Wineries That Built Sonoma County

Sonoma County came to prominence as a premium wine producer in the last three decades of the 20th century. Following are some of the wineries that put Sonoma on the wine map. A few of these are historical properties, others came along with the 1970s and 1980s boom time for premium wines. You could say these wineries defined what Sonoma County wine is now.

  Chateau St. Jean

The first Chardonnay that characterized premium Chardonnay for Sonoma County and the rest of California was the Robert Young Vineyards Chardonnay from St. Jean, from winemaker Dick Arrowood. The challenge was laid down for all the other producers to match. They still make the same style Chardonnay from Robert Young and several other vineyards.


  Dry Creek Vineyard

The Dry Creek Valley appellation is well-known for Zinfandel. When Dave Stare started up his winery in the early 70s, he also grew and made Sauvignon Blanc. The old timers in the valley shook their heads, "This is Zinfandel and Petite Sirah country, boy." Dave was a key figure in making Sauv Blanc a major player in the county. There's a lot of that 1970s tradition at Dry Creek Vineyards that you can taste it in their Zins. They even still make Chenin Blanc!  His daughter runs the winery now. They make several different Sauv Blancs and many delicious Zins.

The Great Wine Train "Robbery"

  Gundlach-Bundschu

In the early '70s Jim Bundschu reopened the dormant winery on the family's Rhinefarm Vineyard near the town of Sonoma, that was first planted in 1859. No nonsense wines, though lots of nonsense from the cast of characters that work there. "Holding up" the Napa Valley wine train after it first started operation and "forcing" the passengers to drink Sonoma County wine was a highlight. In the early days GB was known for Merlot, plus Gewürztraminer, Riesling, and Kleinberger from their German roots. The winery has been in the hands of the next generation for a while, and Jeff Bunchschu has put his stamp on the winery as his father did before him.


  Kendall-Jackson

KJ still calls themselves a family winery. They are, but not exactly a small family winery. KJ owns Arrowood, Hartford Court, La Crema, Matanzas Creek, Siduri, Stonestreet, plus many others. They own thousands of acres of grapes and make millions of cases of wine. The late Jess Jackson made his first wine in 1982. Ten years later, he was selling a million cases of wine a year. KJ means Chardonnay for most American consumers. Whether you are a fan of the wines or not, you can't argue with the business model.

  Korbel

They've been around forever (well, forever in California terms). In the 1950s the Heck family bought a neglected Korbel Winery from descendants of the founders. Today, their many sparkling wines are reasonably priced. Yes, they still call it Champagne as they always have (they are grandfathered in per a treaty with the French). The buildings are old, the tasting room a little funky, the tours are cool -- ask about the haunted house. Nothing pretentious, they know their roots and stick to them.


  Rodney Strong

The late Rodney Strong (a professional dancer by trade) helped lead the way in the vineyards, transforming Sonoma County from jug wines to world-class premium wines. The Chardonnay and Cabernet are true to form. He usually doesn't get the credit he deserves for help making Sonoma County known as a wine region.

  St. Francis

Joe Martin, suffering from a self-described midlife crisis, sold his furniture store business in 1971 and bought an orchard in Sonoma Valley. He was the first to plant Merlot in Sonoma Valley, a grape he helped popularize in California (along with Jim Bundschu). They still produce wines from Joe's first grapes, the Behler Vineyard Chardonnay and Merlot. The vineyard is named after the family that sold him the land.

Seghesio Chianti Station Vineyards, 1910
The oldest planting of Sangiovese in N America

  Seghesio

A family winery going back into the 19th century, though no longer "family" strictly speaking. They sold to a local financial company a few years ago, with more than a little family drama in the process. The Seghesio family made the switch from jug to premium wine early, becoming one of the first wineries to make and label a Zinfandel varietal. The best description I have is that their Zins just taste like Sonoma County.

 

  Others

There are wineries I could add to the list, but these give you an idea of who started it all. Some honorable mentions are what Mike and Marty Lee plus John Sheela did at Kenwood Vineyards in the '70s and '80s. There is Joel Peterson of Ravenswood. Kenwood is now under foreign corporate ownership and isn't what it used to be. Ravenswood Winery closed, but the label is corporate-owned. Buena Vista is definitely a historic property that has been through a long line of owners. Then there's Sebastiani, Foppiano, Rafanelli, Rochioli, etc.