One man is the main attraction at my favorite winery, owner, winemaker and proprietor Patrick Campbell who has created a winery which makes an excellent wine gift choice because of the unique story and high quality level.
Starting with only three acres in 1981, the first Cabernet Sauvignon was produced in the Sonoma Mountain AVA although the winery now owns at least thirty five acres in the area.
Campbell was largely responsible for the push for AVA status, which has helped him to continue in a leadership role in the area. The current winery offerings are an ecelctic mix of wines and grapes.
Cabernet Sauvignon is still estate grown and bottled, old vine Zinfandel is crafted from Lodi grapes as well as a Malbec from grapes grown in Mendoza, Argnetina. It is that Malbec from Argentina that makes Laurel Glen an especially interesting place to visit during a wine tasting trip through Sonoma. I can’t think of another winery in California that is importing grapes from South America because they think that the grapes grow better there than they do in California.
While the entire set of offerings have been well received, the Lodi Zinfandel often garners the best price to value ratio.