1997 Pinot Noir Allen Vineyard Russian River Valley

At the time of my late winter visit, Gary Farrell had just sold 20% of his business to William Hambrecht, who owns Bradford Mountain Vineyard. Farrell was looking forward to the construction of a winery on Westside Road (in the Russian River Valley) with capacity far in excess of the roughly 10,000 cases per year Farrell currently offers. Even if he expands production, says Farrell, the focus will remain on pinot noir and zinfandel. Farrell buys fruit from top vineyards from the North Coast down to Santa Barbara County; because he likes crisp flavors, Farrell normally picks on the early side, and sometimes blocks a portion of the malolactic fermentation to preserve freshness. A couple of the wines noted below will not be released until June.