Ravenswood Winery
Ravenswood Winery
18701 Gehricke Rd,
Sonoma, CA 95476
(888) 669-4679
Join us on an exciting Sonoma wine tasting tour through historic Sonoma Valley aboard the “original” Sonoma Wine Trolley! Built right from the blueprints, the Sonoma Wine Trolley is a motorized, authentic replica of a late 1890’s San Francisco cable car. We take you to a rotating list of fantastic winery partners. Today we’d love to introduce you to Ravenswood.
Ravenswood is located outside of Sonoma in the foothills of the Mayacamas Mountains. The laid back atmosphere and wine credo is the perfect complement to founder Joel Peterson: Unadulterated, unapologetic, unfussy and unwimpy.
They tell the story of their beginning better than we can, “On a fall day in 1976, as ravens taunted from tree branches above, Joel Peterson worked doggedly to bring in four tons of grapes before a looming thunderstorm hit. The fruit he crushed that night was used for one of two single-vineyard Sonoma County Zinfandel – the first wines to bear Ravenswood’s signature ring of ravens.” The same year America celebrated its bicentennial, Ravenswood’s founding fathers announced their own independence from business as usual, tying their success to the underdog variety that today is considered California’s heritage grape – Zinfandel.
Educated as a clinical laboratory scientist with a degree in microbiology, Joel was working full-time in cancer immunology research at a San Francisco hospital and stoking his passion for wine in his down time. The two single-vineyard Zinfandels this rebel of the wine world made from the ’76 vintage would be the first he debuted to the public.
In 1976 Joel founded Ravenswood in partnership with fellow wine lover Reed Foster, a Harvard MBA who handled the green stuff while Joel oversaw the red stuff. Joel had two homes, the vineyards during the day and the lab at night. In 1977, he’d left his job in San Francisco and moved to Sonoma to work in the clinical lab at Sonoma Valley Hospital. He didn’t quit that job until 1992, a few years after the winery turned its first profit and Robert Parker pronounced Ravenswood wines “first class – bold, dramatic and complex.”
Methodical attention to detail in the field along with 30 continuous years with the same winemaker, contributes to a consistency of quality and style rarely found in California. From their flock of Single Vineyard Designate wines, full of flavors that reflect their individual vineyards to
the County Series wines that capture the spirit of California’s best growing regions and the popular Vintners Blend sourced from vineyards throughout California, Ravenswood strives to put what they pick from the fields right into the bottle.
Sip your wines in the main Tasting Room or outside enjoying the amazing views. We’ll set up an incredible tasting from the several options available to suit your taste, and any tasting can be augmented with one of our popular new cheese & charcuterie plates. To get the full flavor of Ravenswood, go right to the source and join them on a tour where you’ll walk through their old-world vineyards to see the vines up close and learn firsthand about the unique viticultural practices at Ravenswood! Wind your way back to the barrel room for a sneak peek of “what’s to come” and sample the wines straight from the barrel.
Feeling daring? Perhaps you too have an inborn sense for how to craft a classic, California field blend. Perhaps you’d like to learn the tricks of the trade? Learn the art of winemaking! Create your own perfect mélange of Zinfandel, Petite Syrah, and Carignane, then take your masterpiece home in a 375 ml bottle to impress your friends and family!
Join us on an exciting Sonoma wine tasting tour through historic Sonoma Valley. We want our guests to truly enjoy a comfortable ride, taste delicious wines of the area, experience an amazing lunch from a local restaurant, and learn about the wineries and history of the area. Learn more here – reserve online here – or call to reserve now: (707) 938-2600.