Gary Farrell - The Russian River Pioneer lives on
I was not expecting much of a winery facility, but more of a small, cottage type winery. The kind of place you would chance upon driving through the winding back roads of the Russian River. I drove over the Wohler Bridge (crossing the picturesque Russian River itself), which was a quite an experience (one lane only). A left turn, then some more meandering road and alas, arrived at the beautiful gated entrance to the winery.
But this is was no shack, rather, the opposite, a gorgeous winery awaited. The road climbed about 500 feet in elevation and I was entering the winery to be greeted warmly by Rick Badia, the Hospitality Manager, Nancy Bailey, the General Manager and Susan Reed, the winemaker. The view of the Russian River was breathtaking from up there, the large estate.
A tour of the pristine winemaking facility touched my Swiss core – so organized and orderly, barrels stacked neatly, spotless concrete, beautiful wood trim...the wines are exactly what I expected - small production and handcrafted. Upon tasting the Russian River Chardonnay, I was so surprised to learn it was both barrel fermented and underwent 100% malolactic fermentation. The acidity was so pleasingly bright, the fruit so luscious...yum...however Pinot Noir is the main source of production at the winery, accounting for about 60% and the Russian River Pinot Noir is a beauty; so silky and so loaded with finesse from start to finish that it seemed to linger for about three minutes on my palate, but I secretly wished it could have been even longer. It really blew me away.xpansive windows of the tasting room capturing the ebb and flow of the cool morning fog each day. A red tailed hawk circled some prey right outside the window; this was truly God's country.
The truth is that "the" Gary Farrell is no longer at the winery, but his legacy definitely lives on. Susan Reed was his assistant and she has not missed a beat. She continues making the same award winning wines in the same way they have been- small, artisanal, with excellent fruit sources including the famed Rochioli Vineyard. I would recommend this winery to anyone who wants a memorable small winery experience, with great hospitality to boot, the team at Gary Farrell really knows how to take care of their visitors.
