Oh! Brian, speaking of the sub-sections of the Russian River Valley AVA:
Kudos to Mike and all the others engaged in saving these heritage sites and for doing such a good job with the heritage grapes.
Hey Drew,
Happy to contribute- the RRVWG has an ongoing initiative on the âNeighborhoodsâ which I think Rod was a big part of putting together - it specifically calls out âMiddle Reachâ, âSebastopol Hillsâ, âLaguna Ridgeâ, âGreen Valleyâ and âSanta Rosa Plainâ as growing regions⌠I think a few of us would like to see some more delineation, especially in regards to the Piner-Olivet area, as its topography, soil type and soil origin differ compared to areas to the north, south, east and west.
As far as additional vineyards in the Piner-Olivet area, we work with both young and old vines of Zin. For Old vines, weâre working with Saitone and Maffei on Olivet, Winberrie and Battaglini on Piner, Boschetti off of River and Fanucchi on Wood Road. We were working with Rue (right next to Fanucchi) up until 2016 - but the vineyard sold and we no longer have access⌠For young vines we pull in quite a bit from both Saitone as well as BCD off of Guerneville Road.
In terms of precise composition of vines on each site, I donât have the in depth research that Mike Officer has, but in terms of how the vineyard ripen and act, thereâs a general trend of the western edge (Olivet area) ripening earlier than the eastern edge, with those wines having a more floral/blue fruit aspect to them. The soils along Olivet are shallower, with a hard clay layer that deters most roots from going too deep. On the whole the vines are scragglier as well compared to further east, although the Carignane at Saitone are pretty impressive specimens.
Wood and Piner Road are later ripening, I think it stays cooler as the fog lingers a bit longer and the soils are heavier, thereâs more clay and the vines are bigger and more vigorous growers. There seems to be a higher percentage of Alicante and Petite in the vineyards we work with in this area. Flavors are blackberries and brambles and more density and weight compared to Olivet.
Boschetti off of River is an outlier. It has the most heavy clay, flavor seem to lag behind sugars and gets the most âjamâ profile, at least with in our cellar.
Even within this district its a pretty diverse flavor spectrum you can get, which is why Cecil DeLoach was bottling 5 different ones way back in the early 90âs. I guess heâs more famous for his white Zin now, but he put Pelletti, Papera, Barbieri, Saitone and Gambogi on the map, or at least his winemakers did.
Cheers,
Brian
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Wow!! Thanks for the detailed information, Brian!!!
Reading your post made me dig out my October, 2004, Wine & Spirits magazine article from Rod Smith, entitled âRaiders of the Lost Zin: Purple Treasures from Russian Riverâs Centennial Vineyardsâ.
The author interviews Greg LaFollette, then-winemaker at DeLoach, Mike Officer of Carlisle, and Hartfordâs Mike Sullivan. Peter Fanucchi, Mike Feeney (the late Tom Feeneyâs nephew), and Lloyd Chelli all contribute their stories in this 4-5 page survey of the vineyards that (at the time) had survived the pressure to replant to Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.
The VIE Winery website does a pretty good job of concisely explaining the arrangement of the âTom Feeney Vineyardâ complex, even if its data also is no longer 100% correct:
ââŚThe ranch consists of five distinct vineyards within a 1 mile radius of each other in the Laguna de Santa Rosa flood plain in Russian River Valley. Tom Feeneyâs âhome blockâ, what is known as the âPiner Vineyardâ, was planted in the mid-1940s with cuttings from his neighbor, Bernardo Montafi. Tom later bought his neighborâs vineyard, commonly know as the âMontafi Vineyardâ, along with a vineyard on River Road, and two vineyards made famous by DeLoach in the 1980s-90s called the âBarbieriâ and âPaperaâ Vineyards.â
To the extent of my knowledge, the âBarbieri Vineyardâ is no more and no winery, save Hook & Ladder, gets fruit from the "Gambogi Vineyard".
The Grape-Nutz archive pages include a considerable amount of TNâs & âBloody Pulpitsâ discussing the RRVâs old-vine Zinfandel sites from producers like DeLoach, who produced single-vineyard bottlings from âGambogiâ, âPaperaâ, âSaitoneâ, etc.
Siduri has been making a pinot from the (replanted) Barbieri vineyard since 2015.
Kirk Vengeâs Croix Estate winery bought the Rue vineyard in 2016. Theyâve been bottling their âWood Estateâ zinfandel from it. Iâve tasted the 2016 and itâs quite distinctive, but perhaps has a touch more oak than I would prefer.
If memory serves me, Joel Peterson mentioned on an HVS tour of the the Belloni vineyard (across Wood Rd from the Rue vineyard) a couple of years ago that it and the Belloni as well as the Chelli (Hartfordâs Highwire) and Arata (Hartfordâs Dinaâs) vineyards once had a single owner. The Chelli and Arata vinyards are just east of the Belloni vineyard on Wood Rd. The owner had 4 daughters and thus the original vineyard was parceled up to each daughter many years ago.
For map nerds:
⢠Tool for Viewing Map of Geological Features by State:
USGS website: âPreliminary integrated geologic map databases for the United States, Western States: California, Nevada, Arizona, Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and Utah (V1.3,
Updated Dec '07)â
Google Play Store: âARC GIS Explorerâ App - required to use the many viewable layers available via USGS and other US departmental resources
⢠Another Tool:
USDA Geospatial Data Gateway - âThe Geospatial Data Gateway (GDG) provides access to a map library of over 100 high resolution vector and raster layers in the Geospatial Data Warehouse. It is the One Stop Source for environmental and natural resources data, at any time, from anywhere, to anyone. It allows you to choose your area of interest, browse and select data, customize the format, then review and download.â
Thanks for the information, Clyde!!
You always have the inside track on the RRV Zinfandel vineyards! 
Rod Smith essentially confirms that in âRaiders of the Lost Zinâ. Additionally, according to the Wine & Spirits article:
â⌠Most the old Zin plantings may well have been part of just a few big vineyards in the old days, but subdivision off property over the years has resulted in a number of smaller, individual vineyards, each under different ownership or managementâŚâ
The author goes on to explain how Lloyd Chelliâs Wood Rd. vineyard and its bush vine neighbor were part of the same property in the past but, thanks to Chelliâs uniquely high-trained vines, the two appear as different as night and day.
I am digging through some of the web resources that I can share related to Russian River Valley Zinfandel, RRV geology, etc:
⢠Quentin Sadlerâs Wine Page
âReturn to Sonoma: The Russian River Valleyâ
December 5, 2010
This British blog entry focuses on Joseph Swan. There are two, 2-minute-long video interviews with Mr Rod Berglund (one on the RRV in general, one on RRV Zin - specifically Swanâs work with the âMancini Vineyardâ Zin).
Thread Drift ![[truce.gif]](/uploads/db3686/original/2X/d/d33e712b50d5efc2425bf219c404fbdb7ed0ba50.gif "truce"){kind=small}
Below are two older Wine & Spirits magazine articles that address potentially dividing the Russian River Valley AVA in order to more accurately reflect climatic, geologic, and geographic features within the region.
One discusses the subdivision off Russian River Valley in relation to the inflow of fog from the Pacific Ocean up the river (not the Petaluma Wind Gap);
The other article explores the different geographic/climatic elements of the Green Valley.
Wine & Spirits magazine
âPatterns in the Fog: Pinot Noir Enclaves within the Russian River Valleyâ
by Rod Smith
January/February 2004
Mapping consultant Mike Bobbitt (see below) and winemakers Dan Goldfield (Dutton-Goldfield), Fred Scherrer (Scherrer), Gary Farrell (Gary Farrell), and Rod Berglund (Joseph Swan) contribute their expertise in the assertion that the RRV AVA is in fact, due to fog/climate and topography/geology, an agglomeration of five separate sub-sections.
The areas (barring hilltops and such) go from the coolest-to-warmest as oneâs finger moves Southwest-to-Northeast across the map. The 5 distinct regional divisions are: Green Valley, Laguna Ridge, the Middle Reach, and the Santa Rosa Plain.
Wine & Spirits magazine
âGreen Valleyâ
by Rod Smith
April, 2001
This piece, while incredibly well-written, has squat to do with Zinfandel. Sure, there are a couple of vineyards remaining in the Green Valley (if not the insanely large Sonoma Coast AVA), the article is focused solely on Pinot and Chardonnay.
Mike Bobbitt is featured in the following article:
SF Gate
âThe Fog Chasers: The Wines of Sonoma Countyâs Green Valley AVA Receive a Cold, Clammy Embraceâ
by Stephen Yafa
May 12, 2005
Love the Geekyness Drew! ![[thumbs-up.gif]](/uploads/db3686/original/2X/f/f84c5acc11486ee4baba6dee6cf61dbd133abb18.gif "[thumbs-up.gif]"){kind=small}
I was looking for any online information about the âArata Vineyardâ (2 parcels at the NW corner of Wood/Fulton, @ 2611 Fulton Rd), when I rediscovered this thread.
Mr Maloneyâs comments provide an excellent source for a bit of deep-diving into a few extant RRV Zinfandel/mixed blacks vineyards:
In addition to being sources of grapes for Brian, the following RRV vineyards have been used for many Russian River Zinfandel producers:
- âBattaglini Vineyardâ -(aka âTwin Pines Vineyardâ) owned by Battaglini Estate Winery (2948 Piner Rd) since 1988, formerly the old Lagomarsino Winery. The winery bottles 4 Zinfandel wines and one Petite Sirah from the 1885 plantings. According to the Battaglini winery website:
ââŚThe 25 acres of old vines consisting of the Zinfandel and Petite Sirah vines, were supplemented in 1996, with a new planting of Chardonnay grapes to take advantage of the favorable climate. The ancient vine Zinfandel and Petite Sirah are now amongst the oldest producing vines in the United States.â
-
âBoschetti Vineyardâ - owned (I think) by River Road Vineyards, a brand of Ron Rubin Wines; âBoschetti Old Vine Zinfandelâ product information link.
-
âFanucchi Vineyardâ - (planted ~1906) owned by Peter Fanucchi of Fanucchi Vineyards; his father purchased the Zinfandel/mixed blacks site in 1971, and bought an adjacent plot of land in 1981, which they planted to Trousseau Gris.
-
âMaffei Vineyardâ (2207 Olivet Rd) planted in the 1920âs, according to the âMaffei Vineyardâ profile on the Historic Vineyard Society website.
-
âSaitone Vineyardâ planted in the 1890âs, according to the âSaitone Vineyardâ profile on the Historic Vineyard Society website.
-
âRue Vineyardâ - as noted above by ClydeUnderwood, now bottled by Croix Estate Winery as the â1904 Vineyardâ Zinfandel.
Virginia Boone of Wine Enthusiast rated the 2017 bottling 91 points.
- âWinberrie Vineyardâ - planted in the early 1900âs, according to the âWinberrie Vineyardâ profile on the Historic Vineyard Society website.
The âWinberrie Vineyardâ was used as a primary fruit source for Gordian Knot Winery, ending with the 2015 vintage. I am uncertain if the new âWinberrie Knollsâ Zinfandel from Hartford Family Wines (known for its Wood Road-sourced single-vineyard Zins) is from this site.
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As I mentioned above in another post, newer vines were added to the historic âBattaglini Vineyardâ (in 1996, I think). It is a relatively small plot so, when any vacant spots in rows are filled, the total percentage of old-vine material will decrease by a greater proportion (compared against larger vineyards).
Having said that, I read an article that raised a couple of salacious allegations against this RRV site.
The Anderson Valley Advertiser
âPrisoners of the Vinesâ
by Mark Scaramella
January 22, 2013
ââŚusing Google Street View from Piner Road, the Battaglini vineyard is clearly not the vineyard old man Lagomarsino planted in 1885 because the vines are in the typical high-density jam-packed tight row arrangement typical of most modern vineyards, complete with huge pond and a mansion-style home and tasting room surrounded by grapevinesâŚâ.
I believe this articleâs author was focused on exposing the vulnerabilities and safety hazards faced by non-union employees of large vineyard management companies. An unfavorable portrayal of the featured corporationâs grape-growing client was icing on the cake, so to speak.
Over the course of an ancient vineyardâs lifespan, gradually introduced modifications could transform its appearance dramatically:
¡ Vine spacing density can be intensified by planting between existing vines;
¡ Diseased, damaged, or dead vines may be replaced by different grape varieties/clones;
¡ The vines might be retrained from one style to another - compare the vertically-trained Zinfandel vines at the âChelli Vineyardâ to the bushy head-trained ones at âBelloniâ and âRueâ (all 3 were originally pieces of a single vineyard);
¡ Irrigation vs dry-farming, neglect vs renovations, and other factors play a role in the difference of appearance between heritage viticultural sites across the West Coast.
I will not address the other allegation made by the articleâs author, as I have no way of knowing the veracity of his statement. Choose you battles, as the adage goes!
**** EDIT **** Disregard the above articleâs claims. The vineyard mentioned by the author was not the âBattaglini Vineyardâ!
Hi Drew,
The author of that 2013 article had no idea what he was talking about. Factually itâs a train wreck, especially with respect to Battaglini. Clearly he had (has?) a large bug up his you-know-what with regards to wineries and vineyards.
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Thanks for chiming in, Mike! ![[cheers.gif]](/uploads/db3686/original/2X/0/0ff9bfcdb0964982cd3240b6159868fbdf215b1a.gif "cheers"){kind=small}
The Anderson Valley Advertiser appears to provide solid reporting of Mendo wine-related history, although some content obviously is more editorial/opinion-based. As the writer of the above piece professed to cite official documents, I was uncertain as to whether he was concerned with uncovering unpleasant truths or if he âdoth protest too muchâ.
I love Californiaâs historic viticultural regions. Too often, I encounter a void of information between the Prohibition years and the emergence of larger wine publications in the 1970s and '80s. Even then, it can be challenging sorting out the dross.
Uncorked Wine Travels
âBattaglini Winery Touts âViti Vecche Vini Buonoââ
by Deborah Mines
May 30, 2016
"âŚGiuseppe and his wife Lucia, immigrated from Italy to California in 1956, seeking a similar Italian lifestyle amongst the vines.
"The original owner and vintner, Bartholomew Lagomarsino, also an Italian immigrant, planted Zinfandel and Petite Sirah in 1885 on this very site.
âToday, the 1885 vines still flourish and produce incredible full-bodied Zinfandel and Petit Sirah, which have become the Battaglini Winery flagship wines. In addition, the vineyards are planted to ChardonnayâŚâ.
Battaglini Estate Winery website:
https://battagliniwines.com/
An older online article detailed the acquisition of an old-vine Zinfandel plot at 2801 Piner Road, by Crimson Wine Group.
Wine Industry Insight
âCrimson Wine Buying Sonoma Vineyard With 98-Year-Old Zinfandel Vinesâ
by Lewis Perdue
September 3, 2014
"Crimson Wine Group (OTC: CWGL) has agreed to pay $2.6 million for a 24-acre Sonoma County vineyard parcel containing 13 acres of Zinfandel vines planted circa 1916.
"An 8-K filed with the by Crimson Wine on August 29, said the land â on Piner Road north of Santa Rosa â was purchased from Silverado Sonoma Vineyards LLC. Aerial photos indicate that the vineyard has 20 acres planted including the heirloom Zinfandel vines which have been used in âOld Vine Zinfandelâ wine programs.
âAccording to the Sonoma County Assessor and other public sources, the property also has a barn and a 1,461-square-foot, four-room home with two bedrooms and one bath. The property is part of the county ag preserve.â
âAccording to the purchase and sale agreement, Crimson will assume a grape purchase agreement with Justin Vineyards & Winery (dba Landmark Vineyards) as well as two other unspecified lease agreements with Ledson Winery and Carlisle Winery & VineyardsâŚâ.
The Realtor websiteâs profile of 2801 Piner Rd includes 8 photos of the vinesâŚ
"Property Overview - Hard to find quality vineyard with Old Vine Zin ( 13 acres ) and Pinot ( 7 acres ). House needs remodeling. 7 Acres of Zin is leased for [omitted]. per year for 5 years. Remaining Zin is also leased for [omitted] net for 3 years. Vineyard produces a very good income. Nice views of Mt. St Helena form the home. Very private well off the main road.
âThis property overview is from the previous listing when the home was listed for sale in Feb 10, 2014.â
According to the EveryVine website map, this site is identified as âFeeney Vineyard (#5)â. Is this the âMontafi Vineyardâ?
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Yes. The Montafi vineyard is NW of the intersection of Piner Rd and Bossa Rd about 1/4 mi west of Fulton Rd.
Crimson purchased Seghesio in 2011 which allowed Seghesio to purchase the Montafi vineyard in 2014. Seghesio has made a Montafi zin since 2015. Itâs their flagship zin now and and is quite good.
If you spin that street view to the left you can see Winberrie Knolls Rd and the Winberrie vineyard on the other side of Piner Rd. Hartford started making a Winberrie zin in 2018. The Winberrie vineyard is thought to date from 1906.
https://www.jfwthekey.com/asset/2018-hartford-winberrie-knolls-old-vine-zinfandel-wis