Can anybody please help me with up-to-date information about the old-vine sites along Russian River Valley’s Wood Road?
I have read the information available on the Hartford and Fanucchi winery websites.
I am curious as to who currently owns the vineyards, who gets the fruit, and if any significant changes have occurred in the past ten years.
Belloni Vineyard, just west of Hartford’s Highwire is used by Ravenswood. Used to be all one vineyard, three parcels. Chelli, Belloni and Rue, with identical plantings from Fulton Rd through Belloni. Chelli uprooted the old vines and replanted with trellised HighWire.
Hartford’s Home Ranch is just up the road.
I thought the Highwire parcel was just retrained not replanted? Was researching for a store sign not too long ago and thought those vines were fairly old. Or was it just done long enough back that the ‘new’ vines are still pretty well established?
My understanding is that the vines were retrained as well, and are old (early 1900s).
I have, of course, followed Wood Road since the beginning 
The vineyards I know of are:
Rue: Carol Shelton made some for herself and some for Robert Rue, not sure who gets it now.
Fanucchi: Hartford Court I believe. The Trousseau Gris goes to Wind Gap, Jolie Laide, and a couple others.
Chelli/Highwire: Old vines that were trained onto a vertical cordon system, goes to Hartford Court
Belloni: Very mixed vineyard with lots of Mataro, Alicante, Carignan and others that goes to Ravenswood
Hartford Vineyard: Probably the best tended vineyard on the road
There was one called Arata but I don’t know what is going on with it.
Hope that helps!
M
Thanks for jumping in, MTP!
Uhhh…Morgan…there’s a $5 royalty for use of my phrase…you know??? 
Thanks for the inside info. Any idea how old the HartfordVnyd is??
Tom
Planted around 100 years ago in the '10s.
Which side of the road are the Hartford and Highwire, in relation to Rue vineyard and winery? I got to spend time at Hartford a ways back and like their wines a lot, plus I’m a Google Maps junkie when it comes to vineyards, and I like to see what’s viewable from the street shots. Helps me understand what’s going on w/r/t terrain, soils, elevation, etc.
Hi,
Kirk Venge bought Rue vineyard last year. DeLoach Vineyards has been working with and bottling it since 2012 but 2016 will be our last vintage in it. I’m not sure when Carol Shelton’s last vintage in there was, but it was prior to 2012. Dan Barwick was making it for Bob and I believe also a bit for Paradise Ridge (at least the Sauvignon blanc coming out of the vineyard).
Buena Vista last year started purchasing some of the Fanucchi Zinfandel and this year purchased a couple tons of the Trousseau Gris.
Regards,
Brian Maloney
DeLoach and Buena Vista
Thanks Brian!
Can you please provide us with a little bit of detail about what makes each of the Buena Vista Zinfandel wines different?
Hi Drew,
Sure,
There’s 4 main Zin’s that we make for Buena Vista. The Private Reserve is based on the White Perry Vineyard an approx 30 year old site next to the historic Buena Vista Winery in Sonoma planted on land that was part of the original Haraszthy plantings. The Arpad’s is our bottling from Monte Rosso. The Antal’s is from Baldocchi in RRV just north of River Road to the west of Fulton. The Attila’s is a blend of several different sites through out Sonoma County, predominately RRV sites, but some Sonoma Valley fruit in it as well. Starting with the 15 vintage, the Fanucchi will go into Attila’s.
regards,
Brian
Carlisle got some Fanucchi in 2010.