and calm, yet passionate and intriguing character. He is both entertaining and instructive. Having visitors with first-hand knowledge is educational and fun.

    Great show…looking forward to the second half of the show.

    See y’all tomorrow.

  • Urbwes

    I love that Randall Graham was on the show. You had some great things to talk about. Candidly ,Gary, I think you cut him off a few too many times when he was going to say something. This has been a slight problem with other guests as well, but I noticed it more this time (I think it happened every couple of minutes). Please try to slow things down. Let the guest make their point or else it is hard for the viewer to follow and seems, frankly, quite rude (especially when the guest is a legend in the wine world). You also put the bottle in front of his face which was slightly thoughtless (as in you didn’t notice you did it).

    All that said, I still love the show and will continue to watch, but please try to allow the guest to make their point. Or else why even have the guest at all?

  • Urbwes

    I love that Randall Graham was on the show. You had some great things to talk about. Candidly ,Gary, I think you cut him off a few too many times when he was going to say something. This has been a slight problem with other guests as well, but I noticed it more this time (I think it happened every couple of minutes). Please try to slow things down. Let the guest make their point or else it is hard for the viewer to follow and seems, frankly, quite rude (especially when the guest is a legend in the wine world). You also put the bottle in front of his face which was slightly thoughtless (as in you didn’t notice you did it).

    All that said, I still love the show and will continue to watch, but please try to allow the guest to make their point. Or else why even have the guest at all?

  • Pierre

    very nice, thanks fr the show

  • Pierre

    very nice, thanks fr the show

  • …No question of the day! : O
    You ruined Christmas!
    Only jokin’ Gary, you didn’t ruin Christmas : P
    Great show!

  • …No question of the day! : O
    You ruined Christmas!
    Only jokin’ Gary, you didn’t ruin Christmas : P
    Great show!

  • Bill

    Great show, great guest. Tell me, did Randall Grahm light up at any point during the visit? 🙂

  • Bill

    Great show, great guest. Tell me, did Randall Grahm light up at any point during the visit? 🙂

  • This was a 99 + point show my man!

    Superb.
    Super.
    Scintillating.

    Mark Fitzpatrick

  • This was a 99 + point show my man!

    Superb.
    Super.
    Scintillating.

    Mark Fitzpatrick

  • Maggie J

    Great episode, I almost wanted to take notes. It is good to have a little introvert mellowness to balance out the vayner-craziness.

  • Maggie J

    Great episode, I almost wanted to take notes. It is good to have a little introvert mellowness to balance out the vayner-craziness.

  • Chris

    This was such a great episode I can’t wait till tomorrows finish. It’s like the best of both worlds. The multi-wine reviews that I like but with a ton of information like yesterday’s single wine show. Seriously, best show yet.

  • Chris

    This was such a great episode I can’t wait till tomorrows finish. It’s like the best of both worlds. The multi-wine reviews that I like but with a ton of information like yesterday’s single wine show. Seriously, best show yet.

  • Great episode, love the slow casual conversation. I’ve tried a few RG wines, will have to find some of the others here.

  • Great episode, love the slow casual conversation. I’ve tried a few RG wines, will have to find some of the others here.

  • Tom

    I worked for Randall in the late 80s. He is a genius and a very generous and kind soul.

    My Randall story……Randall gave a bunch of wine to the Clinton campaign in California. When Clinton won the presidential election, the head of the California campaign called and told Randall he would present the Clintons with a bottle of wine from Bonny Doon if he wanted to sent something over. Randall took a bottle of Vin de Glaciere and signed it ? ?Bill, I trust you will like this wine so much you will virtually inhale it! Randall? ? true story as I was the trafficker of the bottle of wine. Hillary Clinton served that wine at every state dinner.

  • Tom

    I worked for Randall in the late 80s. He is a genius and a very generous and kind soul.

    My Randall story……Randall gave a bunch of wine to the Clinton campaign in California. When Clinton won the presidential election, the head of the California campaign called and told Randall he would present the Clintons with a bottle of wine from Bonny Doon if he wanted to sent something over. Randall took a bottle of Vin de Glaciere and signed it ? ?Bill, I trust you will like this wine so much you will virtually inhale it! Randall? ? true story as I was the trafficker of the bottle of wine. Hillary Clinton served that wine at every state dinner.

  • brorjace

    An excellent beginning to a 2 part epic! I love Randall Graham, and watching him talk makes me love him even more. What an eloquent crazy dude. Can’t wait till tomorrow!

  • brorjace

    An excellent beginning to a 2 part epic! I love Randall Graham, and watching him talk makes me love him even more. What an eloquent crazy dude. Can’t wait till tomorrow!

  • joe

    19:28 i actually said to myself, “uh oh gary’s diggin deep” lol
    that was awsome, i loved that move lol

  • joe

    19:28 i actually said to myself, “uh oh gary’s diggin deep” lol
    that was awsome, i loved that move lol

  • bygdawg1996

    WOW Awesome episode!
    I love the information that is weaved throughout the whole episode. This is what it is all about the interaction between two professionals. There is great peer to peer interaction and discussion. Gary and Randall’s personalities perfect compliment and balance each other out so that the viewer is not blown away with intensity and not lost in the details of the discussion. I will have to watch this again to make sure i did not miss anything.

    This would be a HALL OF FAME episode

    Thanks Gary Job Well Done!!

  • bygdawg1996

    WOW Awesome episode!
    I love the information that is weaved throughout the whole episode. This is what it is all about the interaction between two professionals. There is great peer to peer interaction and discussion. Gary and Randall’s personalities perfect compliment and balance each other out so that the viewer is not blown away with intensity and not lost in the details of the discussion. I will have to watch this again to make sure i did not miss anything.

    This would be a HALL OF FAME episode

    Thanks Gary Job Well Done!!

  • Honesty to the core. This is what it’s all about. I’m definately watching tomorrow.

  • Honesty to the core. This is what it’s all about. I’m definately watching tomorrow.

  • BW

    Great episode; Episodes with guests are my favorites.
    Looking fwd to part 2 tomorrow

  • BW

    Great episode; Episodes with guests are my favorites.
    Looking fwd to part 2 tomorrow

  • Susan

    Uh oh, Vayniacs, Gary is thinking………..We are in DEEP trouble!!!!!! LOL!!!!!!!!!!! 🙂

Close

Not Subscribed to WLTV yet?

Never miss an episode and get notifications on the hottest wine deals!

No thanks.