Gary Farrell Vineyards & Winery: A Stunning Russian River Wine Experience
Extraordinary Wines and Vistas, Single Vineyard Choices
Gary Farrell Vineyards & Winery is a perennial favorite of mine in Sonoma’s Russian River Valley AVA… the grapes for their single vineyard Pinot Noir and Chardonnay wines are sourced from partner vineyards stretching to several areas of the Russian River. Their wines have been recently featured in my holiday recommendation articles. Check out these newsletters for a last minute holiday gift idea.
“Holiday Gifting Guide, Wine-Style 2023”, December 2023
“All-American Thanksgiving Wine Pairing 2023”, November 2023
In October we were welcomed back to the stunningly natural, yet modern, Gary Farrell Vineyards tasting room. The winery looks down into the Russian River valley…one of my favorite vistas in California wine country. I use this spectacular view from Gary Farrell Winery as a “wallpaper” on my iPhone. The head educator/Estate Sommelier Gabe Brezic, greeted us and curated the tasting. Gabe took us through a range of the single vineyard Chardonnays and Pinot Noir wines with a great rosé thrown in. See Wine Recommendations below.
I conducted a remote interview with their extraordinary winemaker, Theresa Heredia, who was in the middle of harvest during our October visit. See her interview responses below along with a brief biography. I have done several articles in the past on Gary Farrell including:
“Russian River “Neighborhoods” Revealed through…Gary Farrell Vineyards and Winery, May 2021
About Gary Farrell Vineyards & Winery
Beginning in the late 1970s, while working with seminal Russian River Valley vintners such as Davis Bynum, Joe Rochioli, Tom Dehlinger and Robert Stemmler, Gary Farrell was instrumental in showcasing the Pinot Noirs and Chardonnays of the nascent Russian River Valley AVA, a picturesque, redwood-studded wine region 55 miles north of San Francisco whose mighty river cuts a scenic swath through the heart of Sonoma County. He made his first wine under the Gary Farrell label in 1982 and built the winery into one of the most acclaimed producers of small-lot Pinot Noirs and Chardonnays in the Russian River Valley.
Currently owned and managed by a well-known investor group including Bill Price of Kistler Vineyards, Pete Scott, former CFO of Beringer Wine Estates, and Walt Klenz, former CEO of Beringer Wine Estates, the team is carefully nurturing Gary Farrell’s legacy of producing small lots of varietally expressive and regionally distinctive Russian River Valley Pinot Noirs and Chardonnays at its beautifully designed winery on Westside Road. Drawing on his quarter-century of winemaking experience, Farrell built the winery in 2000, and it reflects his legendary obsession with cleanliness, natural process flow, small-tank fermentations, top-flight French oak cooperage, and meticulous attention to detail. In 2012, Theresa Heredia, a highly respected winemaker who has long specialized in small-lot, single-vineyard wines, joined Gary Farrell Winery as their head winemaker, following her experience at Joseph Phelps Freestone Vineyards.
An Interview with Theresa Heredia, Winemaker
Question: What makes your winery different and alike to others in Sonoma/Russian River?
Answer: “Three things primarily allow us to stand out from others in the area: 1. Our wine style is slightly less ripe, more savory in character, and each wine represents its origin, offering an expression of place; 2. We are one of the original Russian River wineries, and Gary Farrell was one of the pioneers of the Russian River Valley; 3. Our connections with our grower partners and the vineyards from which we source is strong. Most of our wines showcase the vineyard name, highlighting the importance of these partnerships. We’ve been purchasing from some of them for 30-40+ years now, and some of our original grape purchase agreements were done with a handshake. This is pretty special, and personally, I feel lucky to have friendships and long-term partnerships with so many iconic growers in this historic area.” -Theresa Heredia, Winemaker
Question: What are you doing in the areas of sustainability?
Answer: “As one of the pioneers of the Russian River Valley, we are committed to sustainable business and sustainable farming methodologies. We feel it is good for our grower partners, our customers, our employees, it’s good for the earth, and it’s just good business. We work with 40 different vineyards around Sonoma County, predominantly in the Russian River Valley. Back in 2014, Sonoma County Winegrowers made a bold commitment to become the most sustainable winegrowing region in the world. After 5 years of hard work and much collaboration among the region’s growers and wineries, Sonoma County can now say that 99% of its vineyards are certified sustainable. For Gary Farrell Winery, this was a huge commitment because we work with so many grower partners. Most of the vineyards we work with today are certified sustainable and this is indicated on our wine labels. We underwent an in-depth self-assessment and an outside audit to become a California Certified Sustainable Winery, which we finally achieved in December of 2019. The winery is committed to water conservation practices, energy efficiency, solid waste management, air quality protection and much more. For example, in May, 2018 we installed 3 Tesla/EV charging stations for use by visitors and employees, and in January of 2020 we installed a huge array of 355 solar panels, defraying 93% of our power usage each year. Over its 40-year lifespan, the solar array will generate a savings of 445,000 driving miles, or the equivalent of the pollutants removed by 212 acres of trees per year x 40 years!”-
-Theresa Heredia, Winemaker
About Theresa Heredia
In 2012, Theresa Heredia, a highly respected winemaker who has long specialized in small-lot, single-vineyard wines, joined Gary Farrell Winery. In her tenure she has experimented with new techniques to elevate the quality of their wines further. Teresa came from Joseph Phelps Freestone Vineyards in the Sonoma Coast appellation, where she achieved significant critical acclaim, including “Winemaker to Watch” honors from the San Francisco Chronicle. Theresa also worked at Domaine de Montille, bringing a Burgundian perspective to her winemaking. Theresa believes in having a “lighter hand” in the oak influence for both the Pinot Noirs and Chardonnays, using just a light-toast barrel, and only 35% new French oak for nine months in Chardonnay aging and 40% new French oak for 15 months in Pinot Noir aging. Theresa earned a bachelor’s degree in biochemistry from Cal Poly University and was a Ph.D. candidate at U.C. Davis in chemistry/enology.
Best of Tasting- Wine Recommendations
Our two highest rated single vineyard Gary Farrell Chardonnays:
2019 Gary Farrell Ritchie Vineyard Chardonnay, Russian River Valley, $65
This wine had a fragrant aroma with its hints of baked pear tart, honeysuckle, Meyer Lemon, and roasted hazelnuts with an opulent mouthfeel, yet lively acidity. The Ritchie Vineyard is regarded as one of the best sites for Chardonnay in California, planted in 1972 with heritage clones.
2019 Gary Farrell Bacigalupi Vineyard Chardonnay, Russian River Valley, $60
This wine featured layers of apple blossoms, white peaches, pears, and toasted almonds with a hint of cedar. I bought a half a case for myself!
The vineyard is historic. Its 1973 famed fruit was a substantial part of the grape blend in the Chateau Montelena Chardonnay winner of the “Judgement of Paris” wine tasting in 1976, portrayed in the movie, BottleShock, starring Alan Rickman, Chris Pine, and Bill Pullman. See the Time Magazine 40th anniversary article describing the event: “How America Kicked France in the Pants and Changed the World of Wine Forever.”
Our two highest rated single vineyard Gary Farrell Pinot Noirs:
2018 Gary Farrell Martaella Vineyard Pinot Noir, Russian River Valley, $70
Wine Enthusiast, 95 Points
This wine has abundant blue fruit – plum and black raspberry – aromas with a touch of a violet petal fragrance. The Martaella vineyard has Pinot Noir clones that are considered an “heirloom selection” with small berry clusters and a planting density similar to that of Burgundy. I ended up buying half a case for myself!
2018 Gary Farrell McDonald Mountain Vineyard Pinot Noir, Russian River Valley, $75
Wine Enthusiast, 95 Points
This wine was a favorite with deep and complex flavors of spicy cherry chutney, lavender, and cranberry and tobacco leaf aromas with a long, lingering finish. The McDonald Mountain Vineyard has cool temperatures, fog, and a diverse clonal selection of Pinot Noir grapes contributing to the wine’s complexity.
A Lively Rosé
2022 Gary Farrell Rosé of Pinot Noir, Russian River Valley, $45
We began our tasting with this refreshing wine. It remains a favorite of mine to begin a holiday dinner. Aromas of hibiscus, ginger, orange, and red currents enhance the succulent acidity concluding with an amazing persistent finish for a rosé.
A shout out to Wendy and Brian Hatfield for their great photos and insightful wine tasting notes.
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