Reviews: 3 New Releases from Sonoma County's Seghesio Family Vineyards

In 2011, the Seghesio family announced that they had sold their well-established and very well-regarded (especially for Zinfandel) Sonoma business to Crimson Wine Group, which owns Pine Ridge in Napa Valley, Archery Summit in Oregon's Willamette Valley, and Chamisal Winery in Edna Valley in California's Central Coast.

When I interviewed Pete Seghesio shortly after the sale, he explained to me that the family had grown so large that their interests had started to diverge and it just made sense for them to cash out so that different branches of the family could pursue their different interests.

For a family that has been in the same business, building it gradually over generations, for over 100 years, I could understand the predicament. At some point some members of the family want to live elsewhere, or want to pursue careers outside of the family business, and it makes sense to liquidate the successful brand and let everyone go on their merry way.

Crimson was able to acquire not just the brand and family name, but also some of the Seghesio clan's prized vineyards. In doing so, Crimson preserved some of the integrity of the history and heritage of the brand and to retain the authenticity of some of the flagship wines, like the Cortina and Home Ranch Zinfandel. Nine years later, the Seghesio brand still seems strong. The wines are really good, and anchored by the terroir of the Seghesio heritage vineyards. And the Sonoma County Chardonnay, which is not estate bottled is not too shabby at all.

Seghesio Sonoma County Chardonnay ($19) This is a rock-solid Sonoma Chardonnay at a very fair price. It's very expressive, radiating ripe peach, banana, orange zest and toast aromas, and has mouth-filling stone fruit, orange and mango flavors with creamy, well-integrated oak notes on the finish. There's a bit of Vermentino in the blend, which seems to give it a nice focused, zesty character. (92 Points)

Seghesio 2016 Cortina Vineyard Zinfandel Dry Creek Valley ($40) If Seghesio is best known for anything, it is certainly Zinfandel. As far as I am concerned, and as I wrote in the San Francisco Chronicle back in 2008, Dry Creek Valley is the best Zinfandel AVA in California. Aside from the moderate climate, Dry Creek Valley boasts sloped, gravelly, well-drained soils, and a good variety between the east-facing sites and the west-facing sites. This single vineyard Zin displays the trademark Dry Creek black pepper character in spades, plus coriander spice notes on the nose and plush red currant, blackberry fruit. It's a big wine, weighing in at 15.3% alcohol, so it shows best at cellar temperature. Very impressive. (93 Points)

Seghesio 2015 Home Ranch Estate Zinfandel Alexander Valley ($60) The core of this wine is made from the founding Seghesio's original vineyard plot planted 120 years ago. This one is a powerhouse, and a wine that is consistently well-reviewed. It's from a warmer location than the Dry Creek Valley bottling, so you get a little more plum, chocolate, and brown sugar in addition to the briary, herb-inflected deep berry fruit notes. I'm not sure what the final blend is, but it feels like there might be some Carignane in there giving it some brightness and lift on the finish. At any rate, it's a true California heritage wine that hearkens back to the beginnings of contemporary wine in California. (92 Points)



-Tim Teichgraeber