Barrel Auction Treasures – Russian River Valley & Sonoma Coast

Sonoma County produces some of the world’s most renowned wines. The Sonoma County Barrel Auction is a live auction that highlights the world class quality and greatness of Sonoma County’s wines. This event features one of a kind wines handcrafted by the county’s top vintners. Each lot is truly original. We are creating a gift pack of these special wines for you to take home. This wine set includes 3 wines from Russian River Valley and the Sonoma Coast which sums up the unique qualities and mouthwatering wines that come out of Sonoma County: 

2014 Keller Estate Sonoma Coast Syrah

To wine lovers and critics alike, it is clear that the Petaluma Gap has been at the center of a California winemaking renaissance the last several years. The Keller family planted Keller Estate’s first vineyards in 1989, and today Ana Keller drives the family’s commitment for producing elegant, terroir-driven wines from their estate over-looking the Petaluma River. This philosophy has produced some of the most unique Syrah in California from this cool and windy region.

This wine is a one-of-a-kind blend from Keller Estate’s most cellar-worthy barrels. During their meticulous, gravity fed winemaking process, the estate fruit is hand-harvested at night, sorted and fully de-stemmed before co-fermenting with 7% Viognier using native yeast. Aged in 100% French oak barrels (35% new), this selection showcases the aromatic qualities of Viognier and exhibits brilliant fragrances of violet and rose petal. The tannins from this co-pigmentation technique are elegant and smooth as velvet, creating an unparalleled wine that is a true homage to the Côte de Rôtie.

2016 Gamba Starr Road Ranch Russian River Valley Zinfandel

Guided by a family heritage of more than six generations of winegrape growing, it is a firm belief at Gamba that exceptional wines are made in the vineyard. Every Gamba Zinfandel is an individual expression of the vineyard with each unique vintage. These limited production, handcrafted wines are a tribute to the art of farming and to generations of Old World traditional winemaking.

This lot is a unique offering of the select hilltop block of the highly acclaimed Starr Road Ranch. Planted nearly 90 years ago, this vineyard, located in the heart of the Russian River Valley, is organically farmed and relies solely on rainwater for irrigation. This historic Old Vine vineyard produces very low yields of outstanding fruit, approximately one ton per acre. Winemaker Gus Gamba created this unique offering from a carefully selected portion of the vineyard, for a one-of-a-kind Zinfandel experience that celebrates the intensity and balance of Zinfandel wines from the Russian River Valley.

2018 Fort Ross ‘The True Terraces’ Single Block Pinot Noir

“The True Terraces” is a pure expression of a single clone from a unique terraced block that captures the essence and character of the Calera Clone. Painstakingly carved out of the steep hillside that faces the cool Pacific, this may be one of the most extreme plantings on the Sonoma Coast. The wine for these 60 bottles was selected from their very finest “Terraces” barrels and crafted exclusively for the Sonoma County Barrel Auction.

Proprietors Linda and Lester Schwartz founded Fort Ross Vineyard in 1994 when they began preparing grassland at the top of a steep, windswept coastal ridge. This picturesque 52-acre single vineyard is a necklace of 32 small mountain blocks that range in elevation from 1200 to 1700 feet overlooking the Pacific Ocean.

This elegant single vineyard, single clone Pinot Noir is defined by black raspberry and plum underscored by rose petal, orange peel and savory spice notes. Supple yet youthful tannins give way to a velvety texture that lingers through the plush finish. This multi-dimensional, beautifully integrated, finely structured Pinot Noir invites decanting and is certain to evolve gracefully for years to come.