Wine aficionados enjoy a great origin story, especially if it involves a group of friends making wine in a (literal) garage. When said wine earns plaudits from esteemed critics and garners notice from a wider audience, demand increases.

What is a grassroots, conscientious winemaker to do?

That’s the quandary Ben and Yolanda Papapietro and Bruce and Renae Perry faced as they contemplated expanding their garage winery: how to scale up production without losing the family-style approach that had attracted them to winemaking in the first place.

In 2000, Bruce found a home for their enterprise at Windsor Oaks Winery, the partners’ first move into commercial winemaking. Although Bruce passed away a few years ago, the original partnership and philosophy live on: his wife Renae, who was instrumental in bringing the winemakers’ dreams to fruition, now runs the winery.

Here is how Ben describes the transition (from the Papapietro Perry Winery website):

In some ways, the early years were very different from now. But the operation was more guerilla-style by design. There was no tasting room. And during harvest, the winemakers – including Ben and Bruce – camped out in tents, RVs or vans and cooked meals under the stars during harvest. There was no need to go home, it was all about the wine. It was exciting, super challenging and a blast.

The best of our past continues. There is always good food and wine on hand, and the quality of the wine remains a singular focus. And we still stick to a minimalist approach to winemaking. The Papapietro Perry cellar is simply a more elaborate version of Ben’s garage where he started making such compelling wine more than 35 years ago. “Authentic, not pretentious,” says Ben. “Confident, but not too serious. Humble. The winery is an extension of my home and personal hospitality.”

We have been fortunate over the years that so many people appreciate the wines as much as we do. We’ve earned success and are more established. But the simple desire to craft the best Pinot Noir we can – and to keep the whole thing decidedly fun – is what makes the winery a great place to visit and the wine in the bottle so special.

Papapietro-Perry currently grows Pinot Noir and Zinfandel in six individual vineyards. I recently tasted two Pinot Noirs, one of which is a single-vineyard bottling, the other a blend of fruit from five plots. In their blended wines, grapes from different clones and distinct vineyards are fermented and aged separately.

2021 Papapietro Perry Russian River Valley Pinot Noir ($61 at the winery)

A blend of fruit from the Leras Family, Peters, Nunes, Bucher, and Vin Noy vineyards, each of which has its own character. Grapes are cold-soaked for 2-3 days before the addition of yeast strains cultured specifically for Pinot Noir. Fermentation lasts between 7-12 days, with multiple punch-downs by hand each day to maintain cooler temperatures. Fruit is then pressed and racked into Francois Freres French oak barrels (equal parts new, one-year-old, and two-year old.) The wine remains in cask for 11 months until bottling.

Production: 996 cases (750 ml) and 15 cases (1.5 l). ABV 13.93%.

Color: Luminescent ruby, slightly paler at the rim.

Nose: An initial bouquet of red fruit (raspberry, cranberry, cherry) with hints of cinnamon, cola, and licorice. Over time earthier elements came forward: forest floor, freshly tilled soil.

Palate: Medium-bodied with moderately high acidity and silky tannins, this is one enjoyable sip! The fruit profile reflects the nose and is perfectly balanced by the structural elements of the wine. A long, pleasant finish encourages me to take another taste, no prompting necessary in this case.

Pairing: This wine has range, allowing it to accompany many dishes. My choice was a garlic and herb marinated skirt steak grilled to just medium-rare, and a Little Gem Lettuce salad with green goddess dressing.

Value: At the $61 price point, this wine is a bit of a splurge for my wine budget. But it was much better than other Pinots I’ve tasted that cost much more. I would happily buy it for a special dinner with Gabe, knowing that we’d enjoy the heck out of it!

2021 Papapietro Winery Peters Vineyard Russian River Pinot Noir ($66 at the winery)

The Peters Vineyard is located a few miles west of Sebastopol and is planted with Pommard, 115 and 777 clones. This former apple orchard enjoys the cooling effects of ocean fog in the morning and evening, enabling the grapes to develop and maintain their signature aromas. Hot sunny days ripen and concentrate the fruit character.

Fermentation and élévage are as described previously: fermenting the fruit of individual clones and vineyard sites separately (although the Peters Vineyard bottling may age longer in cask.)

Production: 1,014 cases (750 ml) and 25 cases (1.5 l). ABV 14.47%.

Color: Deep ruby at the core, a little paler at the rim.

Nose: A delightful bouquet of red fruit, a hint of lightly toasted bread, dried mint, autumn leaves, cola and, later, dried rose petals. Hypnotizing! Wish I’d had the willpower to let it open for a full day: such concentration would surely have meant more aromas!

Palate: Round texture, red fruit medley with savory elements as it opened. Tomato leaf, black tea, lightly smoky; black cherry compote. And there are those roses again! Although the fruit is ripe, the wine’s moderate tannins and high-ish acidity keep it honest, leaving a sensation of exquisite balance. Enchantingly long finish. A daydreamer’s wine, one to sip when you need creative inspiration or just a beautiful escape.

Pairing: We enjoyed this bottle with pan-seared pork chops with sweet potato puffs. What a great match! I could imagine this wine pairing well with grilled steak (don’t be afraid to spice it up) or a heartly vegetarian stew featuring aromatic herbs and spices.

Value: Although a bit spendy at $66, I wouldn’t hesitate to purchase this. I consider the QPR (quality-price ratio) to be excellent. Perfect for a special occasion – or for scratching out the first chapter of that novel you’ve been meaning to write!

Media Samples – FYI Both wines were provided to me as media samples. I’ve received no other compensation for writing about them, and all opinions expressed herein are my own.