Winemaker Notes
Bennett Valley Cellars began its journey 60 years ago in the Veneto region in Italy. Young Emilio Zanin eagerly worked in his grandfather's vineyard before and a fter school where he learned to love the hard work necessary to make fine wine. Aft er immigrating to the United States in 1969, Emilio and his family have accomplished their life-long ambition of having their own vineyards. Nestled in the pristine Bennett Valley appellation within Sonoma Valley, Bennett Valley Cellars farms 40 acres of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay on two ranches: Simpatico Ranch and Marina's Vineyard. Th e well-drained volcanic alluvial soils and fog-cooled climate create ideal growing environment for producing wines with flavors and aromatic characteristics unique to this beautiful valley.
With boundaries overlapping the Sonoma Coast AVA and Sonoma Mountain AVA, Bennett Valley benefits from the cooling effects of the nearby Pacific Ocean just like its neighbors. Top grapes planted include Barbera, Pinot noir and Chardonnay, as well as Bordeaux and Rhone varieties.
One of the most popular and versatile white wine grapes, Chardonnay offers a wide range of flavors and styles depending on where it is grown and how it is made. While it tends to flourish in most environments, Chardonnay from its Burgundian homeland produces some of the most remarkable and longest lived examples. California produces both oaky, buttery styles and leaner, European-inspired wines. Somm Secret—The Burgundian subregion of Chablis, while typically using older oak barrels, produces a bright style similar to the unoaked style. Anyone who doesn't like oaky Chardonnay would likely enjoy Chablis.