We’re excited to announce  the 2012 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition recently awarded our 2009 Chardonnay a Double Gold Medal!! What a great way to start the year. Look for this delicious wine on the shelf at your local wine shop and supermarket or you can buy the wine directly through our online store.

“Our Chardonnay vines thrive in sandy, gravelly soils bordering the Russian River in Hopland. We whole cluster pressed and fermented the Chardonnay in stainless steel tanks, where the wine remained for nine months sur lie. A light touch of medium-toasted French oak enhanced the bright luscious fruit. The wine shows attractive, fruit-forward floral and white peach aromas with hints of tropical fruit.” Shop now >>

We are excited about recent news we received from our friends over at the Wine Enthusiast Magazine. Our 2009 Sauvignon Blanc was selected as the #5 Top 100 Wines of the Year for 2011!!

We are honored by such recognition for our organically grown wines and feel this is a particularly fitting for our past Winemaker Mike Lee. We look forward to continuing this fine tradition of creating excellent wines. As noted in the Wine Enthusiast:

“Winemaker Mike Lee continues to prove his prowess
with Sauvignon Blanc in this latest vintage of Patianna, Patti Fetzer’s line of organically farmed wines from outside of Hopland in Mendocino County. Fermented entirely in stainless steel without undergoing ML or barrel aging, it delivers everything you love about the variety, inviting one in with melon and minerality, then following through with a surprising creaminess and almost decadent, mousse-like finish.”

Look for our 2009 Sauvignon Blanc at fine restaurants and retailers near you or order wine directly from our online store. Cheers!

Charlie Tolbert Joins Patianna Organic Vineyards

Veteran Winemaker To Oversee Estate Wine Production

Hopland, Calif — July 19, 2011 — Patti Fetzer, proprietor, named Charlie Tolbert Winemaker for Patianna Organic Vineyards in Mendocino County. He succeeds Mike Lee, Charlie’s longtime friend and colleague, who passed away suddenly in May.

An accomplished winemaker who began his career in the vineyard, Charlie is the hands-on hero behind numerous successful brands, including Chateau St Jean Winery, Haywood Winery, Arrowood Vineyards and Winery and Amapola Creek Vineyards and Winery in Sonoma Valley. He served as Director of Cellar Operations for Fetzer Vineyards in Mendocino County.

“My goal is to continue the style set by Patti and Mike Lee and produce the highest quality wines from Patianna’s exceptional vineyard,” says Charlie.

Patti Fetzer and her husband Gregg Hileman own Patianna Organic Vineyards, 126 prime acres stretching along the Russian River in Hopland, Mendocino County. The traditions of the Fetzer family and the tenets of organic farming form the foundation of the Patianna brand. Grape growing is rooted in the belief that exceptional quality in wine is achieved when the land, the farmer and the winemaker operate in harmony.