Unti Vineyards – Snail Prize
HEALDSBURG
4202 Dry Creek Rd.
tel. (707) 433-5590
www.untivineyards.com
info@untivineyards.com
60 ac – 100,000 bt
‘‘George Unti, whose parents emigrated from a small Tuscan town near Lucca, grew up on a farm in Madera, but it wasn’t until his retirement that he began growing grapes”
PEOPLE
He and his son Mick Unti are consummate Italophiles, so it comes as no surprise that after a lifetime of drinking bottles from the old country that they decided to plant Italian varieties on George’s new Dry Creek Valley estate. The first few years were experiments in home winemaking with Syrah and Sangiovese, but since the winery was founded in 1997 the range of varieties has grown exponentially, now boasting grapes from Vermentino, Barbera, Montepulciano, and Aglianico to classic southern Rhône varieties.
VINEYARDS
The elder Unti initially worked with a vineyard management team, learning all he could from them before undertaking the role as head viticulturist, a role he holds to this day. He also aligned himself with biodynamic consultant Philippe Armenier, and in 2002 underwent a conversion to organic agriculture, blending in elements of biodynamics; though uncertified, the filing of CCOF paperwork is imminent. Unti employs a full time, year round agricultural team of seven, some of whom have been with him since the mid 1990s, demonstrating a steadfast commitment to providing stable, constant work in a famously fickle and precarious industry.
WINES
The intensely aromatic and mineral Vermentino 2017 (everyday wine) is rife with lemons, ripe peaches, and pronounced musky white flowers, its fleshy mouthfeel upheld by a streak of refreshing acidity. The Barbera 2016 is a juicy, high-toned, red-fruited wine with spice and verve on the palate. Complexity of fruits both red and black and highlights of anise, violets, coffee, and earth give the Sangiovese Riserva 2015 an old world feel. Bountiful, sleek tannins ensure long aging.
FERTILIZERS compost
PLANT PROTECTION copper and sulfur
WEED CONTROL mowing
YEASTS spontaneous fermentation
GRAPES 100% estate-grown
CERTIFICATION none