Wine Tributaries
by Tim Hayes & John Koetzner

     If an ancient myth were to be reborn in Sonoma County, Seghesio Family Vineyards would qualify as heir to that mythical status, and it would capture our collective imaginations just as well. Only a year after celebrating its centennial in the grape growing business, Seghesio was hit with a devastating fire in July 1996 that destroyed twenty-eight redwood tanks and 100 barrels of Pinot Noir at its Grove Street facility.

     Out of the ashes, rising like a Phoenix, is their new barrel room and tasting room. It is a majestic place, whose spaciousness invites many people to spread out along its expanse, sipping the fruits of several generations of grape growing and winemaking by one of the pioneering families in Sonoma County's wine industry.

     While Edoardo and Angela Seghesio probably had no idea what their progeny would do with their legacy, they would no doubt be proud. Originally from the Piemonte region, that tradition of Italian grape varietals still lives in today's wine lineage as the Sangiovese is the oldest planted in the country.

     Their first investment in vineyards back in 1895 led to their first winery being built in 1902. Later, from 1919 until 1920, Edoardo and Angela were the sole owners of Italian Swiss Colony in Asti which they purchased for $127,000. They sold it to the Rossi brothers, and then became partners until 1933.

     The current location for their facility at Grove Street was originally called Roma Winery and was founded by the Scatena brothers. They later changed the name of the winery to Scatena Bros., but they eventually sold it and it became Alta Vineyards in 1944. In 1949, the Seghesio family bought it for $75,000 at auction when Alta Vineyards was going bankrupt, and so began their ownership which has continued to present day. However, the facility did not have a tasting room, and that is where April's opening of the newly refurbished building provided a link to current wine marketing. While the past was more devoted to bulk wine, the present is about quality over quantity.

     Other wine writers such as Richard Paul Hinkle and Millie Howie have long noted that Seghesio was making fine wines, but that they were often overlooked in wine-buying guides during the 1960s and 1970s when their production was still 120,000 cases or more a year. Under Peter Seghesio, Jr.'s guidance, production was trimmed to 40,000 cases in 1994, and that has made a big difference.

     Cousin Ted Seghesio, who is winemaker, has been given the opportunity to show off his talents as the smaller production allows him to craft even finer wines. But one of the keys to his success goes all the way back to Edoardo and Angela and that Sangiovese and Zinfandel that was planted near the turn of the century. The four hundred acres that the Seghesio family owns and operates in Alexander Valley, Dry Creek Valley, and the Russian River Valley have proven to be the critical resource for making their current line of wines.

     Part of the winemaking philosophy is based on good vineyard management. Seghesio has an extensive canopy management program, and they are working with smaller yields for their fruit. That, combined with their old clone vines, has helped produce richer, more intense fruit for their wines.

       The results are paying off. In our visit to the tasting room, which has redwood milled from some of their old tanks in the tasting room bar, the doors and ceiling, as well as lining the walls of the barrel room, we were impressed.  Tasting Room Manager Amy Talley was amiable and knowledgeable, making our tasting a pleasant, informative experience for the current releases.

     We found the quality of all the wines to be exceptional. Our big pick is the 1996 Sangiovese ($17.00) which has a beautiful dark ruby color, complex, rich and rounded fruit, and an excellent finish. This wine alone is worth a stop at the tasting room.

     However, don't  stop by for one taste. Other Seghesio releases that should not be missed, and which are just as impressive, are the 1996 Sonoma County Zinfandel ($13.50), which is a fine example of Zin, and the 1996 Keyhole Ranch Pinot Noir ($20.00) from the Russian River Valley, a great reminder that the Russian River Valley is an ideal spot for Pinot Noir.

     As the Seghesio family moves into the next hundred years, its mythical status amongst Sonoma County wineries is already secured. Stopping by their new tasting room offers the opportunity to learn more of the story, and to taste a Sangiovese with mythical status.

© 1999 by Tim Hayes & John Koetzner. All Rights Reserved. Wine Tributaries is hosted by Wines on the Internet.