May we soon live in less ‘interesting’ times …   

My, what interesting times we are living in!  So many of the things we all seemed to be able to rely upon are no longer as solid.  As I write this, I look upward at a monsoonal sky and a few warm raindrops hitting the ground.  While not unheard of this time of year, it’s quite rare in Sonoma county.

Record setting warm weather in March 2026 got the vines started up a bit ahead of schedule, setting many of them up for flowering 2-3 weeks earlier than normal in later April and early May.  In fact, California as a whole experienced its warmest and driest March in the state’s 132-year recorded weather history.  Then,  cool/wet weather more typical of March arrived in late April and early May, interfering with and protracting the period of full pollenizing of the tiny grape flowers.  As a result, this year we are looking at both a smaller and earlier than normal harvest. The last time I saw something similar was 1988, when March temperatures were record setting back at that time.  In a small way, I’m a little bit excited to have another shot at another similar vintage with a few more years’ experience under my belt. One key difference in my approach now is that I no longer focus on juice composition as the primary factor in harvest decisions as was the rule in those days. Looking up at the sky again right now, a very early harvest may not be such a bad thing after all, anticipating possible heavy fall rains due to an immense El Nino situation.

The southeast monsoonal flow that snuck in this week also brought a mild threat of dry lightning, a dangerous cause of wildfires.  For good or bad, it reminded me of the lightning-caused wildfires we had in 2008 well to the north of us and more nearby in 2020.  While the fires did affect many vineyards, we did successfully harvest and vinify the majority of sites we had planned in 2020.  I am still very happy with the resulting wines and have yet to see any negative effects in what we have bottled. There were many naysayers among some of my colleagues who sat the vintage out asserting that even if the wines tasted fine in barrel, the damage would show with a couple years’ time in bottle.  As of 2026, I haven’t seen it. Still waiting.  On the other hand, just a couple nights ago at a gathering of local winemakers, to my surprise, a colleague publicly thanked me for the advice I had given at a local symposium during the 2020 fire event, designed to share information about different approaches to the phenomenon.  He had taken my 2008 experience and advice to heart and vinified a couple of sites in 2020 that his company had thought to abandon. The result was solid and he was thrilled at the success of those wines.  Adolpho, you’re quite welcome!

This offering is a little different as we have less new releases than in the past years. So, we thought it would be fun to offer several different collections of recent releases that illustrate vineyard personality, vintage differences or age differences. This is a great opportunity to study some interesting things about vintage and site without having to piece it together from scratch. Be sure and read to the end!

Events and Shipping

Winery Events: We’ll be hosting an Open House July 31 through August 2 from 10-5. We’ll be pouring our new releases and I’ll pull a blend of the delicious 2025 Zinfandel barrel samples for you to check out the futures offering. We will have a complimentary food plate by Chef Peter Brown. Seating will be available outside for your convenience and comfort, as always.

Appointments: We have had many requests for tasting appointments, and while I’m still mostly unavailable due to vineyard duties, Judi has been doing more of them.  She still has much to do, herself, so please understand if neither of us are able to meet sometimes when you are in town. 

Winery Pickup. As always, please let us know when you’ll be in the area and we’ll do our best to meet you at the winery for a quick pickup.  The winery address is 4940 Ross Road, Sebastopol, 95472. If you get lost, the telephone number is 707-823-8980. Map is here.

Zinfandel Futures

2025 was another gentle, even growing season in the North Coast.  The hardest part, if that really counts as ‘hard’, was finding suitable weather under 90 degrees in Alexander Valley after mid-to-late-May to apply sulfur to prevent powdery mildew (just like in a rose garden).  While there were places in the cooler parts of the Sonoma County with significant mildew pressure, I’m pleased to report we were clean as could be, partly because of the somewhat higher temperatures to make the sulfur ‘fume’ properly and partly due to my persistence with the sprayer.      It was also important to have vine vigor and trellis balanced by appropriate hand removal of excess shoots and leaves.  This is an expensive process that not only improves the environment around the clusters for disease prevention, it also improves flavor for winemaking.  Fortunately, we were able to do all things needed at the right time.   Because it was not a super dry or super wet rainy season, there was great uniformity in development, vine vigor and onset of ripening between and within any given vineyard block.  With average crop levels, everything ripened nicely, and we sold nearly all the fruit I could not handle at our winery.

2025 Scherrer Vineyard ‘Old & Mature Vines’ Zinfandel Futures

As I wrote last year, the name ‘Old & Mature Vines’ means it is made from old vines planted by my grandfather in 1912 as well as mature vines he, my dad and I planted in the 1970’s.  Nearly 100% Zinfandel, harvested at a modest ripeness level, we have demonstrated for decades that it is strikingly elegant and age worthy. And that isn’t as easy as it sounds. Zinfandel grape clusters are inherently variable. Each Zinfandel grape cluster has a range of development, from green under ripe berries throughout the full ripeness spectrum all the way to raisins. Wineries that don’t truly embrace this grape’s proclivity will wait for the last few green and light red berries to turn dark red. Unfortunately, that means the rest of the cluster moves even more towards raisins which leads to over ripe wines without the necessary oxygen appetite to last in bottle for very long, let alone age well. Fortunately, I’ve grown up with Zinfandel and I have a vision of how to work with it to let it quietly sing it’s own sweet, harmonious song.

On the nose is our typical nexus of fresh loam, macerated bramble berries (Himalaya blackberry and raspberry), plums and uncooked bread dough.  The mouth reflects this and adds a bit of hibiscus tea leading to a very long, graceful finish.  As I mentioned last year, this is what Zinfandel can be:  Multi-faceted and mouth-watering, food-friendly and age-worthy. 

Estimated release price:  $45 per bottle.  Futures price:  $320 per case to be released April 2027 | purchase here

2025 Scherrer Vineyard ‘Shale Terrace’ Zinfandel Futures  

There is very little clay and lots of fractured shale in this small section of our vineyard planted in the early 1970’s which yields a wine of particular delicacy and unique profile.  The tide and flow of growth is rather different than the rest of the vineyard due to the different way water and other nutrients get to the plant:  They receive more of a generous supply upfront when growing earlier in the season and less generous later on.  This affects berry size, tannin levels and flavors produced:  Structurally, there are larger berries and softer tannins as a result.

Flavor-wise, while most Zinfandels find themselves centered around bramble-fruit, this is more centered around Stone fruits and cherry.  It shows more herbal notes like rose hips than the OMV which grows on soils higher in clay content.  Structurally more akin to Pinot Noir, it is often accused of being that variety in blind tastings.

The 2025 shows some of those rose hips, along with some floral plum blossom notes and stone fruit.  With some time in the glass, it gives some hints of something akin to the stuff I remember seeing splashed onto the grown men’s faces at the barber shop when I was a kid long ago, (whatever that mysterious stuff was) with its minty and spicy notes.  On the mouth at this early stage it shows lively structure that carries the echoes of plum and nectarine with it.  Very much centered on its serious framework, it glides along like a curling stone on the ice, quite certain in its destination regardless of any thought of frenetic sweeping of the ice along the way.  Mouth-watering on the finish, it folds back upon itself showing some of that plummy facet in the end.

Because this is a small portion of the vineyard, there is never very much. We have honored peoples’ past support of this wine and give those that purchased any Shale in the past ‘first crack’ and orders received by July 31 will be processed first in the order they are received while the futures allocation lasts.  Those who have not bought Shale before may place an order which will be placed on the ‘wish list’. Those orders will be filled in the order they are received if there are still futures still available after the first-crack July 31 deadline.

But if you are not on ‘first crack’ for this, do not fear.  We also hold back a bit of the Shale from futures so we will have some available at release next April so those not in the ‘first-crack’ offering can have a few bottles should one fall in love with this rare example of Zinfandel.

Only about 110 cases will be produced. Release price $45 /bottle.  Futures price:  $320 per case to be released April 2027 | purchase here

New Releases

Scherrer Winery | 2022 Hallberg Vineyard Pinot Noir

This is from a single block of vineyard planted over a quarter century ago to a special clone imported from Burgundy.  It has very bright natural acidity – more so than any other clone of Pinot Noir I have encountered.  It has been an important energetic core of our Russian River Valley bottling for two decades and when that blend does not require every barrel of this in order to be spot-on, we bottle some separately.  Fortunately, there has been enough to showcase as a solo act for a number of years.

Hibiscus, cedar, madrone blossoms, red & black cherry conserve and a hint of orange peel are on the aroma.  It has a nicely structured framework with balancing plushness, it glides through seamlessly from front to back, from entry to finish with a haunting, clean persistence that invites yet another sip. 

140 cases produced.   $82 per bottle. | purchase here

Scherrer Winery | 2021 Scherrer Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon

Classic ‘Old school’ California-styled aroma profile:  Cedar, loam and cassis intersect with that ‘Scherrer Vineyard’ mysterious floral and fruit notes as well as lovely Alexander Valley red fruits.  There are traces of mint appearing on the palate and some lovely savory notes that carry the cassis cargo through to the finish.  According to Antonio Galloni this year, this wine ‘…exudes character right out of the gate.  Dark-toned fruit, tobacco, dried herbs, lavender and exotic spice infuse the palate with layers of dimension.  Strong floral and savory top notes extend the persistent finish in a decidedly old-school-leaning California Cabernet…95 pts.’

Similar to current popular Zinfandel styles, this variety has also been skewed a bit into the higher ripeness and/or overly-stuffed styles that are rewarding in the very short term.  My view on Cabernet is that it is one of the handful of vinifera varieties that can age and develop in a very positive way over many years.  This ability is a component of what I think of as what a ‘great’ wine should possess.  Again, I embrace the ethos of the older school, structured, age worthy and food-friendly core that can also be enjoyable in its relative youth.  Those of you who know, know.   

Only 96 cases produced.  $74 per bottle, $39 per half bottle and $150 per magnum | purchase here

Scherrer Winery | New Releases Sampler Pack

With only 2 new releases, I wanted to create something that would still be meaningful. We will have a 2 pack of our new releases at 15% off $156  $133 | purchase here

Additionally, as the Hallberg is the last of our 2022 Pinots to be released, I think an interesting set of wines to explore is the full set of our 2022 Pinot Noirs:  The Sonoma County, Russian River Valley, Gunsalus Vineyard, High Slopes along with the new release from Hallberg.  We have a special package price for this study and will be offering 15% off on a 5 pack $314 $268 or 20% off on a 10 pack $628 $502 (2 of each wines). | purchase here

*ground shipping will be weather dependent; if needed, we’ll plan on storing the wine for you and ship when temperatures are wine friendly. The FedEx Priority Overnight Summer promotion for the 5-pack or 10-pack is $40 and $60 respectively for those anxious to taste them sooner.

Again, thanks for your continued support.  It allows us the creative freedom to do what we love and to support old and create potential new family legacies.  As always, I am unable to fully communicate this in such a small space, but still try anyway.

Prefer the full printable version? May we soon live in less ‘interesting’ times…

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