You may have seen Pedroncelli wines in wine stores. Those are tasty wines but they don’t begin to tell the whole story. Those wines you see in stores might be considered their workhorse wines, allowing this fairly small family-owned historic winery property to produce about 50,000 cases per year. Much of the grapes are purchased from quality vineyards in the Dry Creek Valley area, as the Pedroncelli vineyard itself is only about 100 acres. To really experience what Pedroncelli has to offer, this winery should be a must stop when you visit the Dry Creek Valley. That’s what we did on this trip, sitting on the expansive patio between the tasting room and the vineyard.
Tasting room associate Stephen shared a lot about the history of the winery along with a wide assortment of Pedroncelli wines to taste. He told us how Italian immigrants Giovanni Pedroncelli and his wife-to-be Giulia met in California and purchased their small Dry Creek Valley vineyard and winery back in 1927. They were able to keep the previous winery’s designation as Bonded Winery 113, which is proudly displayed on Pedroncelli’s labels.
We started out with the 2024 Rose of Zinfandel from the Bushnell Vineyard. This 100% Zinfandel was gorgeous light orange in appearance with a tangerine nose and watermelon on the palate. With citrus fruit around every bend, this would be a great summertime (or anytime) wine.
Next, we had a side-by-side tasting of Pedroncelli’s Sauvignon Blancs.
The 2024 Giovanni and Giulia Sauvignon Blanc is 100% Sauvignon Blanc from the East Side Vineyard. It had grassy and tropical aromatics and was pale in color and fresh and clean on the palate. Fermented in all stainless steel, it is named for the winery’s founders.
Along with this we had the 2023 Block 11 Reserve Sauvignon Blanc, which is 100% Sauvignon Blanc from the East Side Vineyard. The first release of this reserve, it had soft and gentle lemon notes. It was aged 8 months in 3-year-old barrels.
Then we moved onto another side-by-side, this time of Sangiovese.
The 2022 Sangiovese is 100% Sangiovese from the Home Ranch Vineyard. It showed cherry and raspberry notes with a kiss of tea leaf. Gentle tannins offer structure while the acidity is perky and lively. This wine spent 16 months in neutral American Oak barrels.
The 2022 Endurance Estate Red Wine is a Super Tuscan Red Blend of 70% Sangiovese, 30% Cabernet Sauvignon from the Home Ranch Vineyard and East Side Vineyard. This lovely blend had a zingy white pepper finish. The Sangiovese spent 18 months in neutral American Oak while the Cabernet spent 20 months in French Oak (30% new oak).
Of course, a tasting in the Dry Creek Valley wouldn’t be complete without Zinfandel and Pedroncelli makes some great ones. This time we had a side-by-side-by-side tasting of the 2023 Block 13, the 2022 Bushnell Vineyard and the 2022 Courage, all 100% Zinfandels.
The Block 13 Zinfandel from the Home Ranch Vineyard had lots of big, ripe berry on the nose. It was luscious and silky with a lengthy, exquisite finish. This wine spent 16 months in American Oak barrels, 40% new oak.
The Zinfandel from the Bushnell Vineyard had a dense style, with a whisper of floral notes and plenty of ripe, spicy, rustic fruit. This vineyard was planted in 1943 and the wine spent 18 months in American Oak, 40% new, using oak from Minnesota.
Finally, the 2022 Courage Zinfandel was sourced from the Faloni Vineyard. The wine was very fruit forward, showing dark fruit, a kiss of mocha and a tinge of nutmeg and ginger. This wine spent 16 months in American Oak barrels, 40% new oak, using oak from Appalachia.
Pedroncelli was the first winery to introduce Cabernet Sauvignon to the Dry Creek Valley, so we were excited to finish our tasting with a side-by-side tasting of the Cabs.
The 2022 Block 10 Cabernet Sauvignon is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon from the Home Ranch Vineyard. It showed a hint of espresso with delicious black fruit and structured tannins. This is the first release of this single vineyard estate wine. It spent 16 months in French Oak barrels, 40% new oak and was voted Best of Class at the 2025 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition
The 2021 Wisdom Cabernet Sauvignon is a blend of 87% Cabernet Sauvignon and 13% Malbec, from the Wisdom Estate Vineyard. It showed a very light tartness on the finish with herbal notes. Very polished with velvety tannins. This vineyard was re-planted in 2002 and spent 20 months in French Oak, 40% new.
We truly enjoyed our visit to Pedroncelli. We especially appreciated the comparative tastings; they really help to point out the nuances of each wine. Still family owned, this winery is on its 4th generation of Pedroncellis making wine they are justifiably proud of. The winery is definitely worth a visit next time you are in the area. We are looking forward to their next vintage and we hope you are too; you won’t be disappointed.
Uncover the rich history of Dry Creek Valley wines at Pedroncelli Winery, Sonoma County
1220 Canyon Road, Geyserville, CA 95441
Michael and Karen Perlis have been pursuing their passion for wine for more than 30 years. They have had the good fortune of having numerous mentors to show them the way and after a couple of decades of learning about wine, attending events, visiting wineries and vineyards, and tasting as much wine as they possibly could, they had the amazing luck to meet Eve Bushman. Michael and Karen do their best to bring as much information as possible about wine to Eve’s Wine 101 faithful readers.
