94pts - the tasting panel + seal of excellence
91pts - Wine Enthusiast

Edoardo Seghesio immigrated to America from the Piedmont region of Italy, home to Barbera. In 1895, he planted his first vineyards to grapes he had come to enjoy in his new country, yet one vineyard was saved for varietals from his homeland. Our historic, proprietary Barbera clones benefit from the warm, dry days in northern Alexander Valley, where the grape’s classic acidity creates a wine with vibrant aromas and a velvety texture. This wine is 100% Barbera from our Estate Home Ranch in Alexander Valley.

Edoardo Seghesio first worked with Sangiovese in the late 1800s during his tenure as winemaker at Italian Swiss Colony. In 1910, he planted a Chianti field blend surrounding the railroad station in what was then Chianti, Calif. Those Sangiovese plantings on our Home Ranch are the oldest in America and provided the rich source of four unique clones for our subsequent plantings of the varietal. Although Sangiovese typically grows vigorously, the low-yielding, shallow soils of our Home Ranch, combined with our small-berried clones, produce wines of intense varietal character.

When Rachel Ann Passalacqua Seghesio’s grandfather first purchased the San Lorenzo Vineyard in 1896 with gold coins he earned working as a chef in California’s gold mines, it was already planted to Zinfandel. Block 8 was planted over a decade ago on the hills of San Lorenzo with scion wood from the historic mother clones.

America’s oldest Sangiovese vineyard derives its name from a tiny railway station in Northern Sonoma’s Alexander Valley. This valley so much resembled their native land that the first Italian immigrants named the stops along the track for the wines they sensed would flourish here. Trusting their intuition, in 1910, the Seghesio Family planted a Sangiovese-based field blend in their Chianti Station vineyard, according to the classic Tuscan tradition. Each vintage these 100+ year-old vines yield a tiny production of just 2-3 barrels.

We named this wine Il Cinghiale — wild boar in Italian — for a reason: Brawny and rich, it evokes untamed forest, an open fire and roasting meat. Petite Sirah was first introduced in California in 1878, mistakenly as Syrah. Growers recognized the error and soon began calling the newcomer Petite Sirah for its small berries and low yields.

Carignane is one of the world’s most widely planted varietals, prominent in Southern France, the United States, Israel, Northern Africa and many former Soviet countries. It is one of the wine industry’s favorite blending wines and a staple in our old vine plantings of Zinfandel. Like most grape varieties, Carignane vines evolve into something very special at about 50 years of age. This wine displays the character and complexity inherent in mature vineyards.