About Us

John Lawson, Sr. (far left next to his wife Renee), CEO of Platinum Wine Selections, has been involved in the wine industry for more than 50 years. Renee is President of Platinum Wine Selections and has been involved in the wine industry for over 40 years. Some of their family (shown above) have been part of the Napa Valley wine industry for three generations.   

John's previous father-in-law was Vice President of Nestle™ Corporation when they purchased the famed Beringer™ Winery in the late 1960s and became Beringer's first President, blazing the path for future generations. John Jr. (third from left) formerly the Assistant Food and Beverage Manager of private dining at Auberge du Soleil, the famed resort in Napa Valley,and now a broker for Johns-Manville. His wife Katie (fourth from left), is the manager of at Del Dotto™ Vineyards Estate in St. Helena. Renee's son, Jay (far right), owns his own wine brokerage business, Jay Wesley Selections. Their daughter Brooke,(second from right), and her partner, Brent (not pictured), own a business, Bud& Belief, that is involved in development and relationship marketing for luxury-driven, small production wineries.  

Over the last 30 years, John's son Rob (third from the right) was CEO of J. Fritz™ Winery and the Napa Wine Company™. In 1998, Rob founded Pavi™ Wines together with his wife Pavi (fourth from right) and in 2005 founded Robert Lawson Consulting. Pavi is a Real Estate Broker Engel & Volkers, Napa Valley, in St. Helena.  

John Lawson Sr. has held senior management positions with internationally recognized houses including Robert Mondavi™, Champagne Louis Roederer™, and Trefethen™ Vineyards. He has owned vineyards in Napa Valley, and was the first to plant vineyards in the Jamieson Canyon area of the valley. These vineyards sold grapes to Mondavi, Mumm™, Duckhorn™, and Acacia™, to name a few. John and Renee started their Direct to Consumer Wine business 9 years ago.  

When John Lawson Sr. joined Robert Mondavi in 1972, there were fewer than 30 brands in the Napa Valley and, at the same time, there were more than 20 full-line distributors in Northern California. At present, there are more than 2,700 Napa Valley brands, 1,500 Sonoma brands, 650 Central Coast brands, not to mention a multitude of other West Coast and imported brands.  

Currently, there are only two full-line distributors left in Northern California. This consolidation at the middle tier of the three-tier system has taken place throughout the country. It is extremely difficult and expensive for smaller premium producers to get their wines to consumers. It is the mission of Platinum Wine Selections to find the "Best of the Best" premium limited production wines and present those wines to our clients in daily email offerings. 

All wines offered through Platinum Wine Selections have met the strict criteria of excellence demonstrated throughout John's illustrious career in the wine industry.