characteristics associated with wines produced in the higher elevation Diamond Mountain AVA. In the 2004 book by Matt Kramer, New California Wine: Understanding the Napa Valley, Sonoma, Central Coast and Beyond, the Wine Spectator columnist credited the Dyers with creating "great cabernets" produced in "minute" but "superb quality". Dawnine and Bill Dyer have been the winemakers for Sodaro Estate Winery in Napa since its inception. In 2005, the Dyers partnered with former America Online Inc. Chairman and Chief Executive Barry Schuler and his wife, Tracy Strong Schuler, to create a cabernet sauvignon blend, branded Meteor Vineyard, made from grapes grown on the Schulers' vineyard in the Napa Valley’s Coombsville region. The hilltop vineyard, which previously sold its grapes to acclaimed Napa Valley labels including Dyer, Lail, Favia, Arietta, Etude and Vineyard 29, bottled its first vintage under the Meteor label in 2005, with a release date of February 2008. In the September 2007 issue of Decanter, U.K. wine authority Steven Spurrier commended the Meteor team, including Dyer, for its 2005 vintage after sampling the wine at a recent barrel auction. In an article, he described the blend as having "smooth, spicy fruit” and "plush tannins”. Spurrier organized the Paris Wine Tasting of 1976 in which French and California wines were tasted side-by-side in the first serious competition between the two countries. During her career, Dyer has served as president of the Napa Valley Vintners Association (NVV) and president of Napa Valley Wine Technical Group, and was a member of the founding board of Women for WineSense, a national 12-chapter association founded in 1990. Through her work with the NVV, she has become a recognized voice for the importance of Geographic Indications and Appellations of Origin to the Napa Valley and has been invited to speak on the issue in Geneva, Beijing, Lima, and Bordeaux. She lectures for the annual Wine Industry Executive program at the UC Davis Graduate School of Management and sits on the board of directors for Frog's Leap Winery. She is also a judge for several professional wine competitions, including the U.S.-based National Women's Wine Competition. The Dyers have been married since 1981. The couple lives full-time on their Diamond Mountain estate. Their wine properties are held by the limited liability company, Dyer Straits Wine Co. References External links Domaine Chandon Dyer Straits Wine Co. Meteor Vineyard American drink industry businesspeople Wine merchants American winemakers 1950 births