Williams Selyem Winery began when Ed Selyem and Burt Williams started making wine as a hobby in 1979 in Forestville, California. Their first commercial release was in 1981, and in less than two decades they created a cult-status winery of international acclaim. Setting a new standard for Pinot Noir winemaking, they put Sonoma County’s Russian River Valley at the forefront…
Quivira Vineyards is a leading producer of Zinfandel, Sauvignon Blanc and Rhône varieties, built upon intentional winegrowing and a thoughtful commitment to biodynamic standards and organic farming. Quivira was founded in 1981 by Holly and Henry Wendt, who were drawn to Dry Creek Valley’s unspoiled rural character and rich wine history. In 2006, Pete and Terri Kight purchased Quivira from the…
Zinfandel of the Month is a regular feature on Zinfandel Chronicles. Keep in mind that although the Zinfandel of the Month might be an older bottle, the current vintage will be one you can find at retail or via the mailing list. The April Zinfandel of the Month is the 2014 Limerick 1023. I chose the 1023 quite simply because…
Bruce Patch cut his teeth in the music industry — having once met the Beatles and helped to discover the famous 80’s band, The Cars. Bruce moved to the Russian River Valley in the late 1990’s, and transitioned his sales and marketing background into a successful distribution business representing small independent wineries in Sonoma County. Bruce Patch Wines sources grapes from throughout Sonoma County, including…
Ravenswood was founded in 1976 by Joel Peterson. The winery is a pioneer in producing single vineyard Zinfandels from some of Napa and Sonoma’s most treasured vineyards, including Dickerson, Old Hill, Cooke and Belloni. I used to visit Ravenswood in the summer, when they released their single vineyard wines. Back in the day they also served delicious barbecue on the deck out…
In 1959, the Trentadue family purchased 208 acres of land in Sonoma County’s then remote Alexander Valley. Trentadue Winery was founded in 1969 and currently makes a vast array of wines. Miro Tcholakov is theVice President of Winemaking Operations. The 2016 OPR Red is predominately Zinfandel blended with Petite Sirah and Carignane from a vineyard that dates back to 1896.…
Bedrock Wine Co. was founded by Morgan Twain-Peterson in 2007 and focuses on small production wines from many of California’ s most treasured and historic vineyards. The lineup of wines at Bedrock is expanding rapidly, but I think the best of the best are the ancient vineyard Zinfandels and Field Blends, Morgan is clearly passionate about. Evangelho Vineyard is in…
Carol Shelton Wines was founded in 2000 and is based out of an industrial park in the city of Santa Rosa. Prior to founding her own label Carol was the Winemaker and Windsor Vineyards for 19 years. Carol Shelton Wines has a focus on the Zinfandel variety. Dark crimson in color. 14.5% ABV. Ripe red and black fruits, baking spices…
Dry Creek Vineyard was founded in 1972 by David S. Stare. Kim Stare Wallace now runs the winery and Tim Bell is the winemaker. Dry Creek Vineyard makes a wide array of wines but is certainly best know for it’s Zinfandel program. Violet in color. 14.8% ABV. 77% Zinfandel, 21% Petite Sirah and 2% Carignane. Gorgeous, perfumed nose of brambly…
Turley Wine Cellars was founded in 1993 by Larry Turley and specializes in small lots of Zinfandel and Petite Sirah from some of California’s most historic and treasured vineyards. Turley now makes right around 50 separate wines from 47 different vineyards, some with vines that date back to the late 1800’s. Tegan Passalacqua is the Director of Winemaking at Turley and…