The Petaluma Gap Winegrowers Alliance is proud to announce the creation of their 10-case special lot for the 2017 Sonoma County “Never Before, Never Again” barrel auction. Called ‘Bridging the Gap,’ this unique bottling will join 60+ other lots in the annual Sonoma County Vintners trade-only event, to be held April 21st, 2017 at Vintners Inn, 4350 Barnes Road in Santa Rosa, California.

Rickey Trombetta Stancliff, President of the Petaluma Gap Winegrowers Alliance said: “The Petaluma Gap is an uncommon winegrowing region, its uniqueness being based on the wind that constantly sweeps through the area, and not so much on the geological or topographic aspects. The wind starts in the Pacific Ocean and ends in San Pablo Bay, the northernmost reach of the San Francisco Bay. That cool, steady wind blowing throughout the day affects the physiology of the grapes, thickening their skins and giving us a nice concentration of flavors balanced by bright acidity.”

Fruit for the Alliance’s lot comes from eleven different wineries in the region. The final blend is the result of a multi-hour session involving the winemakers from Adobe Road Winery, Bruliam Wines, Buena Vista Winery, DANIEL, Fogline Vineyards, Guarachi Family Wines, Keller Estate, Loxton Cellars, Rodney Strong Vineyards, Trombetta Family Wines, and Wind Gap Wines.  

The cool-climate Petaluma Gap region is located in the southern half of the Sonoma Coast AVA (American Viticultural Area). Over 4000 acres of vines are planted within the Petaluma Gap boundaries, and the area is soon to receive its own official AVA designation from the Federal TTB, to be granted based mainly on the uniqueness of the winds that whip through the area. These winds can create daily temperature swings of 40 to 50 degrees, causing the grapes to ripen later in the season than in other nearby regions, expanding their potential flavor and aromatic profiles. These ideal growing conditions create distinctive wines from the area’s sought-after grapes—Petaluma Gap fruit finds its way into wine produced by 70+ different wineries.

“We’ve called the lot ‘Bridging the Gap’” says Rodney Strong winemaker Justin Seidenfeld. “It has fruit from all over the region, so we’re really showing you a bridge of the region, from south to north and east to west, and everything in between. We blended this as a group and it is a kick-ass, awesome, awesome wine.”

Speaking about the final blend, Petaluma Gap Wine Alliance’s Doug Cover says “It’s really very special wine. The thicker skins and the wind really come out in this blend. There’s a lot of depth, a lot of colors, and a lot of intensity to this Pinot Noir that you don’t really get from a lot of other regions. It’s a spectacular lot, one we’re excited to have as our inaugural blend from the Petaluma Gap.”

Read more at source: Wine Industry Advisor