Two leading California wineries announced vineyard purchases yesterday. In Sonoma’s Russian River Valley, Williams Selyem has bought the 33-acre Saitone Vineyard, acquiring their first Zinfandel parcel while also preserving a piece of Sonoma history. And in Santa Barbara’s Sta. Rita Hills, Sea Smoke purchased the 61-acre Rita’s Crown Vineyard, adding a valuable property to their portfolio. Sale prices were not disclosed. Saitone Vineyard is home to some of Sonoma County's oldest vines. The property was first planted by Italian immigrants in 1895 and includes 12 acres of 121-year-old Zinfandel vines. The remaining acres contain a diverse array of traditional field-blend varieties, including Alicante Bouschet, Criolla Mediana and Grand Noir. "We saw the history of the Russian River Valley settlers disappearing under the bulldozer," said Williams Selyem proprietor John Dyson, noting that the next generation of the Saitone family had no interest in taking over the family business.

"Now, not only do we have a first-rate old-vine Zinfandel vineyard that we farm ourselves, but an opportunity to take care of a piece of history." Better known for its single-vineyard Pinot Noirs and Chardonnays, Williams Selyem has produced Zinfandel since its inception in 1970, when Burt Williams and Ed Selyem started making wine in a garage. food and wine best bars in americaDyson noted that Williams Selyem once made six different Zinfandels from various leased vineyards, but saw them replanted to Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.best places in france for wine The Saitone Vineyard will become one of five estate vineyards in the winery’s portfolio. best wine with more alcohol

It has been a source for notable Zinfandel producers such as Carlisle, Bedrock and DeLoach, which will continue to buy grapes. Williams Selyem plans to produce its first single-vineyard bottling from Saitone this year, and Dyson said the winery is looking to potentially add more Zinfandel vineyards, specifically old-vine parcels. food and wine best chef 2014"It’s a too important part of the history of Sonoma to not preserve these vineyards," he said.the best wine shop llc Like a good neighborgood indian wine prices Sea Smoke only needed to look next door to find its purchase. best indian made wineRita’s Crown Vineyard overlooks the Santa Ynez River Valley, and sits adjacent to Sea Smoke’s estate vineyards in Sta. Rita Hills. best indian made wine

Situated between 600 to 1,000 feet above sea level, the vineyard is noted for its 61 acres of high-density plantings of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay on a south-facing exposure, which offers both optimal afternoon sun and wind influence from the Pacific Ocean, yielding distinctive and concentrated wines.best place to buy wine dc Founded by Bob Davids in 1998, Sea Smoke has made wines exclusively from fruit grown on the Sea Smoke Estate Vineyard. Rita’s Crown has been a top vineyard source for wineries such as Sandhi, Walt and Ken Brown. Given its proximity to Sea Smoke, as well as its similar qualities of southern exposures and clay soils, it would seem a perfect addition to the portfolio, yet Sea Smoke's management does not plan to use the vineyard for Sea Smoke wines, at least not yet. "The purchase of Rita’s Crown will allow us to nurture and improve a spectacular neighboring vineyard with a great deal of potential," said Victor Gallegos, Sea Smoke’s vice president, director of winemaking and general manager.

Gallegos added that just farming a coveted vineyard and selling the fruit is a good business opportunity. Sea Smoke acquired the vineyard from Santa Colina Vineyard. The current vineyard management company, Atlas Vineyard Management, will continue farming it and will honor existing contracts. Sea Smoke intends to farm the vineyard organically and biodynamically, as they have begun doing with their own vineyards. "Transitioning Rita’s Crown to organic will protect the organic and biodynamic certifications on our estate vineyard," said Gallegos, noting the difficulty in maintaining certifications if a neighboring vineyard does not farm organically. "Also, longer term, prime vineyard land in Sta. Rita Hills is only going up in price." In 1999, Bob Davids established Sea Smoke Cellars in the western part of the Santa Rita Hills AVA. Like a handful of other top California wineries and vineyards, (Screaming Eagle, Harlan, Colgin, Dalle Valle, Garys’ Vineyard, etc.), Sea Smoke’s reputation has reached epic proportions.

Demand far exceeds supply. The Santa Rita Hills is a special place for Pinot Noir. Rarely does climate, terrain, and winemaking philosophy blend together so seamlessly for this notoriously fickle varietal. One of the keys to region’s success with Pinot is that this is one of the rare places where the Coastal Mountain Range runs east-west rather than north-south. This allows cool ocean air and fog to move inland, tempering the climate. Hence the name, “sea smoke.” Davids’ esteemed vines are planted on slopes with an excellent southern exposure at elevations ranging between 300 and 650 feet above sea level. Like the Grand Crus of the Cote de Nuit, they are planted on the middle part of the slope. The vines bask in late morning and afternoon sun, giving the delicate Pinot Noir grapes time to ripen and develop varietal characteristics. In the evening, fog from the Pacific Ocean makes its way up the Santa Ynez River to the property. This yin-yang climate of sun and fog is responsible for complex finesse that Sea Smoke Pinot Noir is famous for.