Sangiacomo Family Wines

A new winery has opened in Sonoma County. Not exactly big news as there are well over 400 wineries in the county. This one is a bit different from some in that it didn't start as a rich guy's dream / write-off. There's a lot of real farming history with the Sangiacomo family. If the saying is true that great wines start in the vineyard then these folks might be putting out some pretty nice juice.

Sangiacomo Home Ranch
image from sangiacomowines.com

Vittorio Sangiacomo came to American from Italy and first worked in farm fields, then ran a business, but missed farming, so he purchased a fruit orchard in Sonoma Valley in 1927. This is now the Sangiocomo's home ranch. During the 1970s and 1980s they slowly converted the pear ranch to wine grapes. They are now the largest family-owned vineyard holders in the county (Gallo and Kendall-Jackson are the largest).

The second and third generation run the ranch with the fourth generation getting close to coming of age to chip in.

Per their website they sell grapes to 85 wineries. You don't have to look too far to find a wine with the words Sangiocomo Chardonnay or Pinot Noir on the label. The family has decided to try their own hand at producing commercial wines so they've released their first vintage under their own label.

I haven't tried their wines, but will if I ever see them on a store shelf. For now they are available to mailing list customers only.

Sangiacomo Wines