After combing the edges of Sonoma Valley near Kenwood, I think I have made a couple of discoveries. The upward-climbing route of Lawndale Road is obviously a region worth additional scrutiny in tracking down the exact locations of a handful of old Zinfandel and "mixed black" vineyards.
· Kimberly Vineyard:
Naperville Magazine
"From Sonoma with Love"
August, 2020
"...Kimberly Vineyards, is a historic nine-acre Sonoma Valley property that’s home to century-old olive trees and grape vines that took root before Prohibition. When Feldman and Cherny—who had been on the hunt for a Zinfandel source for their 2019 vintage—learned the property was in a transitional phase, they approached second-generation owner Kimberly Eisert about a partnership. Eisert, who was concerned with the health of her vineyard after years of conventional farming, was immediately impressed by Feldman’s knowledge of Sonoma Valley and its history.
"...It seems the vines appreciate their new caretakers, too—they have gifted Feldman and Cherny with abundant fruit, including the sought-after Zinfandel.
Source & Sink’s newly released 2019 lineup includes 80 cases of single-varietal Zinfandel, and the grape also features in the year’s Red Field Blend...".
Kimberly Eisert is the daughter of
Ernie Myer, who passed away in 2014. Myer's obituary in the
Press Democrat states, "He retired from TWA in 1991 and became a full-time 'grape-grower'; loving the land, work and peace he found in farming."
From Source & Sink website:
"Kimberly Vineyard"
"...Relics of the past residents include pre-prohibition mix black grape varieties, 100 year old olive trees, and barns once used to house guinea fowl. In the 1970’s Ernie Meyers purchased the property from the Granelli Family as a means to get away from the city life. It was here that he seeked grape-growing mentorship from neighboring vintner Val Rossi. Ernie and Val planted Cabernet Sauvignon which still thrives today, as well as Zinfandel, Chenin Blanc, and a mixed Rhone block of Syrah, Grenache, & Mourvèdre."
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I am unable to determine whether the "Kimberly Vineyard" was known by other names in the past, or if it was the subject of any vineyard-designated wines. Also, I am not certain what proportion of the planting is composed of ancient vines.
· Rossi Vineyard:
Historic Vineyard Society profile:
"Rossi Ranch"
Loxton Cellars website:
"Rossi Ranch"
"I used to live on warm Springs Road in Glen Ellen and one of my favorite walks was to go up
Lawndale Road in Kenwood into a little Valley where the road narrowed to one lane as it went through the old Rossi Ranch. It was a fabulous vineyard, originally planted in 1910 by the Rossi Family and it contained an incredible collection of old vines of various varieties which at first glance appeared to be haphazardly intermixed. I once asked Val Rossi, then in his eighties, why there were table grapes and I was surprised to hear that his father had planted them for the pickers to eat! I just loved those old vines, pruned almost as bonsai trees (bush vines as we would say in Australia) and while it needed some replanting and upkeep, I often thought about the wines that they made.
RossiResize.jpg
"The vineyard was purchased following Val’s death and while some of those old vines were retained, much has been replanted with the utmost attention to detail and with a commitment to quality and for farming organically. My friend, Greg Adams, was intimately involved with the replanting and was the facilitator to me getting some of these grapes in 2009. While there are many blocks and many varieties (focused on Zinfandel and the Rhone varieties), I have been getting Zinfandel several different blocks and Syrah from hillside blocks on the red soils that face out to the west...".
Carlisle Winery website:
"Rossi Ranch"
"Planted in 1910 by the Rossi Family, this must be one of the most picturesque vineyards in Sonoma County. Farmed organically, there are a variety of hills, undulations, and exposures, all surrounded by a mix of oak and pine/fir forest. Unfortunately, after the death of Val Rossi in 1999, the vineyard fell into disrepair and many of the old vines were lost, including large tracts of Alicante Bouschet and Grand Noir. New owners have completed a massive renovation of the vineyard, preserving not just the remaining old vines but all the original structures as well...".
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Winery Sixteen 600 blog
"How I Met Your Mother: A Sonoma Love Story"
by Sam Coturri
February 10, 2016
"...After poetry and the Grateful Dead, my dad Phil Coturri's, first love is farming. By the harvest of 1977 he was 25 years old and his farming career was just starting - picking grapes and running a crew at 'Val' Rossi's vineyard on Lawndale Road in Kenwood.
"The owner of the ranch, Valentine Rossi (1909-1999), was a wise, old-school farmer with a sentimental side. He was born and raised on the ranch and lived there all his life. His father Carlo Rossi (not to be confused with the jug wine salesman) was born in Italy in 1874 and planted the Rossi Vineyard in 1910, a year after his son Val was born.
"The 'mixed-black' old vines, sweeping vistas and rich history have long made the Rossi Ranch an iconic Sonoma Valley site, but to me its significance is much more personal.
"This bucolic property, a throwback to Sonoma’s bygone era, is the setting for how Phil met my mother, Arden.
"The vineyard stands astride Sonoma Mountain and Bennett Valley, the crossroads into Sonoma Valley that Jack London acclaims in the Valley of the Moon–'This is called Bennett Valley. You cross a divide from it and come out at Glen Ellen. Now this is a mighty pretty valley, if anybody should ask you. An’ that’s some nifty mountain over there'...".
· Uboldi Vineyard:
The "Uboldi Vineyard" is located at 759 Lawndale Rd in the hilly edges of Kenwood. Although best known for growing Sauvignon Blanc,
Turley Wine Cellars bottled at least one Alicante Bouschet from the site. I do not know whether additional grape varieties, like Zinfandel, are also cultivated on the site.
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