SONOMA COUNTY VINTNERS ANNOUNCES WINE LOTS FOR INAUGURAL BARREL AUCTION

The Sonoma County Vintners invites members of the licensed wine trade to preview the never before, never again limited production wines that will be available for purchase at the inaugural Sonoma County Barrel Auction. Sixty-seven unique wine lots representing 12 Sonoma County appellations and cultivated in Sonoma County’s most highly acclaimed vineyards will be up for grabs at the one-day-only event. Descriptions of all wine lots can be viewed at www.sonomawine.com/barrelauction/wines.
These specially chosen wines were curated in blind tastings held in February and March by a hand-selected panel of six influential Master Sommeliers and a Master of Wine. Panelist Bob Paulinski, MW, said the panel realized the importance of ensuring that the auction wines would resonate with the event’s licensed trade guests. “The wines demonstrated a high degree of clarity and purity of fruit. There was a strong expression of place.”
Sonoma County Barrel Auction lots range in size from five to 20 cases and include unique single vineyard bottlings, specific clonal selections, blends, wines aged using special barrel regimes and joint lot wines made by collaborating wineries. Examples include:
Joseph Swan Vineyards, Kosta Browne Winery, Williams Selyem Winery
The Father, The Son and The Holy Ghost Pinot Noir—With this exclusive barrel lot, wineries representing three epochs of Russian River Valley Pinot Noir history, Joseph Swan (The Father), Williams Selyem (The Son) and Kosta Browne (The Holy Ghost) have joined forces to make a barrel of Swan Selection Pinot Noir from their finest lots of some of their finest vineyards.
Gary Farrell Winery
Bacigalupi Vineyard, 30% Whole Cluster Fermented Pinot Noir—This very special barrel selection comes from the Bacigalupi Vineyard’s Frost Ranch, just across the road from the original mid-1960s plantings. Winemaker Theresa Heredia judiciously incorporated 30 percent whole cluster to this Wente clone fermentation to accentuate the structure, concentration and flavor profile of the wine.
Paul Hobbs Winery
Katherine Lindsay Estate Block A9 Pinot Noir
This prestigious Pinot Noir lot was chosen from Paul Hobbs’ Cuvée Agustina block, Calera Clone with 3309 rootstocks. Planted in 2000 in Goldridge sandy clay loam and coarse, gravelly soils, this estate selection was hand harvested at night, hand sorted and pressed while still cold, then fermented with indigenous yeasts and aged in French Oak barrels.

Pride Mountain Vineyards
Jim's Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon—You won’t find a vineyard site quite like Pride Mountain Vineyards anywhere else in Sonoma County. Budwood for this Cabernet Sauvignon block was taken from Rock Arch Vineyard, the oldest block on the estate and a major contributor to the winery’s Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, a frequent recipient of 95 to 99 point scores from The Wine Advocate.
Seghesio Family Vineyards
History in a Bottle: Seghesio 2014 Home Ranch Heritage Old Vine Zinfandel—This year, Seghesio celebrates 120 years of Sonoma County winegrowing. Never before has the winery carved out an old vine bottling from its revered Home Ranch vineyard. This exclusive 20-case lot of 2014 Home Ranch Old Vine Zinfandel is sourced from the original seven-acre block planted in the Alexander Valley by Edoardo Seghesio in 1895.

REGISTRATION
Licensed wine sellers, including retailers, restaurateurs and wholesalers, may register for the Sonoma County Barrel Auction online at www.sonomawine.com/barrelauction/ or by contacting Danielle Hollywood at (415) 683-0696 or Danielle@fullcirclewinesolutions.com. Space is limited.

The event includes two special days:

Sonoma County Icons Library Tasting
Thursday, April 30, 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. at Williams Selyem Winery
Open by invitation only to qualified members of the VIP wine trade and media, this walk-around tasting will give attendees the opportunity to sample up to four older vintage wines with each of the iconic founders and winemakers behind the landmark Sonoma County properties that shaped and advanced winemaking and continue to do so today.

Sonoma County Barrel Auction
Friday, May 1, 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at Vintners Inn
Located in the heart of 92 acres of vineyards in Russian River Valley, the day begins in the event center and courtyards with a walk-around tasting of all one-of-a-kind wine lots. A luncheon and the live auction follows in a tented pavilion overlooking the vineyards.

For timely updates and more information on the Sonoma County Barrel Auction, like the Sonoma County Vintners on Facebook, follow on Twitter at @SonomaVintners or search using the hashtag #SoCoBA.

About Sonoma County Vintners
Sonoma County Vintners (SCV) is the leading voice of Sonoma County wine, dedicated to raising awareness and building understanding of Sonoma County as one of the world’s premier wine regions, noted for its heritage of artisan winemaking, distinct growing regions, and extraordinary quality. Founded in 1944, SCV represents more than 250 wineries and affiliates of all sizes throughout the county. Learn more about SCV at www.SonomaWine.com.

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