From the Balistreri Estate Vineyard, where our Winemaker's love affair with his craft began in his teenage years, comes this rich and complex Pinot Noir. Presenting dark, ripe fruit on the nose with subtle herbal notes, your first sip of this wine will convey its complexity. On the palette, the acid is the driver but compliments the fruit perfectly. There is depth and multiple layers in this wine where the more you drink this pinot noir, the richer the flavors get. This is a top level single vineyard Pinot that bear’s our winemaker’s name and is an excellent example of his earth to glass light-touch winemaking process.
The 2017 Chester Zinfandel is a tribute to the best winery dog ever. Chester’s presence in the winery invoked what we love about Russian River Vineyards - its good nature and good company. In his spirit, we contribute 10% of all proceeds to various Sonoma County Animal rescues - that way all rescue animals have the chance to live as good of a life as Chester. This wine is fun and playful, yet big, bold and jammy with deep plum and chocolate undertones. This Chester Zinfandel has a classic Russian River Valley expression and is perfect for your next barbecue!
The 2017 Confluence Red Blend is made up of 72% Merlot, 7% Zinfandel, 7% Petite Sirah, 7% Cabernet, and 7% Barbera. On the nose, you can smell the different varietals all come through. The Merlot shines through, as does the richness of the Petite Sirah. The Cabernet Sauvignon adds notes of French Oak. On the palate, the acid is bright due to the Barbera. There are also hints of vanilla shining through from the french oak barrels as well as hints of tobacco flavors. You can taste the deep, dark richness from the Petite Sirah and the blackberry jamminess from the Zinfandel. The Confluence brings the best from all of the wines used and delivers a unique and satisfying blend.
This is the first time that winemaker Gio Balistreri has made a single vineyard wine of clone 828, yet this wine is anything but simple. Exquisite aromas of spicy red plum, ripe cherry, big barrel spice, and notes of pine forest flood the nose. Bold flavors of big cherries, curry, and all spice coat your tongue with a beautiful texture.
Valley’s Hand Vineyard, set in the bowl of the hills on Highway 12 near Kunde in Kenwood, is the vineyard that produces the grapes for this popular dry white that makes you think of ukulele music with each sip. Though Gewürztraminer is often thought of as a sweet wine, this wine is not. It contains no residual sugar and is completely dry thought still possessing strong tropical fruit qualities.
This Petite Sirah is sourced from the Wedge Family Vineyard, which consists of volcanic ash soils that add a minerality and unique depth to the wine. Petite Sirah is known for being a bold and complex varietal with plenty of backbone. This wine fits the bill perfectly, with its lush tannins and deep, rich character. There are smokey aromas from the American Oak barrels with hints of warm spices like clove and cinnamon. The palate has round and softer tannins with the acid of the Petite Sirah lingering.
The Appian Way vineyard is small but is ideally located. A very limited production wine, the grapes are grown in sandy loam soils that enrich the roots of its vines. This is a hugely aromatic and fragrant Pinot Noir with big notes of lush chocolate and sophistication. The 2018 Appian Way is an elegant and sophisticated Pinot Noir with warm, rich, and lush notes on the palette. This wine is very drinkable now, but can age 7 to 10 years.
Made from the budwood of the vines that produced the California Chardonnay that rocked the industry by winning the infamous “Judgment of Paris” wine tasting in 1976, this is our third vintage of the Bacigalupi Chardonnay with this notable heritage.
