Organic Event SELLS OUT at Fort Mason | S.O.R.B.E.Tasting Hopes to Bring Future Tastings to Los Angeles

Morgan Twain Peterson (Bedrock) and MJ (aka Black Wine Guy) podcasting from the inaugural vintage
 of the S.O.R.B.E.Tasting

Zin pioneer and Ravenwood founder Joel Peterson has a new groove–promoting organically farmed wines in his Once and Future brand at festival organized in part by his son Morgan.
He was one of several O. G.s pouring at the 30 winery event at Fort Mason.

And they're just getting going.

More than 30 Sonoma Valley wineries poured an incredible variety of top tier wines Sunday August 17 at Fort Mason in San Francisco. 

It was the "inaugural vintage" of what organizers hope will become an annual event as well as one that travels to other cities. Organizers were overjoyed to see the event, a sort of proof of concept, sold out its maximum number of tickets (230 at roughly $75 a pop). 

It was the first wine tasting I've seen that was both regional and about organic farming. Yet another first for Sonoma Valley.

S.O.R.B.E.T. stands for Sonoma Organic Regenerative Biodynamic Educational Tasting. (See previous blog post here for a list of wineries who participated). Since its first event was successful, organizers now say they'd like to bring it to Los Angeles.

Event organizers say the valley has 2,500 acres of organically grown vines out of 25,000 planted acres. Overall the county has roughly 60,000 acres planted. 

Sonoma Valley is the area in the county with the longest history of wine grape growing and a culture of organic that far outpaces the rest of the county which has poured millions over the years into marketing "sustainable" wine growing that uses synthetic fertilizers, herbicides, insecticides and fungicides.

While most of the wine industry is experiencing harsh downturns in sales, organic is up 2 percent.  

Scenes from S.O.R.B.E.Tasting

A rare appearance by another O. G.–Will Bucklin of Old Hill Ranch, one of Sonoma. Valley's great old vine treasures (first planted in 1852).

Enterprise Vineyards' head of viticulture, Spanish born Mireia Domènech Lopéz, at a table for wines from Rossi Ranch grapes made by a variety of producers. 

Katie Bundschu (left) of Gundlach Bundschu winery at the Gun Bun table. 

The winery has now certified its winery as well so it's just started making wines labeled "Made with Organic Grapes." Huzzah.

A table displayed educational materials about the various "shades of green" in wine farming systems as well as the history of chemicals in grape growing in the region.

Southern Sonoma has four wineries certified Regenerative Organic. 

Silver Level

• Donum Estate (Carneros and other sites, too)

Bronze Level

• Bedrock Estate vineyard (Sonoma Valley, 111 acres)

• Gundlach Bundschu Estate + Abott's Passage Estate (Sonoma Valley, 164 acres)

• Ram's Gate (Carneros, 28 acres)

MJ, aka The Black Wine Guy, recording his Beats podcast live from the tasting with guest and organizer Morgan Twain-Peterson of Bedrock.

The event also had a commemorative teeshirt created by Living Roots, friends of Raj Parr who run a wineshop in North Carolina. They attended Raj's wedding in India, where they connected with an organic regenerative cotton company who makes the shirts. 

Teeshirt gets the award for Best Tasting teeshirt for putting farming first.

Podcast Highlights: 

• Chris Cottrell on how markets (like back East) are starting to ask not just what kind of oak, yeast, etc. etc. but NEW - how the grapes were grown.

• Morgan on how he and Sam Coturri noticed "sustainable" vintners in Sonoma posting pictures of sheep eating herbicided weeds in the vines. (Major ick.)

• Jason Jardine of Hanzell on how he got his start with Tony Soter (one of Napa's organic pioneers who went on to found his winery in Oregon) and how today he and others need to be role models for the next generation of wine growers and vintners. 

Here's the PODCAST LINK.

PS Yours truly makes a brief appearance at about 3/4 of the way in. 

MJ and Winery Sixteen 600's Sam Coturri

After $11 Billion in Cancer Payouts Linked to Herbicide Use, Pesticide Industry Lobbies for a Free Pass | Health Experts Push Back

While California farmworkers and home owners using residential approved products are exposed to toxic chemicals used in farms, school grounds, parks and homes, the industry that profits from these sales is moving to declare itself immune from liability. Health professionals are concerned. 

Recent glyphosate court cases have now forced Bayer/Monsanto to pay out $11 billion so far. Most were over the failure to warn (and to accurately represent) the dangers to residential users.

Thanks to Wine Business for alerting the ag community about the issues in the legislation mentioned below. (Proposed Federal Legislation Alarms Vineyard Owners, Bars States from Regulating Pesticides and Insecticides).

The health community is weighing in in the Beyond Pesticides press release reprinted below. 

This prequel with stats and recap comes courtesy of https://www.lawsuit-information-center.com/roundup-lawsuit.html.

• 61,000 Roundup Cases Left… and Counting

• As of May 2025, settled 100,000 Roundup lawsuits, paying approximately $11 billion. "Bayer achieved this through large-scale block settlements with law firms handling high volumes of claims, along with pre-trial resolutions in individual cases," 

The majority of these cases are now in state courts across the country, though more than 4,000 remain consolidated in the federal MDL in California.

In case you would like more info (including the precious videos of IARC scientists in court to talk about glyphosate's history of toxicity, click here. (It's a lot to wade through but completely damning evidence, study by study, from the beginning. 

In addition...

June 30, 2025 – Supreme Court Wants Trump Administration Opinion

The U.S. Supreme Court requested the views of the Department of Justice regarding Bayer’s latest attempt to curb thousands of lawsuits alleging its Roundup weedkiller causes cancer. Bayer is appealing a Missouri court decision that upheld a $1.25 million jury verdict awarded to a man who claimed his non-Hodgkin lymphoma was caused by long-term exposure to Roundup. Bayer’s dream is that the Supreme Court find that federal law, specifically the EPA’s approval of Roundup without a cancer warning, should preempt state-law failure-to-warn claims.

Bayer’s CEO put out a statement of optimism.  The stock market seems to disagree.  Bayer stock is down 4.5% today.

----------------

PRS: I'll be updating some stats on California wine grape growers glyphosate use soon.

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BEYOND PESTICIDES PRESS RELEASE

Broad Coalition Calls on Congress To Reject Fast-Moving Legislation 
To Shield Chemical Companies from Liability 

(Boldings mine)

WASHINGTON, DC, August 22, 2025—Legislative language moving through Congress, intended to prevent farmers, consumers, and workers from holding pesticide manufacturers accountable for the harm caused by their toxic products, is being opposed by a broad coalition of farmers, beekeepers, consumers, environmentalists, and workers, with the release of a joint statement opposing a dramatic change in a fundamental legal right.  

The document, Protect the Right of Farmers, Consumers, and Workers to Hold Pesticide Companies Accountable for Their Harmful Products, is joined by 51 organizations, coalitions, businesses, and leaders representing tens of thousands of members and communities. The legislation is hidden in a provision of the Appropriations bill (Section 453) that has passed through the Appropriations Committee in the U.S. House of Representatives, which is headed for a vote in the full House, followed by the U.S. Senate. 

The Appropriations provision is being pushed by chemical companies in the wake of extraordinary jury verdicts against Bayer/Monsanto, amounting to billions of dollars of compensatory and punitive damages, for “failure-to-warn” liability claims involving glyphosate (Roundupᵀᴹ) weed killer products. The pesticide has been classified as cancer causing by the International Agency for Research on Cancer, a part of the World Health Organization (WHO). 

As outlined in the joint statement, the coalition is calling on Congress to: 

• REJECT the provision, section 453, adopted in the House Interior-EPA Appropriations and full Appropriations Committee, in the final House bill; 

• REJECT the language of section 453 being attached to the Senate Appropriations bill; and 

• REJECT section 453 language from being incorporated in the final Appropriations bill. 

The joint document focuses on five elements critical to the protection of public health and safety in a climate of deregulation and reductions in federal funding for environmental and related programs: 

• Legacy. The courts have long served as a venue for farmers, consumers, and workers to hold chemical manufacturers accountable for their failure to warn about the hazards of their products, including potential chronic adverse health outcomes, on the product label.

• Label. EPA pesticide product labels are not required to display long-term effects like cancer and reproductive problems that are linked to exposure.

• Legal. Section 453 in the House Appropriations bill would, in the future, prohibit cases like those filed by those harmed by glyphosate (Roundup™), who have won jury verdicts and compensation. 

• Lasting. The House bill language removes the incentive for chemical manufacturers, under threat of compensatory and punitive damages, to develop safer products or remove products altogether—slowing the critically necessary shift to effective, less- and non-toxic land and building management practices and products to protect health and the environment. 

• Law. Legislative history added to the bill in the committee will do little to ensure a fully functioning EPA and court redress. 

Implications If Section 453 Passes 
Bayer/Monsanto and the chemical and agribusiness group Modern Ag Alliance are leading the charge on efforts in Congress and state legislatures across the country to create immunity from failure to warn litigation. In this context, the chemical industry has successfully lobbied for what environmentalists and legal experts have called a weak federal pesticide law (Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act—FIFRA), and then argue in court when sued for damages that their products are in compliance with pesticide registration standards and therefore they are protected from litigation. Juries have ruled that chemical manufacturers failed to provide adequate warning through their product labeling, given the independent peer-reviewed science, including what the company knew or should have known, and a clinical assessment of the harm caused to the plaintiff. 

Under the Appropriations language moving through Congress, the only permitted EPA-approved label language must be consistent with a human health assessment or carcinogenicity classification previously approved by EPA—freezing in place EPA's position on a pesticide for possibly decades, and eliminating the ability to hold chemical manufacturers accountable for damages. The bill language states: “None of the funds made available by this or any other Act may be used to issue or adopt any guidance or any policy, take any regulatory action…” without conducting an entirely new assessment—which takes “no less than four years, and sometimes over 12,” according to EPA. [The bill language is found here. Search on Section 453.]  Under this provision, industry will argue that they, as registrants of pesticide ingredients, are unable to disclose potential harms that are different from the EPA-approved label. The industry is also pushing to amend the Farm Bill with similar language that shields chemical manufacturers from lawsuits on the harm caused by their products. 

Pushback In The Senate


With pesticide manufacturers pushing to stop cancer victims (and others suffering adverse effects) from suing them under longstanding ”failure to warn law,“ U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) is proposing to uphold this unequivocal right to protection via the Pesticide Injury Accountability Act (S. 2324). The legislation would amend FIFRA to create a federal right of action for anyone who is harmed by a toxic pesticide.

Groundswell of Public Opposition To Section 453 
The groundswell of support in opposition to this legislation emerges from a diverse range of voices, including environmental, conservation, climate, public health, and biodiversity organizations, alongside farmers, beekeepers, businesses, medical professionals, farmworkers, farmers, and the grassroots. 

“With the massive dismantling of U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) programs by the current administration, Congress has been seeking, through Appropriations bill provisions, to limit court oversight, which in many cases serves as the only backstop for public health and environmental protections,” says Jay Feldman, executive director of Beyond Pesticides. 

“The challenges facing farmworkers are profound; from exposure to limited protections, our communities are already at the margins, with women and children shouldering the most severe impacts of forced pesticide contact,” adds Mily Trevino-Sauceda, executive director of Alianza Nacional de Campesinas, “This legislation would reduce their access to justice with this inhumane introduction of pesticide immunity shield language. There is no victory in harming the very workforce that feeds this nation.” 

In the words of Diane Rosenberg, president of Iowa Alliance for Responsible Agriculture and Jefferson County Farmers and Neighbors, “EPA pesticide product labels are often inadequate or inaccurate. Yet this dangerous legislation would shield pesticide companies from accountability for any harm their chemicals may inflict. This is flat out wrong. Congress should protect vulnerable farmers, not multibillion-dollar chemical companies.” 

“Farmers and consumers have long had venues, like courts, to hold chemical manufacturers accountable for their failure to warn about the health harms of their products. State laws have also historically been able to help protect the health of farmers, farmworkers, and consumers from health-harming pesticides,” notes Katie Huffling, Alliance of Nurses for Healthy Environment’s (ANHE) executive director [DNP, RN, CNM, FAAN]. “We urge Congress to both develop and maintain a system that truly protects farmers, farmworkers, and consumers; a system that holds pesticide manufacturers responsible for their failure to warn about the harm caused by their products and a system that supports the development of safe and effective, less- and non-toxic products to protect health and the environment.” 

“We also know that there are significant disproportionate impacts that women and children face, not to mention farmworkers, agricultural, rural, working-class, and majority Black Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) communities, as documented in the scientific literature,” shares Max Sano, Beyond Pesticides’ senior policy and coalitions associate. 

Signatories [Representing 50 States and The District of Columbia]:  
Alaska Community Action on Toxics (ACAT), Alliance of Nurses for Healthy Environments (ANHE), Alianza Nacional de Campesinas, American Bird Conservancy (ABC), American Sustainable Business Network (ASBN), Bee Squared Apiaries, Beyond Pesticides, Beyond Toxics, Californians for Pesticide Reform, Center for Biological Diversity (CBD), Center for Environmental Health (CEH), Center for Farmworker Families (CFF), Center for Food Safety (CFS), Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL), Center for Progressive Reform (CPR), Children’s Environmental Health Network (CEHN), Clean Air Action Network of Glens Falls (CAAN), Clean Water Action, Coming Clean Network, Coy’s Honey Farm Inc., CT Pesticide Reform, Farmworker Association of Florida (FWAF), Farmworker Self-Help, Friends of the Earth (FOE), Green America, Iowa Alliance for Responsible Agriculture (IARA), Jefferson County Farmers and Neighbors, Inc. (JFAN), Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association (MOFGA), Maryland Ornithological Society, Maryland Pesticide Education Network (MPEN), Maryland Votes for Animals, Missouri Coalition for the Environment (MCE), Missouri River Bird Observatory (MBRO), Montana Environmental Information Center (MEIC), Northeast Organic Dairy Producers Association (NODPA), Northeast Organic Farming Association of Massachusetts (NOFA-Mass), NOFA-NJ, NOFA-NY, NOFA-VT, Norwalk River Watershed Association (NRWA), Northwest Center for Alternatives to Pesticides (NCAP), Organic Consumers Association (OCA), People & Pollinators Action Network (P&PAN), Pesticide Action and Agroecology Network (PANNA), People Organized in Defense of Earth and Her Resources (PODER), Pollinate Minnesota, Pollinator Pathway, Pollinator Stewardship Council (PSC), Rachel Carson Council (RCC), Re:Wild Your Campus, Toxic Free North Carolina (TFNC), Valley Improvement Projects (VIP). 

For a copy of the joint statement, please click here or see the attached PDF file. 
For an updated version of this press release as signatories are added, please click here.  

### 

Additional Quotes: 
“Once you understand the pesticide registration process, the need to hold registrants accountable becomes very apparent,” says Richard Coy, third-generation commercial beekeeper and vice president of Coy’s Honey Farm, Inc. “In my opinion, legislation that impedes accountability is bad policy.” 

“As Missourians, we see industry’s influence everywhere—on our highways, in our mailboxes, and on our screens—reminders of how aggressively they shape public opinion and policy,” reveals Ethan Duke, co-founder and co-director of Missouri River Bird Observatory. “At the Observatory, we’ve seen efforts like Section 453 have consequences for the welfare of our fields, waterways, and bird populations. Section 453 would silence communities and strip away one of the few tools people have to hold industry accountable for the harm they cause to both human health and the natural world.” 

“Farmworkers are on the front line of pesticide exposure,” Jeannie Economos, coordinator of the Pesticide Safety and Environmental Health Project at Farmworker Association of Florida, highlights. “In my 30 years of working with farmworkers, I have heard heartbreaking stories of health effects that farmworkers, their children, and/or their families have experienced. Farmworkers deserve fair treatment and justice!”

Jay Feldman, Executive Director, Jfeldman@beyondpesticides.org, 202-543-5450 
Max Sano, Senior Policy and Coalitions Associate, msano@beyondpesticides.org, 415-297-8779   

Mark Neal's Eloquent Take Down of Greenwashing and Denial AND The Invention of a New Word "Syntheticides"

I am republishing this insightful post from Mark Neal which he originally shared on Linkedin. He has graciously permitted me to post it here. 

To connect with him, please visit him on Linkedin.com or at nealvineyards.com. (Better yet, go taste there! Howell Mountain is beautiful.) He is the only northern California vintner I know of who is certified organic, ROC and biodynamic. 

Language matters, and right now our language is in a heap of trouble, as Mark so clearly lays out.

Transparency: The Synthetic Illusion of Sustainability

By Mark J Neal

Owner at Neal Family Vineyards, Owner at Jack Neal & Son, Regenerative Organic Consultant

August 19, 2025

The California Sustainable Winegrowing Alliance defines “sustainable winegrowing and winemaking” as a holistic approach that conserves natural resources, protects the environment, enhances wine quality, enriches lives, and safeguards family farms. But if synthetic materials are part of that equation, it’s not holistic. Knowing what synthetic materials do to our air quality, soils, water, in our foods, how can this enrich life on earth and safeguards the family farm for generations?

Over fifty years ago, my father taught me a lesson I’ve never forgotten: “Sht in, sht out.” That principle still holds. He wasn’t talking about our compost pile either. You can’t build life on a foundation of chemicals. And yet that’s what’s happening across modern agriculture—and not just on the farm. Now we see the same misinformation being repeated by AI systems, websites, and news outlets. Why? Because the greenwashing has gone digital.

Try searching “sustainable farming” online and see what you get. It sounds great: healthy food, healthy planet, happy families. But much of that language is filtered through a lens shaped by agribusiness lobbying, PR firms, and marketing budgets. In 2023 alone, Big Ag spent $178 million lobbying for favorable policy—pushing “sustainable” initiatives while continuing to apply synthetic fertilizers, herbicides, pesticides, and growth regulators. This is not saving the planet. This is saving the bottom line.

And it’s working. Most consumers are misled into thinking that the word “sustainable” guarantees something chemical-free, safe and farming correctly when it rarely does. The result? Confusion, manipulation, and more poison in our soil, water, and food. It’s the same story Monsanto and others have told for decades—now it just has better packaging.

Let’s break this down. The word “holistic” comes from the Greek word “holos,” meaning all, whole, entire. A holistic farming system must look at everything: the soil, the crops, the animals, the people who farm, the environment, and the long-term impact of every decision that is made on every square inch of the farm. You don’t get to call something holistic when you're pouring synthetic nitrogen into the ground, spraying glyphosate and other herbicides under the vines, or applying insecticides & fungicides that leave harmful residues in the fruit. That is not holistic. That is toxic.

The truth is simple. There are only three farming methods that fully protect the soil, support biodiversity, and prohibit synthetic materials and Genetically Modified Organism (GMO):

 Certified Organic

 Biodynamic®

 Regenerative Organic®

Each of these methods requires third-party inspections, audits, and full accountability. No shortcuts. No self-scoring. No marketing spin. If you want to build soil health, protect water quality, and create wines or foods that support life, these are the only paths. Everything else is a version of chemical farming wrapped in green buzzwords.

I consider myself once a regenerative farmer, now a regenerative organic farmer. Only because the word regenerative was greenwashed back in January 2025. [I think he's talking about the state of California declaring that it could include the use of synthetics.} That means everything we done for the last 60 years is about renewal—restoring what has been damaged, rebuilding what’s been lost, and regenerating health from the soil up. Healthy soil isn’t just about better grapes. It means better water retention, more carbon sequestration, more microbial activity, more biodiversity. It means your farm is alive. When you apply herbicides, synthetic fertilizers, or growth regulators, you are not building life. You are destroying it. There is no way around that fact.

Most so-called “sustainable” farming associations and their systems still allow these synthetic materials. They say they’re improving. But how can you improve something when the starting point is not factual? If you say you’re protecting the environment, but you’re still applying glyphosate or synthetic fungicides, what exactly are you protecting?

Just one example: glyphosate, the most commonly used herbicide in the world, was classified by the International Agency for Research on Cancer in 2015 as “probably carcinogenic to humans.” The U.S. EPA, in contrast, concluded in 2017 that it is “not likely to be carcinogenic.” That’s too close for comfort. Glyphosate alters gut bacteria, disrupts the microbiome, and may interfere with the endocrine system. And that’s just one of hundreds of synthetic materials currently in use.

This is why I created the word “syntheticides” to refer to all of them—herbicides, pesticides, fungicides, insecticides, miticides, bactericides, avicides, and more. These syntheticides are allowed under so-called “sustainable” programs like Napa Green, Lodi Rules, or even self-proclaimed regenerative farms that never went through organic certification. No matter how pretty the label, if it allows syntheticides, it’s not sustainable.

Certified Organic is the only standard that prohibits these materials. It is the only one that guarantees no GMOs, no chemical fertilizers, no synthetic weedkillers or growth regulators. That’s why we’ve farmed that way since 1984—and why we became certified wine producers in 2007. That’s why we don’t use GMO, Mega Purple, grape concentrate, or synthetic additives in our winemaking. We don’t add sugar during processing. (BTW it’s against the law in CA). We don’t rely on artificial yeast strains unless they meet strict organic standards. Our wines are fermented dry, wild when possible, and with nothing added that compromises the integrity of the vineyard or your health.

Why does it matter? Adding any synthetic materials, mean synthetic residues in your food, in your wine, and eventually in your body. They leach into the water supply, poison microbes, destroy biodiversity, and leave soil compacted, lifeless, and restricts full  carbon storage. And once the soil dies, the farm dies. Scientists say that we have only 50 more harvest left on those chemical farms which is about 97% of all world farming. Life depends on you to help change this. How? Read up on this! purchase a few items that are textiles or food that have an organic certification on the label.

We are losing species, losing pollinators, losing microbial diversity at alarming rates. Even on a larger scale destroying our ocean life because of ag and residential run off. Synthetic farming methods have contributed directly to these losses. And yet, marketing tells us everything is improving. They call it “climate-smart,” “eco-friendly,” “natural,” or “sustainable.” But it’s the same chemical playbook—just dressed up for social media.

Real sustainability means taking responsibility. It means telling the truth. It means understanding that if your wine label says “made with organic grapes,” it is not an organic wine unless the entire winemaking process is also certified. It means rejecting greenwashing terms and looking for real certifications such as: Regenerative Organic Certified®, or Demeter Biodynamic®.

It means not settling for halfway.

At Neal Family Vineyards, we’ve never taken the shortcut. We farmorganically because we believe the land deserves better—and so do you. We believe that future generations should inherit vineyards and soils that are richer, more alive, and more abundant than the ones we started with. That doesn’t happen by accident. It happens through intention, through responsibility, and through action not fake words.

This isn’t just about wine it’s all agriculture worldwide. It’s truly nurturing our soils for generations to come vs greedy big AG drug pushers that destroying our soils.  Then we talk about how we grow food, textiles, raise animals, and live on this earth. It’s about redefining what sustainability really means and holding that word accountable because it’s not ‘Holistic farming’. Because if you still allow synthetic materials, your farm isn’t sustainable. And neither is the future.

Let’s stop pretending that the illusion is enough.

Let’s farm—and live—with real transparency.

Local Boys and Girls Make Good with First Ever Organic Sonoma Valley Wine Tasting: Incredible Breadth and Depth

Featured: Front row: Jasmine Egan (general manager, Winery Sixteen 600); Allie Badar (conference administrator and Bedrock enologist); Katie Bundschu (proprietor, GunBun and Abbot's Passage) Morgan Twain Peterson MW (Bedrock Vineyards). Back row: Sam Coturri, winemaker and bon vivant (Winery Sixteen 600).

There are so many amazing things to know about the upcoming organically grown Sonoma Valley conference that's about to happen at Fort Mason next weekend - Sun. August 17. 

Get your tickets ($73) here https://www.eventbrite.com/e/sonoma-organic-regenerative-biodynamic-educational-tasting-sorbet-tickets-1333223440199 

I want to celebrate this for being the first vintner collaboration on organically grown wines that I have seen. No one else - not Napa, not Paso, not California – has taken the lead on presenting the breadth and depth of organically grown wines being made today. This tasting is just what we need - regional, grassroots enthusiasm for a new kind of wine culture that talks about organic farming, not just sulfites. We should be elevating these producers and not falling for greenwashing claims. 

At Sonoma Valley’s organic wine event, producers will collectively pour 20 different varietals in a range of styles. This region, as you may recall, is the birthplace of North Coast winemaking, and it's gaining momentum as a destination for organic-minded folks to tour and taste. All the charm, less BS. But mostly – great wines. 

Enjoy this listen from the Indie Wine Podcast about the event, featuring the leading organizers. 

VARIETY IS THE SPICE OF LIFE

This tasting encompasses so many styles and varieties. I'm going to list some here, just to highlight the varied choices attendees will find:

Sparklers

Gloria Ferrer, the Spanish owned giant producer of Cava, is now the biggest organic grower in the county, having converted 330 acres to organic certification. In addition it's on a path going forward to put "Made with Organic Grapes" on its front labels, now that the winery is certified organic, too. 

Historic Vineyards: Reds to Die For: Monte Rosso, GunBun, Bucklin Old Hill, Bedrock

Most wine regions would kill to have the kind of historic vineyards one can still find in Sonoma Valley. 

To mention the most obvious one, Bedrock makes one of the most beautiful old vine wines you can buy–the Bedrock Heritage Red. The flagship wine–they call it their O.G.–comes from 33 acres of vines first planted in 1888. The field blend (of 30 different varieties) grows on red, cobbly soils in the historic Sonoma Valley Bedrock vineyard. Bright, light. Red fruits. A classic.

Once and Future will also delight with historic sites (like Petite Sirah from Calistoga).

Hamel Family, Abbott's Passage and others are also making old vine blends.  

Great Cabs

Starting with Laurel Glen, one of the original Cab greats, on Sonoma Mountain, there are so many other producers making incredible, acclaimed Cabernets in this tasting. From Kamen, and its Moon Mountain District minerally Cabs to Hamel Family's refined biodynamically farmed wines, the list of amazing Cabs at the tasting is worth the price of admission alone. Stone Edge Farm Estate Vineyards & Winery is another incredible producer and its winemaker Alejandro Zimman also makes the Cabs at Winery Sixteen 600. Hanzell also makes Cab. 

Chardonnay and Pinot Noir 

That's the thing about Sonoma - it encompasses cool climates where these grow Burgundian varieties grow beautifully. Canihan Family, Donum Estate and Hanzell will all pour. 

Rhone Wines

So many incredible Rhone wines from rosé, to Grenache and Syrah...Sixteen 600, Lasseter Family, Hamel, Kamen....I could go on and on..

White Wines

Canihan Chardonnay, Ram's Gate Pinot Blanc, Hanzell Chardonnay, Sixteen 600's Homage Blanc...I don't have time to list them all but suffice it to say, you will be busy tasting them all. 

BOXED WINE and CANS

Winery Sixteen 600's got you covered here.

FULL LINEUP

• Verification Provided

Not all vineyards are certified organic, but to the organizer's credit, they required each producer not certified organic to provide their pesticide use report (spray records reported to the Ag Commissioner and the state of California) to verify what chemicals are used on the vines. 

Wouldn't it be nice if natural wine events did this also?

ALL WINERIES

Certified 

Abbot's Passage (estate Zin only)*

Bedrock*

Benziger Family Winery (estate wines only - about 7% of production)

Brown Estate (estate Zin only)

Canihan Family Winery*

Dane Cellars (check sourcing)*

Gloria Ferrer (newest vintages only)*

Gundlach Bundschu (estate wines only; don't miss the Gewurz)*

Jambe de Bois Wines (Enterprise Vineyards' grapes)*

Kamen Estate Wines*

Korbin Kameron

Lasseter Family Winery* 

Ram's Gate Winery (estate only)*

Stone Edge Farm Estate Vineyards & Winery*

Winery Sixteen 600*

Not Certified 

Fest Wine Co.

FRES.CO 

Hill of Tara

Kivelstadt

Las Vivas

Marioni Wine

Pangloss Cellars (check on sourcing)

Sean Minor

Tidings

VINEYARD TABLES

In addition, and this is quite cool, certain certified organic vineyards will also be featured with the wines sourced from them:

Bedrock Vineyard

Enterprise Vineyards

Montecillo Vineyard

Rossi Ranch

This will be an unforgettable tasting!

PS If you want more info on these wineries, most of them are included in Slow Wine USA. You can buy a copy of this indispensable guide, including wines grown only without herbicide (at a minimum, many are certified organic) at www.slowwineusa.com.  Wineries indicated with a * are all ones I have written about for Slow Wine, which is a book written by 16 contributors. (In addition to writing about 50-60 entries, I edit the whole enchilada–a labor of love.)

Buy your ticket for the organic Fort Mason tasting here. 

PS What do I mean by local boys and girls make good? Listen to that podcast and you will understand. Three of the main organizers all went to high school together. 

Yay - It's Year Two of Tablas Creek's Estate Grown (Regeneratively Farmed and Organic) Boxed Grenache: Alouette ($125/3L)

You may recall I was excited about the appearance of Tablas Creek's release last year of its first estate grown boxed wine. That was a 2023 vintage and I had no idea if it would return again this year. 

I am happy to report that the 2024, the second vintage of Tablas Creek's Alouette Grenache is now shipping!

From the producer's website:

"a chillable red featuring the highest-toned, palest, and juiciest lots of Grenache from the vintage. Alouette means "lark" in French, with both its English language meanings: the songbird, but also something done spontaneously, or for fun. Learn more on the Tablas blog about how Alouette came to be.

In 2023 we only packaged our Alouette in 3L boxes and in kegs. In 2024 we also made a small run in clear glass bottles, which are available direct from us and through our distribution network.

TASTING NOTES

An appealingly juicy nose of wild strawberry and yellow roses, with a little minty lift. On the palate, like strawberry candy, but dry, with additional flavors of watermelon and sweet green herbs. Light-to-medium-bodied, with just a hint of tannin and refreshing acidity. It is delicious chilled."

Boxed wine reduces the carbon footprint of wine 83 percent, plus it makes wine so easy to consume more conveniently. No corks, no bottles, no corkscrew, no wine gone bad. 

Here's the big article I wrote about boxed wine last year for Wine Business Monthly. 

Farmed Like a "Meadow Not a Golf Course": Alexana's New Pinot Noir is Organically Farmed and Precisely Vinified

Note: Nice to see another Oregon winery cross the organic threshold! You may recall that Revana hosted the Oregon Organic wine conference this spring, supporting the organic community. 

Press release: 

Alexana Estate Marks 20 Years with Debut of “Mosaic” Pinot Noir

Adorned with new labels, the Dundee Hills icon’s inaugural release celebrates America’s most geologically diverse vineyard.

July 31, 2025 (Dundee Hills, OR) — In celebration of its 20th anniversary, Alexana Estate is honored to debut its 2023 “Mosaic” Pinot Noir. An estate-grown blend from Alexana’s two organic, dry-farmed vineyard sites, Mosaic showcases the potential of the Western Slope of Oregon’s Dundee Hills AVA in a shimmering, layered Pinot Noir. The grapes in each of the 100+ small-lot fermentations that make up Mosaic are hand-harvested, triple-hand sorted, and fermented with native yeasts, preserving the individuality of the 50 distinct vineyard blocks at Alexana.

“Mosaic represents the summation of diverse winemaking techniques intentionally tailored to each of our fifty vineyard blocks,” said Tresider Burns, Alexana Estate Winemaker. “With 22 distinct soil types shared between the properties and a nearly equal number of Pinot Noir clonal selections, each block is farmed to reveal the fruit’s unique personality. We use a range of methods—whole cluster fermentation, extended maceration, délestage, fermentation in wood and concrete—to make ‘Mosaic’ which is unlike anything found in Oregon or beyond.”

The 2023 “Mosaic” has already received impressive critical praise, including 95 points from International Wine Report Senior Editor Jeremy Young, 95 points from wine critic Owen Bargreen, and 93 points from Wine Spectator Senior Editor Tim Fish. In the glass, the 2023 “Mosaic” Pinot Noir displays aromas of ripe raspberry, blood orange peel, and dried rose petals, lifted by hints of spice, cedar, and forest floor. The palate is focused and energetic, offering layers of juicy red fruit, fine tannins, and a clear expression of site. The 2023 vintage also marks the debut of Alexana’s redesigned labels, featuring an elegant feather motif. Each of the 18 feathers symbolizes one of the estate’s unique soil types, a tribute to the mosaic beneath the vines.

Alexana Estate, twice honored in Wine Spectator’s Top 100, is perched on the once-untapped western slope of the Dundee Hills, a site chosen for the potential that owner Dr. Madaiah Revana saw when he first visited the property in 2003 with Lynn Penner-Ash. Its 32 planted blocks span a rare convergence of volcanic and marine sedimentary soils, creating one of the most geologically diverse vineyard sites in North America, with 18 distinct soil types. Just down the road, the Kinney Ranch vineyard (formerly a historic horse farm) shares this extraordinary geology and contributes to Mosaic’s dimension and depth.

“The ‘Mosaic’ Estate Pinot Noir represents the most complete expression of our estate’s farming and winemaking philosophy and vision to date,” said General Manager Jeff Lewis. “It’s also a wine that could only exist in this moment of Alexana’s two decades of evolution – where our passion for farming has aligned with understanding our site, and the potential of every vine.”

Under the leadership of Director of Viticulture Drew Herman, the estate practices organic farming with a focus on regenerative agriculture, utilizing cover crops and grazing by the winery’s pigs and local sheep. As Herman puts it, the philosophy is: “meadow, not golf course.” The winery has also deepened its global winemaking dialogue through ongoing collaboration with sister properties in Napa (Revana Estate) and Argentina (Corazón del Sol).

The 2023 “Mosaic” Pinot Noir is available in limited quantities through the estate and online at www.alexanawinery.com

About Alexana Estate

Alexana Winery is a tribute to the potential of the Western Slope of the Dundee Hills AVA. Alexana is one of the most geologically diverse sites in North America, with 22 soil types represented across its 97-acre vineyard. The wines reflect the dynamic power of Oregon’s ancient volcanic and marine terroirs and have garnered wide recognition, including Wine Spectator Top 100 accolades. Since its founding in 2005, Alexana has been guided by philosophy with a perpetual incremental improvement; today, that encompasses experimentation with novel grape varieties, organic farming methods and progressive grazing protocols. Alexana believes in cultivating meaningful relationships with the land and its community, and is a proud member of Revana Vineyards, an independently owned family of wineries with estates in Oregon, Napa Valley, and Argentina.

I'm Still Dreaming of Bluefin Tuna Bon Bon's and Calera Mills Pinot...Calera Celebrates 50th Anniversary in Style

With Mike Waller, Calera winemaker, with some very old (emptied Saturday last) bottles including the very first wine, a 1975 Zinfandel, that Josh Jenson made while he was waiting for his Pinot vines to grow)

What a treat to spend a Saturday afternoon at Calera, celebrating the winery's 50th anniversary. 

I have become more and more entranced by this "remote" farming region–from Paiscines Ranch to the San Benito Health Clinic (started by farmworkers–I wrote a story about its pioneering solar powered everything for The Guardian). 

There is something wild and free about the area...a throwback that is also modern at the same time (just look at the traffic and road construction projects) with retiring urban refugees flocking to its gated retirement communities. 

Now owned by Duckhorn–Jensen sold it to them a few years before his death, seeking someone to carry it forward–the hospitality team put on a grand sushi menu with other lovely Japanese dishes (sweet potatoes, for instance) and, best of all Bluefin Tuna bonbons. Bluefish Tuna bonbons? I have never heard of them before but now I dream of them at night, paired with Calera's classic estate wines. 

Before I arrived, I listened to a few podcasts that mentioned Jensen's name. But I already wanted to know more about Jensen...why did everyone think he was a pioneer, when Chalone was on limestone just over the hill and making Pinot? How did he get the money to start the winery in the first place? How does a guy from Orinda, son of a dentist, get to Yale? and then to Burgundy? 

Years ago a fabulous writer wrote a book about this place and about Jensen and the other leading talents who created this place and this wine. That book is The Heartbreak Grape, written by Canadian writer Marq de Villiers, It isn't so much about the grape as it is about Jensen and Calera. People don't write - or get to write - books of this caliber much any more, and more's the pity because this book is a masterpiece, not only about Calera, but also as an explanation of how wine is grown and made–the triumphs and the tribulations. I had read it years ago, but forgot most of it, until Mike Waller graciously gifted me a new copy at the winery which I spent the next day reading from cover to cover. 

It's not only a great story, it's also a diplomatic critique about the weird anomalies of the wine industry. And its wine writers. (I refer you to page 168 in the book where de Villiers reviews many different reviewers' impressions of the same vintages of Calera wines, for a start.)

But that is not really what I want to talk about. 

The 50th anniversary event itself was lovely. 

At these gatherings, I am as interested in the fans who come (and sit next to me on the outdoor picnic tables). Where do they come from? What attracts them to wine and these wines specifically?

The assembled multitude ran the gamut from confirmed wine club members to newbies to Waller family members and other locals for whom this was home turf. (Yeah, home turf with spectacular views of the nearby cosmic bluffs.)

Across from me were a local Hollister couple (not related to the Wallers) who had never visited the winery before. The woman grew up here; the guy was originally from Holland. They'd met at their place of work. It was his birthday and this was the special birthday outing. Later on the way out, I ran into them again. He had scored an empty magnum of his birth year wine.

After they left, another couple joined the table–gay vacationers from the East Coast on a five day trip to the Bay Area. One guy's last name was Jensen so they figured they just HAD to come here. They were captured by the views and the wines. Definitely a California dream. 

The winery paid homage to its large base of Japanese Calera fans, who first made the brand popular there from a manga character. Twenty percent of its wines are sold to Japan. Still.

Another couple from Santa Clara (who work in tech) were the best foragers at my table, continually collecting plate after small plate of the various Japanese inspired goodies offered up. 

Sweet potatoes, sushi tacos, spicy tuna rolls, the infamous bluefin tuna bon bons (damn, I did not get a good picture of them) and more. I could always gauge when something new hit the buffet tables by their endless haul. (After all, it cost $175 to be here and that was the discount for wine club members). They were a great culinary alert system. 

The Wine

As for the wine, the winery did its job of bringing forth old magnums that caused fans to swarm those carrying big bottles–magnums being a sign that old vintages were contained within. 

I met one diehard old fan who recalled wilder parties back in the day, associated with Jensen and Grateful Dead concerts and New Year's Eves. Party hounds. He scooped up the last little dregs of the near empty 1975 Zinfandel bottle I clutched in my arms, a gift from Waller (it was almost empty by the time I got to it). It was the first wine Jensen made at Calera, while he was waiting for the Pinot vines to grow.

Of course the current releases were also poured and were in top form. 

I started thinking about California's Pinot pioneers a lot on the way home in the car (a two hour drive). 

After all, I've just been visiting a number of them in my Slow Wine USA circumambulations of late. (Every summer we [12+ writers] of SWG make site visits to about 300-450 wineries). 

The previous week I had just visited at DuMOL, a fave, and Porter Bass and Porter Creek. Faves all in fact. In past years, Hanzell and others. 

The initial terroir search motivations were varied. Pioneers like Hanzell in Sonoma Valley/Moon Mountain and Porter Creek in Russian River had no limestone. They went by temperature.

As did Richard Sanford (later of Alma Rosa)...him hanging his thermometer out the window of a car (or a VW bus if you prefer the mythic story). He was looking at temperatures more than limestone, he told me in an unpublished 2016 interview. Like Jensen, he had to buck local naysayers. Farmers told him you could never grow grapes there. 

The Davis family bought their Russian River estate in 1978. "Pinot Noir was so underappreciated at that time that George Davis [Alex's father and the founder] was actually forced to plant more Chardonnay and less Pinot Noir than he wanted to by his banker and farm advisor, who saw no future in Pinot Noir is the Russian River Valley!" writes Alex Davis. "Apples were the proven cash crop at that time."

The Heartbreak Grape tells a similar story about Jensen and the history of Calera. 

In the Here and Now

At the 50th, winemaker Mike Waller, who worked for more than a decade with Jensen, gave a tribute to the enduring vision and wines, praising Duckhorn for keeping the Calera culture and spirit alive. 

The vineyards were first certified organic in 2008.

Additional events celebrating the 50th anniversary are planned for this fall for trade.