Region:

Los Carneros, Sonoma

1695 Sperring Rd
Sonoma, CA 95476

707-933-8905

Winemaker:

Don Van Staaveren

N/A

Days/Hours:

Call for an Appointment

N/A

Event Facilities:

N/A

Zinfandel/Syrah Blend, Syrah, Syrah Port Style

Roussanne/Marsanne blend

Less than 1,000 cases

The Winery:
Steve Hill and Gwen Parmelee-Hill bought their first parcel of Sonoma farmland and planted Syrah in 1994. They have continued to add adjacent properties, bringing the estate to 55 acres. The estate is located in the southwest Sonoma Valley AVA next to the Los Carneros AVA line on a knoll facing Sonoma Valley and San Pablo Bay. This region, being so close to Carneros and the San Pablo Bay has the same impacts of foggy mornings, followed by windy afternoons.

The Vineyards: The 55 acres are now planted to Syrah and Zinfandel on the warmer southwest and eastern slopes, and Pinot Noir, Merlot, Chardonnay and Marsanne on exposed, windy rock and clay flats. Most of the grapes are sold to premier wineries in Napa and Sonoma, with just a small portion maintained for the estate wines.

The Wines: Parmelee-Hill has made a name for producing high end, small batch Syrah wines of incredible depth and flavor intensity. The fruit for their wines are mostly picked at night to preserve the integrity of the fruit. The crushed juice is never pumped, but gravity fed, and aged in French oak for 16 months. Since the first wine was produced in 2001, the winery has added a Zin/Syrah blend, a white Rhone Blend and a Syrah Port Style wine to their portfolio.

The Winemaker: Don Van Staaveren is a graduate of the California Polytechnic University at San Luis Obispo, with a degree in fruit science. During his career, he has worked for such distinguished wineries as Chateau St. Jean, Artesa, E&J Gallo, and Buena Vista.