Family Matters: The Best California Wines Come From Family-Owned Vineyards

It should seem obvious that the people who live on their own vineyards are going to be intensely interested in every aspect of a product that has their name on the label. Estates owned and run by families, often generational, have a reputation to protect as well as a way of life that corporate wineries simply don’t share to the same degree. Here, of many, are some California wineries whose family members are evident in every aspect of growing, picking, crushing, fermenting, aging and bottling wines they are very proud of.

Frank Family Vineyard Carneros Pinot Noir 2021 ($40)—This is the 30th anniversary of the Frank Vineyard, located in Napa Valley on Larkmead Lane (the old Hanns Kornell Champagne Cellars). Rich and Leslie Frank have been pioneers in sustainability. General Manager and Winemaker Todd Graff is perhaps best known for the estate’s Carneros Chardonnay and Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, so I was happy to find this Pinot Noir ranks with some of the best in the Valley. There is a mix of mintiness and ripe fruit, with 14.5% alcohol, so meats done with a bit of char make for good match-ups.

Cline Eight Spur Zinfandel 2020 ($36)—Fred Cline planted Zinfandel in Oakley in 1982 (along with Rhône varietals like Carignane, Syrah and Mourvèdre), moving the winery to Sonoma-Carneros in 1989, where this strikingly delicious Zin is made from vines 40-100 years old at School House Creek Vineyard, owned by the Petersens, one of the oldest grape growing families in the region. Usually Zins are recommended with spicy, garlicky dishes, including pizza, but this is a big, bold example of how complex the varietal can be. I would happily match it to game dishes and hearty stews.

Bouchaine Estate Pinot Noir 2019 ($37)—Bouchaine’s Hyde Vineyard produces elegant Syrahs, along with this refined Pinot Noir with pronounced fruit, in the California cool-climate style. It was an ideal growing season, so the ripeness and phenolics were excellent. Fermentation for 18 months yielded a wine of finesse and a balance of acid not always the case in California. It’s a delightful wine with veal or lamb, even grilled salmon this summer.

Three Sticks Origin Durell Vineyard Chardonnay 2021 ($70 )—Sonoma-based Three Sticks estate, founded in 2002 by Bill Price, produces small lots, and this is one of the most impressive Chardonnays I’ve tasted in some time. Not heavy, but not one-dimensional, it shows off good body at 14% alcohol. Winemaker Ryan Prichard has a talent for bringing out the essence of Chardonnay, which can be a fairly neutral grape, and takes advantage of California sun to imbue it with a natural sweetness in tandem with acidic tang. It’s a lot to pay, but I think it’s worth it for a Chardonnay so splendidly matched to all seafood and to a wide variety of mild cheeses.

Kenwood Vineyards Six Ridges Russian River Valley Chardonnay 2019 ($26) —For a far less pricey Chardonnay, this Kenwood delivers a good deal of pleasure on its various fruit notes, a touch of citrus and a richness of texture that is superb with shellfish. The harvest that year came early, so the wine spent an extended time on the lees to allow for concentration that comes into play with its 14.1% alcohol.

Peju Cabernet Sauvignon 2019 ($70)—Tony Peju has been dubbed the “Father of Custom Crush and Direct to Consumer Wine Marketing,” an awkward but apt title for its savvy. His wife Herta, known as HB, was born in Austria and grew up in Venezuela. In 1983, HB and Tony purchased a 30-acre property in Rutherford that became their winery. Lisa Peju became the welcoming face of the winery, as well as the one to represent it outside of California. Ariana Peju has overseen the installation of 720 solar panels spread over 10,000 square feet of the winery roof to provide 35% of the winery’s energy. So, the family name is on the line, and this elegantly crafted Cabernet Sauvignon shows breeding, as suitable for a fine French dinner as for an outdoor barbecue.