Welcome Selection, 2022, 2016, 2017, 2018

The Helfer Vineyard is located in the Vine Hill area of the Russian River Valley. The vineyard’s densely planted vines require hand cultivation and yield more concentrated fruit than can be achieved by traditional California vine spacing. We bottle this Chardonnay without fining or filtration to preserve its finer qualities.

Our old vine Zinfandel represents the labor of three generations of the Scherrer family — many of the vines that produced this wine were planted in 1912. It was bottled without fining or filtration to capture the beauty and personality of the Scherrer Vineyard. Although enjoyable in its youth, it should age and develop gracefully for 5 to 10 years after the vintage.

While grown primarily in the sandy Goldridge soil, which tends to produce Pinot Noir with flavors of red fruits and orange peel, this wine also illustrates some of the deep, brooding black cherry character generally found in the region’s clay soils. It was bottled without fining or filtration, and should age gracefully for a handful of years.

This wine is a synthesis of sites where wildlife and viticulture meet at the edge of civilization. From both the far eastern and western edges of Sonoma County, the wine speaks of more of this general wildness than of a specific variety or site. It should pair well with the types of foods found in the area as well: game, flavorful mushrooms and the like.

This is a unique and exotic expression of Alexander Valley benchland Cabernet Sauvignon. It was aged in small French oak cooperage for about thirty months, with infrequent racking. Bottled without fining or filtration to respect the expression of the site, this 100% varietal wine enjoys both a youthful suppleness and the structure necessary for lengthy storage.