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.
Home to a diverse array of smaller AVAs with varied microclimates and soil types, Sonoma County has something for every wine lover. Physically twice as large as Napa Valley, the region only produces about half the amount of wine but boasts both tremendous quality and variety. With its laid-back atmosphere and down-to-earth attitude, the wineries of Sonoma are appreciated by wine tourists for their friendliness and approachability. The entire county intends to become a 100% sustainable winegrowing region by 2019.
Sonoma County wines are produced with carefully selected grape varieties to reflect the best attributes of their sites—Dry Creek Valley’s consistent sunshine is ideal for Zinfandel, while the warm Alexander Valley is responsible for rich, voluptuous red wines like Cabernet Sauvignon. Chardonnay and Pinot Noir are important throughout the county, most notably in the cooler AVAs of Russian River, Sonoma Coast and Carneros. Sauvignon Blanc, Merlot and Syrah have also found a firm footing here.
Thin-skinned, finicky and temperamental, Pinot Noir is also one of the most rewarding grapes to grow and remains a labor of love for some of the greatest vignerons in Burgundy. Fairly adaptable but highly reflective of the environment in which it is grown, Pinot Noir prefers a cool climate and requires low yields to achieve high quality. Outside of France, outstanding examples come from in Oregon, California and throughout specific locations in wine-producing world. Somm Secret—André Tchelistcheff, California’s most influential post-Prohibition winemaker decidedly stayed away from the grape, claiming “God made Cabernet. The Devil made Pinot Noir.”