Like the Seghesio Family, the Pagani’s have a history deeply rooted in Zinfandel. This wine comes form the storied Pagani Ranch in Sonoma Valley. The vineyard is completely dry farmed bringing a very deep root system that provides for a rich and nuanced structure to the fruit.

The core of this blend comes from our Chen's Vineyard planted in 1972 in Dry Creek Valley. This site is named after the gravelly loam soils prevalent up and down Dry Creek Valley. Due to the prevailing afternoon breezes in Dry Creek Valley, the flavor profile tends towards red fruit.

In 1975, Ed Seghesio co-fermented an equal blend of Zinfandel, Petite Sirah and Carignane for his own consumption. When the Seghesio family released the first wines under their name in 1983, Ed’s blend was bottled and released in honor of his beloved wife, Fay Marian. It was at Fay’s urging that their son Ted became the family’s fourth-generation winemaker. To showcase the varietal characteristics of these remarkable old vines while honoring his mother, Ted began producing Marian’s Reserve again in 2004.

Old Vine Zinfandel’s viticultural legacy in the Russian River Valley dates back to the late 19th century, when Italian immigrants settled there and planted Zinfandel. In 1916 one of these immigrants, Benito Montafi, planted a Zinfandel-based “field blend” in the high plains of the Piner-Olivet district, which has a long history of producing compelling old vine Zinfandels. For us, having produced Zinfandel for may years from the adjacent Vera Gold Vineyard we were ecstatic when the opportunity arose to purchase Montafi in 2014.