Steve Sangiacomo from Sangiacomo Family Wines joins Dan Berger and Daedalus Howell on California Wine Country. This is his first time on the show.
The Sangiacomo family has been growing grapes in the Petaluma Gap area before it was identified as an AVA. They purchased their first property in 1927. The Roberts Road was planted in 1999 with about 60% Pinot Noir and 40% Chardonnay. They have about 20 wineries that make single vineyard wines from it. In 2016 they launched their own label, and Roberts Road was at the top of the list for sourcing.
The Wind to Wine Festival is back this year, after a one-year hiatus, on Saturday, October 17 from 1 to 4 pm, at the Gambonini Ranch. There will be Petaluma Gap wines and lots of food options. There will be an auction of wines and wine-related experiences. Tickets are $75 for general admission and $95 for VIP. Click here for all the info, Petaluma Gap dot com.
They get plenty of fog and it is a low-yielding site. This year is probably their lightest crop ever. This wine they are tasting is a 2022 Sangiacomo Chardonnay. Daedalus describes an understated elegance from flavors of pears. Dan says it is already tasty and shows its potential for aging too. It is a clone of old Wente, Dijon 95 and clone 17. The blend of these three produces an elegance beyond just old Wente alone.
Vines are drought-tolerant plants.
Steve points out that vines are drought-tolerant plants that don’t need a lot of water. But you have to give them enough so that when you get heat spikes, the vines can withstand it.
Next, they taste the Roberts Road Pinot Noir. They have 5 clones there, which allows them to play with more options. They ferment all 5 clones separately so they can blend any way they want. Dan detects a unique forest floor component that you don’t get from anywhere else, except maybe Santa Cruz.
When the Sangiacomo family started their own label, after supplying high-quality grapes to other winemakers for many years, they had to be sure the quality was first rate and the price could not undercut their customers’ retail prices. Steve says he and his brother and sister learned how to work together from their father. Now the fourth generation is starting to get involved in the wine business.
The Wind to Wine Festival
The Wind to Wine Festival is back this year, after a one-year hiatus, on Saturday, October 17 from 1 to 4 pm, at the Gambonini Ranch. There will be Petaluma Gap wines and lots of food options. There will be an auction of wines and wine-related experiences. Tickets are $75 for general admission and $95 for VIP. Click here for all the info, Petaluma Gap dot com.