Dolinsek Ranch

Russian River Valley

Guardian: Jim Dolinsek

I have been searching for a compliment to Lorenzo’s and Bedrock Heirloom from the Russian River since the moment Bedrock Wine Co. was conceived in 2007. I have looked at a number of beautiful old vineyards– many with names some would recognize– looking for a vineyard with the diversity of field blend, age, and site that would be on par with the standards I am looking for. It took a damned-long time, but I have finally found one that is going to be great!

In truth, even this one took a while. It was on a trip to look at the ever-lovely Rebecca’s Vineyard that I first noticed the rugged, ancient vines lying on a northward slope, a mere 1/2 mile down the road. I strained my head trying to get a better glimpse of those mysterious, knarled, plants clinging to the hillside.

Nearly a dozen times and a few neck-crinks later, wondering what it could be, I finally decided to stop and knock on the door of the beautifully cared for home in front.

Surely, a vineyard on the site was famous! Sandy-Goldridge loams, vines that are clearly nearly a century old, lying in the Golden Triangle– spitting distance from Rebecca’s, Swan, Kistler’s Vine Hill, and Pax’s Walker Vine Hill.

So, with my close friend Chris Cottrell in tow, I sacked up, stopped, and knocked on the door. In fact, as it turns out, I had tasted the fruits of the vines many, many, times before from bottles held tightly in my father’s basement (for one of the wineries who received the fruit was, indeed, close to his heart). Though known as Dolinsek Ranch now, the vineyard is the old Frati Ranch, made into so many great wines by my father’s mentor Joe Swan.

It may be one of the greatest sites for Zinfandel I have ever seen. The oldest vines, planted in 1910, are roughly 70% Zin, and the rest is made up of Alicante Bouschet, Tempranillo, Petite Sirah, Teredalgo, and a few mysterious others.

When the father of Angelo Frati planted vines on a north-facing hillside of Sandy Goldridge Loam in the heart of the Russian River Valley back in 1910 he had no idea how happy he was going to make a young winemaker 99 years later. The vineyard yields tiny quantities of intense fruit. It is this unique combination of fast-draining soils, cool climate, and interplanted varietals that allow the wines from Dolinsek Ranch to be utterly distinctive. It is the perfect cooler-climate compliment to the Heirloom Wines made from Bedrock Vineyard in Sonoma Valley and Lorenzo’s Vineyard in Dry Creek Valley.

The vineyard is carefully tended by the Dolinsek’s, who purchased the property a decade ago and have helped ensure the vineyard thrives for years to come. It is my great hope that Bedrock Wine Co. gets to enjoy seeing it thrive alongside them for years to come.