Nalle Winery Is All About Family!
Spanning 5 generations, Nalle Winery can be found on land owned by the family since 1917. A breathtaking property in the heart of Sonoma’s historic Dry Creek Valley AVA, the winery overlooks a block of Old Vine Zinfandel originally planted during Prohibition by Fred and Ruby Henderlong, the great-great grandparents of current Winemaker Andrew Nalle.
One of the oldest wineries in the Dry Creek Valley, Nalle (pronounced with a silent ‘e’) has been family owned and operated since 1984, when it was established by Doug and Lee Nalle.
A part of the Historic Vineyard Society, the family helps to preserve California’s oldest vines, producing elegant, dry-farmed and sustainably grown Zinfandel from the original vines planted in 1927. A pioneer in defining the Zinfandel movement in California, Doug’s 40+ years of winemaking experience includes working harvests at Jordan and Arroyo Sonoma, producing award winning amateur wines with his friend, Mike Hin, working with co-winemaker John Kongsgaard at Balverne Winery and Vineyards to produce numerous estate bottled wines, and leading the winery design and winemaking program at Quivira. In 1990, he changed gears to focus on the Nalle label, where shortly after, his Zinfandel was featured on the Fall 1992 cover of the Wine Spectator!
Husband and wife team Andrew and April Nalle currently manage the winemaking and sustainable viticulture practices for the winery, taking valuable support and wisdom from Doug and Lee’s depth of winemaking experience. Andrew continues his father Doug’s dedication to creating focused, fruit-forward wines in the old-school California style: moderate in alcohol, balanced, food friendly, and built to age. Within the portfolio you’ll find small lots of old vine, dry-farmed, and estate grown Zinfandel, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Sauvignon Blanc in addition to Zinfandel, Carignane, Petite Sirah and Pinot Noir and Chardonnay sourced from two other local growers, Bernier Farms and Hopkins River Ranch.
Featured by The San Francisco Chronicle as one of the top 50 tasting rooms to visit in California, Nalle Winery is most certainly worth the visit! Here you’ll find an above ground wine cave with a living roof overflowing with rosemary (and happy bees!), a picnic area, horseshoe pit, petanque court and a legacy of family-produced wines for your tasting enjoyment.
