March 20, 2026

Wine People Close Up with Ancient Peaks’ co-owner Doug Filipponi

This week, my Wine People Close Up video features Ancient Peaks’ co-owner Doug Filipponi. The winery is in the tiny Santa Margarita appellation within Paso Robles, and the vineyards cover what was once an ancient inland seabed 14 million years ago. There are fossilized oyster shells in the soil to prove it. You’ve got to see this.

—Karen

A. The medieval French word for a small village, similar to the Old English “burg” 

B. A nomadic German tribe which once settled in the area

C. The Latin word Burgarius which was the name for a Roman province that once extended over most of central France

D. The name for early French rural governing bodies which were made up of noble councilmen who were known as Burrs