Stanislaus County
Alicante Bouschet

With a desire to move from town to country, Sam and Carla Travaille purchased Dutchman Vineyard in 2015 from their cousins Dirk & Tanya Heuvel. The 5-acre vineyard is located right between where Sam and Carla grew up in Ripon. Both Sam and Carla have a long family history in the area — Sam’s family has been farming just down the road since 1933.Making the switch from almonds to vines has been an exciting new adventure and a great way to intertwine their love of farming and wine.

Amador County
Zinfandel, Barbera, Petite Sirah and Sangiovese

In 1985 Jim and Sue Fox purchased the Massoni Ranch from Montevina. In doing so they acquired sixty acres of old vine Zinfandel. Over the years they have diversified and now offer Sangiovese, Barbera and Petite Sirah. I am not the only winery to discover their produce and many of our neighbors also offer wines produced from fruit grown on the Massoni Ranch

El Dorado County
Charbono, Alicante Bouchet, Malbec

Located just a few miles north of us and a bit higher in elevation, Steve and Liz Ryan bought John Smith’s Oakstone Vineyard and continue to grow an array of different varieties. They shared John’s sense of adventure when it comes to exploring new flavors and grape varieties. I am thankful that they are willing to share their efforts with me. We tried Charbono in 2010 and Alicante Bouchet in 2012 and now make a Malbec as well.

Paso Robles
Syrah, Grenache, Graciano, Cabernet Sauvignon

During my tenure at J. Lohr, I had the pleasure of meeting and getting to know Steve Carter, the vineyard manager of J. Lohr. Steve purchase a new property of his own and started growing Syrah, Grenache, Graciano and Cabernet Sauvignon for us. It is not uncommon for Paso Robles to see fifty degree swings in temperatures during the fall while the grapes are ripening. These cool nights are what differentiate Paso Robles from the interior valley locations such as Bakersfield and Fresno and allows Steve to provide deep fully pigmented fruit with loads of flavor. His vineyards are located on the west side of highway 101 off Staggs Leap road. I prefer this location because of the silky tannins and the less extracted character this region provides.

Lodi
Tempranillo, Graciano

The Liberty Oaks Tempranillo comes from a vineyard in the Jahant district of Lodi and the grower is Markus Bokisch. Markus spent his childhood summers in Catalonia, and after working at Joseph Phelps Winery in Napa, he and his wife, Liz, made a commitment to the Lodi appellation where he feels the soil and climate is especially well suited to Spanish varietals. Tempranillo is an early ripening variety that can have neutral characteristics and is often low in acidity. To add some zest, brightness, and to deepen the color of our offering, we blended in 19% of another Spanish variety, also from Markus; Graciano.

Amador County
Barbera, Zinfandel, Charbono

The story goes that at a dinner party some thirty plus years ago the Sacramento wine merchant, Darrell Corti, was asked by the Cooper Family if he knew of an Italian variety that he thought might be appropriate for Amador County. Darrell quickly replied Barbera. When it was clear that no one was familiar with the grape he offered to write it down for them. Impatient, Darrell removed a dollar bill from his wallet and wrote Barbera next to George Washington. And the rest is history. Both Jay Wilderotter and I have produced a Barbera from Dick’s vineyard that has gone on to win ‘Best of Show Red Wine’ honors at the California State Fair. The Barbera we produce from the Cooper Vineyard are consistently our most awarded wines. Dick and his crew deliver terrific fruit every year and we are delighted to have the opportunity to work with his fruit.

Amador County
Zinfandel and Primitivo

I met Tom over thirty years ago when I was the winemaker at Montevina and he was the vineyard manager. Together we planted a small experimental vineyard of Sangiovese and Nebbiolo on Tom’s ranch on Steiner Road. For almost a decade we had an arrangement; Tom grew the grapes, I made the wine and we split the resulting bounty. Later when I had started my small winery Tom approached me regarding Primitivo. He had the opportunity to plant some, but wanted to know that a winery would purchase the grapes. I said yes and he and his brother Bill have been my source of Primitivo ever since.

Alta Mesa, Lodi
Grenache, Touriga, Tannat, Souzao, Tempranillo, Trincadiera

Say what? Souzao?? What’s that? Sounds more like something you get from undercooked pork. But it is not. It is a Portuguese grape variety often used in the production of Port. Ron Silva is the king of Iberian Peninsula varietals. Of Portuguese decent he specializes in growing Spanish and Portuguese grapes in the Alta Mesa District of Lodi. We met when I was looking to produce a light picnic style red wine. I had visions of making the wine from Napa, Gamay or Valdigue, but after two disastrous attempts I threw in the towel. A fellow vintner, Thomas Coyne, of Livermore asked me if I had ever considered Grenache, and he put me in touch with Ron. Every year Ron convinces me to try another one of his grapes. We have been quite successful with Grenache and Touriga, another port variety, and have developed a following in the tasting room for some of the other varieties Ron has provided.

Amador County
Barbera, Charbono, and Dolcetto

Some years ago when we couldn’t get enough Barbera from the Dick Cooper Vineyard, Dick suggested that we try some fruit from the vineyard that he planted for a Danish gentleman, Jens Rask, the Ambra Vineyard. We did and have had success with the fruit. Dick no longer manages the vineyards and it has been leased to Josh Lyman and we continue to purchase the Barbera. Diane and David Logan have a small vineyard just off of the Fiddletown Road and they were gracious enough to graft a portion of their vineyard to both Dolcetto and Charbono. We crushed the first fruit from these vines last year and look forward to increased productivity from their endeavors. Josh Lyman is their vineyard manager.

Napa Valley
Cabernet Sauvignon

While I was the lead winemaker at McManis Family Vineyards, Ron McManis sold chardonnay grapes to the Hess Collection. As a result I got to know their grower liaison Chuck McDonald. One day I mentioned to him that I would like to try a couple of tons of Cabernet Sauvignon from the Napa Valley. Chuck had enjoyed my wines in the past and knew the style I liked to produce and since he was dialed in with the growers in the area I thought he might steer me in the right direction. He introduced me to Will Nord and Will introduced me to the Cabernet Sauvignon from the Rancho Sarco Vineyard. It is a small vineyard just north of Napa and south of Stags Leap the flavors are full and the tannins silky. We crush three tons a year and produce just over 150 cases each year.

Los Carneros, Napa Valley
Pinot Noir

Bob and I have known each other for close to thirty years. We first met when I was at Montevina. Bob and his young company, Innerstave, were developing barrel renewal systems and I liked their products. With time Innerstave became very successful and Bob and his wife Muriel purchased a small vineyard on Cuttings Wharf Road in Los Carneros and the southernmost tip of the Napa Valley. For years they supplied Chardonnay and Pinot Noir to Napa Mumm, but in 2000 with inventories backing up, Mumm decided they didn’t want Bob’s Pinot Noir. I still remember the phone call when Bob asked me if I was serious about trying to make Pinot Noir. Pinot Noir has a reputation of being very difficult to produce, but this has not been the case with the Sisters Vineyard fruit.

Amador County
Carignane

Planted just after the repeal of prohibition in the 1930s the Carignane from Joe’s vineyard has been on my radar screen for a long time. Fifteen years ago I spent some time with the Spinetta’s as a consultant. During my time with them they produced a Carignane from the Aparicio vineyard and it was absolutely astounding. For years I teased Joe about when I was going to get a chance to work with the grapes. It wasn’t until Joe retired in 2010 and leased the vineyard to the Murrills that I got the opportunity. The timing was perfect because we lost the Carignane from the River Oaks Ranch in Lodi and the fruit from the Joe Aparicio Vineyard will allow us to continue to offer an old vine Carignane.

Amador County
Zinfandel

Giacomo and Louise Isola came by boat from Italy through Ellis Island. They didn’t speak much English and in the Italian language the “I” is pronounced as an “E” so the name was changed to Esola at immigration. They purchased the 226-acre ranch in Amador County in late 1910 for $99 dollars. They had two boys, Ernest and John. They planted grapes and walnuts and raised sheep and cattle. Ernest married Lena D’Agostini who was born and raised in the Shenandoah Valley. Together and along with his brother John, they continued to manage the ranch. Some of the earliest Zinfandel grapes were planted in 1910. The 2015 Runquist Esola Zinfandel comes from a plot planted in 1940. Lena and Ernie’s daughter Denise went to performing arts school and worked for many years dancing in Las Vegas at the MGM and Tropicana during the 70’s but after her mother’s passing in 2013, she returned to continue the family farming tradition.

Clarksburg
Petite Sirah and Cabernet Franc

While I was the winemaker at J. Lohr in the early 1990s, my principal responsibility was formulating and assembling blends. My ‘ace in the hole’ was a Petite Sirah from Ken Wilson’s vineyard in the Sacramento River Delta just south of Sacramento. It was inky and had great depth but very soft tannins and added depth, color, and complexity to everything it touched. Naturally I wanted to make this wine for myself and approached Ken for some fruit. Unfortunately, Ken’s Petite Sirah was under contract and unavailable, but Ken recommended that I speak with Enver Salman. Surrounded by levees, Enver and his son, Joe, farm their Petite Sirah vineyard on Sutter Island. The fruit is terrific with even more color and silky tannins than I remember. We won ‘Best of Show Red Wine’ at the 2004 California State Fair with our 2003 vintage of the Enver Salman Petite Sirah. In 2005 Enver and Joe approached me about trying their Cabernet Franc and while my history with that variety was full of trials and tribulations we tried two tons and low and behold made a delicious Loire Valley style wine. So many Cabernet Francs aspire to be Cabernet Sauvignon, but this is a decidedly softer wine. Aged for just ten months it is supple and perfect for lighter fare.

Amador County
Tempranillo, Graciano

When the opportunity to produce Tempranillo from Ann Kraemer’s Shake Ridge Ranch presented itself we shifted gears and set our sights considerably higher. Nestled in the hills just east of Sutter Creek, the thought, precision, and love put into Ann’s Shake Ridge Ranch vineyard is unmistakable; it radiates from the vines. Planted in 2003 this forty-six-acre vineyard is testimony to Ann’s attention to detail. Each block is specifically laid out to match the topography with the variety; clone, rootstock, row orientation and trellis design are all specific to each individual block. The elevation of Shake Ridge Ranch, 1,650-1,810 ft., gets the grapes up out of the heat of the San Joaquin Valley and a bit closer to the sun and in doing so allows the fruit to develop more color and depth than grapes grown in vineyards on the valley floor. This translates into a more substantial Tempranillo with darker pigments and more extract. We choose to add a small quantity of Graciano to help lift the acid and add depth to the wine’s color.

Lagrein