Seghesio Family Vineyards has long been committed to sourcing the highest quality grapes from independent farmers tucked in unique corners throughout Sonoma County. Wolcott Vineyard, tended by the esteemed Bevill Vineyard Management, is known for quality and sustainability in Dry Creek Valley. After working with them for several years, we saw an opportunity in 2016 to bottle this exceptional wine under its own name as part of our Heritage Grower Series.

“Pazienza , that was grandma’s favorite word—Patience.”– Edward Seghesio With the core made from founder Edoardo Seghesio’s original planting in 1895, this wine is 120 years in the making. Home Ranch Zinfandel consistently receives high praise from the critics, allowing it to transcend the category into a world class wine that just happens to be made from Zinfandel.

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.

Old Vine Zinfandel’s viticultural legacy in the Russian River Valley dates back to the late 19th century, when Italian immigrants – mostly from the Tuscan province of Lucca – settled there and planted Zinfandel. In 1916 one of these immigrants, Benito Montafi, planted a Zinfandel-based “field blend” in the high plains of Russian River Valley’s Piner-Olivet district. This area 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.