Winery purchased by Rack & Riddle -
Famous over the years for Weibel Green Hungarian, now known as GH, and their line of California champagnes and naturally flavored sparkling wines, Weibel Family Wines also include Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Zinfandel, Pinot Noir, Sauvignon Blanc, and Syrah from their Estate Vineyard in Mendocino County, California.
The winery building referred by the staff as "The Barn" was the original structure at Bander. At "The Barn" Fred Bander personally hosted wine tastings inside on a rustic picnic table. This winery today is located on the estate just yards from the nearest vines. This means grapes can almost be immediately processed ater they are harvest, which has a tremendously beneficial impact on the wines produced. Frederic "Fred" Brander, owner and winemaker, was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina. He moved with his family and settled in Santa Barbara, California. Fred started his career in the wine business by working for a local wine merchant, and later went to work in the wholesale business. While attending college, he started his own wine import company, focusing on wines from France and Argentina. Wishing to make his own wines, and with a fondness for Santa Barbara, Fred and his family established The Brander Vineyard in the Santa Ynez Valley in 1975. The initial planting was mainly Bordeaux grape varietals and in 1977, the first Sauvignon Blanc grapes were taken to a neighboring winery where Fred Brander produced a wine so distinctive it captured Santa Barbara County's first gold medal for a wine at a major wine competition (1978 Los Angeles County Fair).
So, you're in Napa for a long weekend or maybe even a wallet-draining week. There's plenty of choices to feed your wine fix. This charming little vineyard absolutely, positively needs to make your "must visit" list. No tasting room. No walk ins. No boutique to purchase a variety of goods while visiting. You need to call, make an appointment, and then prepare yourself for a truly personal wine experience given where the family that grows it presents their five or six well-done sophisticated wines.
Out back winery in the Apple Hill Area has a large following. The wines are unpretentious and you will likely enjoy their Zinfandels and Syrahs.You will find that the taste of the wine does very considerably year to year, however, they have all been good and at the price point.
In 2008, a fourth-generation farmer and aspiring winemaker Giovanni Balistreri, under the tutelage of award-winning winemaker Anthony Austin, set out to reclaim the rich history and enormous untapped potential of one of Sonoma County’s finest wine-making estates. The estate lies in the heart of the Russian River Valley and thus proudly and appropriately bears the Russian River Valley appellation.
The winemakers understood the potential of this small estate, but even more importantly, they had come to know the special region in which it sits. This was not a place to build a large, corporate winery to produce wine in high volume. It was a place where a careful, patient approach could produce world-class wine. And in the decade since, the venerable estate has been returning to its former glory.
While collectors have made Marilyn Merlot one of the fastest-appreciating wines on the market, it is wine enthusiasts with a sense of humor who have long enjoyed the playful spirit behind Marilyn Merlot wines that are now also seeking the Marilyn Merlot because of the emphasis on making a notable wine from prized Napa Valley grapes. While the concept and engaging label of these wines has given these bottles a degree of fame, it is the wine in the bottle that merits the enthusiasm of those who seek it out every year.
Ruston Family Vineyards is a vineyard and winemaking company situated in the Napa Valley. The family has been cultivating the west St. Helena hillside since 1941. Originally an old prune orchard, the land now supports grapevines of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, and Petit Verdot. The vineyard produces artisanal wines from both their own grapes and purchased fruit, designed to be enjoyed with food, family, and friends.
The story of Ruston Family Vineyards begins with Fred Carpenter, who moved to California from North Dakota around 1907 with his family. They settled in the San Joaquin Valley. At the age of 17, Fred relocated to Oakland, where he studied engineering through a correspondence course. He later became one of the inventors of the jet pump, with his company based in Berkeley, CA. In 1941, seeking to escape the summer fog of the Bay Area, Fred and his wife Lana purchased a 40-acre orchard in St. Helena, which was the maximum distance they could travel on a weekly gasoline ration. They built a house and spent weekends and summers there until the 1970s, after which they lived there permanently until the early 1980s. A photograph of Fred and Lana working in the orchard appears on the back label of their wines.
While the prune business eventually paid off the property loan, it eventually declined. In 1975, the more level eastern section of the orchard was sold. In the mid-1980s, Fred and Lana’s daughter, Lorraine Ruston, moved to the ranch and planted Merlot vines on the remaining western slopes. Lorraine managed the vineyard herself, selling the grapes to local wineries.
In the mid-1990s, Lorraine’s son, John Ruston, and his wife, Janet Sapadin, were residing in New York City and working in the environmental field. Janet, a New York native from Washington Heights, Manhattan, and John shared a mutual interest in wine and cooking, which led them to recognize the winemaking potential of the vineyard. In 1996, John, Lorraine, and Janet decided to expand the vineyard and enter the wine business. The 1997 Merlot was the first wine produced under the Ruston Family Vineyards label. John and Janet left New York in 1999 to live in the old farmhouse. Their two daughters, born in New York and raised in Napa Valley, pursued higher education at UCLA and UC Riverside before branching out, leaving behind cuvées named in their honor.
Michael Pozzan Winery is owned and operated by Michael and Mary Ann Pozzan, both natives of California. Michael was born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area, but spent his summer months with his grandparents on their 35 acre vineyard estate in Sonoma County. Michael's grandfather purchased the land after WWII and planted Zinfandel grapes, which he sold to local wineries. He always made sure that he retained a portion of the grapes to make his own wine. With roots extending to Piedmont, Italy, Michael's family has been in the wine business since the mid 1800s, and still owns the original property that Michael's great grandfather planted over100 years ago.
Whitehall makes some great wine! We were surprised by the mostly empty parking lot and even considered turning away before entering. Did an empty parking lot mean bad wine? Everything we sampled, from white to red was great. Easy drinking and definitely well priced. Come summer time it can be very busy at times. Well worth a visit.
The pourer is very knowledgable and passionate about their wines. I give the wine maker a lot of credit for his focus on single vineyard, single varietal wines. I thought all the wines were well made. The place is located in like an office facility / storage unit looking type building, so if you're looking for like rolling hills with neat rows of grape bushes, you have come to the wrong place. (Shouldn't be a dealbreaker necessarily in my opinion-- but I feel it's worth noting.) They also do a little tour of their facility where they show you some of the machines that are used to make the wine.
