Winemaker Notes
Critical Acclaim
All Vintages
Westwood Estate features wines sourced primarily from the Biodynamically certified Annadel Gap Vineyard in Sonoma Valley that serves as the heart of Westwood Estate. The vineyard has also achieved organic certification from Oregon based Stellar Certification Services. First planted in the northernmost part of Sonoma Valley in three stages between 2001 and 2009, the 22 planted acres feature carefully focused blocks of nine clones of Pinot Noir, four clones of Syrah, and micro-blocks of Counoise, Mourvèdre, Grenache, Tannat, Roussanne and Viognier.
Annadel Gap Vineyard allows Westwood to craft limited release artisan Pinot Noir and Rhône varietals, including Westwood Legend, a Rhône styled blend.
The former dairy farm studded with Black Walnut groves features a gently sloping profile ranging from 410 to 530 feet, with four distinct soil zones of various loams resembling the famed Gold Ridge soils more common to Western Sonoma County. The vineyard is cooler than most in the northern reaches of Sonoma Valley, more closely resembling vineyards founded further west in the Petaluma Gap.
The organic farming and Biodynamic™ practices at Annadel include the extensive use of beneficial insects, compost and cover crops and the application of materials at times that are directed by principles developed by Austrian scientist Rudolph Steiner early in the 20th century.
Perhaps the most historically significant appellation in Sonoma County, the Sonoma Valley is home to both Buena Vista winery, California's oldest commercial winery, and Gundlach Bundschu winery, California's oldest family-run winery.
It is also one of the more geologically and climactically diverse districts. The valley includes and overlaps four distinct Sonoma County sub-appellations, including Carneros, Moon Mountain District, Sonoma Mountain and Bennett Valley. With mountains, benchlands, plains, abundant sunshine and the cooling effects of the nearby Pacific, this appellation can successfully produce a wide range of grape varieties. Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Gewürztraminer, and most notably, Zinfandel all thrive here. Ancient Zinfandel vines over 100 years old produce small crops of concentrated, spicy fruit, which in turn make some of the Valley's most unique wines. These can also be made as “field blends” (wines made from a mix of grape varieties grown in the same vineyard) along with Petite Sirah, Carignan and Alicante Bouschet.
