Seghesio, `Cortina` Dry Creek Valley Zinfandel

For over a century, the Seghesio family has played an integral role in the history and evolution of viticulture in Sonoma County. The winery was established in 1895 when Italian immigrant Edoardo Seghesio planted his first Zinfandel vines in what is now Seghesio’s ‘Home Ranch’ vineyard in Alexander Valley. Edoardo and his wife Angela continued growing vines during the Prohibition years, becoming the only winery in the region to survive that era.

Seghesio’s reputation for world-class Zinfandel was cemented under the guidance of third-generation Pete Seghesio and his cousin Ted Seghesio in the 1980s. Owned by Crimson Wine Group since 2011 (who also own Pine Ridge in Napa Valley), today Seghesio remains focused on its family roots, with Ted's nephew Ned Neumiller in charge of viticulture.

Over the last ten years, Ned has implemented a regenerative farming revolution that’s given many of their oldest vineyards a new lease of life. His work was recognised early on when he was awarded the honour of “Sonoma County’s Outstanding Young Person in Agriculture" in 2018. From there, he has continued to innovate, eradicating the use of pesticides and herbicides, investing in equipment to make compost teas, and allowing the vines to naturally regulate thanks to optimally planted cover crops, which are intermittently crimped during the growing season. Seghesio owns 120 hectares of regeneratively farmed vineyards across several renowned appellations in Sonoma, including Dry Creek Valley and Alexander Valley. In addition to these outstanding sites, they have long-standing relationships with local growers from both Sonoma and Mendocino counties.

Andy Robinson, who worked alongside Ted in the cellar for almost 20 years, is now Head Winemaker. Italian consultant winemaker Alberto Antonini has also helped improve the quality of the wines, and his influence can be seen in the juicy, approachable style of Zinfandel that has become Seghesio’s hallmark.

The Sonoma Zinfandel is made from carefully selected vineyards across Dry Creek Valley, Alexander Valley and Mendocino County. Purity, balance and freshness define the resulting wine. ‘Old Vines’ Zinfandel is made from 70-year-old bush vines sourced from three vineyards in the Dry Creek and Alexander Valleys. It is powerful yet refined. The grapes for ‘Cortina’ Zinfandel are primarily sourced from Chen’s Vineyard in Dry Creek Valley. The dry-farmed estate vineyard, planted in 1972, is influenced by cooling maritime breezes and is blanketed in fog most summer mornings, resulting in a longer growing season, which allows the grapes to ripen at a steady pace. The wine is named after the gravelly loam Cortina soil in Chen’s Vineyard, offering an elegant expression of Zinfandel.

‘Home Ranch’ Zinfandel, the estate’s flagship wine, is made from Edoardo’s original 1895 planting in Alexander Valley. Long, warm days and very poor soils, composed of clay with underlying layers of basalt and sandstone, result in very low yields of highly concentrated fruit. ‘Home Ranch’ is one of California’s most revered expressions of premium Zinfandel.