Villa Creek Cellars – Snail prize PASO ROBLES 5995 Peachy Canyon Road tel. (805) 238-7145 www.villacreek.com wine@villacreek.com 60 ac – 30,000 bt ‘‘When Cris and JoAnn Cherry began planting grapes on their 60-acre property, they decided to never farm with chemicals” PEOPLE Cris and JoAnn Cherry are restaurateurs turned winemakers. In 1996 they …
Vesper Vineyards – Snail prize ESCONDIDO 298 Enterprise St. tel. (760) 749-1300 www.vespervineyards.com info@vespervineyards.com 0 ac – 20,000 bt ‘‘Broomell has been a leading proponent of dry farming in the area, where most growers have favored irrigated vineyards in the past” PEOPLE Grower and winemaker Chris Broomell’s family has been farming in the San …
Piedrasassi – Snail Prize LOMPOC 1501 E. Chestnut Ave. tel. (805) 736-6784 www.piedrasassi.com melissa@piedrasassi.com 0 ac-18,000 bt ‘‘Sashi Moorman does not call himself a “natural’ winemaker.” He simply “makes wine naturally.” That means an awareness that goes beyond mere organic practices. Perhaps it is his holistic approach that has made Moorman such a sought-after, wildly …
Palmina Winery – Snail Prize LOMPOC 1520 E. Chestnut Ct. tel. (805) 735-2030 www.palminawines.com tastingroom@palminawines.com 0 ac – 45,000 bt “The wines of Palmina are complex, full of character and highly-drinkable, perfect to go with food, and sourced from sustainably farmed vineyards” PEOPLE Steve Clifton uses all Italian grapes because he believes that the …
Old World Winery – Snail Prize FULTON 850 River Rd. tel. (707) 490-6696 www.oldworldwinery.com info@oldworldwinery.com 5ac-24,000bt ‘‘Darek Trowbridge works in the vineyard with a keen attention to detail and an eye to the viticultural traditions the past, mostly rejecting the strictures of his Fresno State master’s degree in winemaking’’ PEOPLE Giuseppe Martinelli emigrated from …
Martha Stoumen Wines – Money Prize MENDOCINO tel. (310) 923-1109 www.marthastoumen.com info@marthastoument.com 5 ac-28,800 bt PEOPLE Raised in Sebastapol, California, Martha Stoumen spent eight years apprenticing and studying in six different countries on three different continents (Tuscany, California, Australia, Germany, Sicily, and New Zealand) in order to come home and interpret …
Matthiasson – Snail Prize NAPA P.O. Box 10880 tel. (707) 265-9349 www.matthiasson.com info@matthiasson.com 10 ac – 100,000 bt “Committed to the Slow philosophy, Steve and Jill Matthiasson grow most of their own food and prepare it for the enjoyment of family and friends at their beautiful yellow farmhouse, surrounded by their estate vineyards” …
Kamen Estate Wines – Bottle Prize SONOMA 111 B East Napa St. tel. (707) 938-7292 www.kamenwines.com info@kamenwines.com 48 ac – 36,000 bt PEOPLE Growing up in a city housing project in the Bronx, Robert Kamen believes everything in life happens for a reason. In 1980 he visited Sonoma County to celebrate the sale …
Lo-Fi Wines – Money Prize LOS ALAMOS 448 Bell St. tel. (805) 344-4194 www.lofi-wines.com questions@lofi-wines.com 3 ac – 36,000 bt PEOPLE Named for a love of music and vinyl, college buddies Mike Roth and Craig Winchester quietly launched their collaborative side project in 2012. Both with pedigrees from notable wineries, the …
MacDonald Vineyards – Snail Prize OAKVILLE PO Box 91 tel. (707) 225-7264 www.macdonaldvineyards.com info@macdonaldvineyards.com 15 ac – 4,100 bt ‘‘Though the vineyard has never seen systemic sprays in the family’s 64 years of conservancy, they are just beginning the process of organic certification’’ PEOPLE In 1868 Hamilton Crab arrive to the Napa Valley, …