If you look up the word “character” in the dictionary, you might find several definitions, including: “The aggregate of distinctive qualities, characteristic of a breed, strain, or type. Attributes or features that make up and distinguish an individual.”
It is the latter definition that describes Louis M. Foppiano, the fourth-generation Foppiano to take the helm of his family’s historic winery, located in the Russian River Valley in Sonoma County, California. Louis is definitely one of the most interesting and entertaining people in the town, and for good reason. He has pretty much seen it all and knows that there are no shortcuts to making quality wine.
The story of Foppiano Vineyards is a family epic full of tradition, perseverance and contributions to the history of Sonoma County and the wine industry.
Founded in 1896 by Giovanni Foppiano, Foppiano Vineyards is one of Sonoma County’s oldest, continually-operated, family-owned wineries. The Foppiano family has supplied northern California with wine for over 100 years, including during Prohibition in the 1920s by selling home winemaking kits.
The Foppianos are proud of their Italian heritage and have maintained a commitment to quality throughout each generation. And while they rely on tradition, they are dedicated to remaining on the cutting edge of winemaking, including making significant investments in infrastructure and winery equipment throughout the years.
The vision of the fifth generation of Foppianos is now guiding the family into the future while creating a world class wine program representative of their storied history.
Located just south of Healdsburg, Foppiano Vineyards sits on 160 acres in the Russian River Valley.
Cool, morning fog and warm summer days create ideal microclimates for grape-growing. The Foppiano family has been producing world-class fruit on this land since 1896. Today, the warmer bench lands are planted with petite sirah, zinfandel and sauvignon blanc. The cooler land close to Russian River is reserved for pinot noir and chardonnay.
Louis began working in the wine industry when he was 7-years-old. Growing up in Sonoma County, his friends were the sons and daughters of other wine families. His playground was the family winery. It was a time when everyone knew everyone else. Families were close-knit. The year revolved around the seasons, culminating with the harvest, which was their reward for a year’s hard work in the vineyard.
Over the years, Louis has worked in just about every position at the winery: driving the tractor in the vineyards; working the bottling line, crush pad and fermenting tanks; and, later after graduating from college, he represented the winery around the world through sales and marketing.
Like the three generations before him, he set the simple goal of creating honest, consistent, high- quality wines during his tenure leading the winery. Wines that are meant to be enjoyed at the table with family and friends. Today, he has handed the reins over to Paul Foppiano, the fifth generation to head up winery operations. Paul is excited to bring the knowledge and experience he has had gained at other winery operations to Foppiano Vineyards to continue the family’s passion for making quality wines.
Paul manages all aspects of vineyard operations and viticultural practices. His passion spans each vine, intimately knowing every single vine’s history, growth patterns and needs. Paul is also keenly looking toward the future, knowing which direction the winery needs to head and where vines should be planted, in order to meet the winery’s plans for future growth. These are not just wines made today, they are wines produced with legacy.
The fruit for the 2017 Foppiano Vineyards Sauvignon Blanc is harvested at night and early morning to preserve the fresh-fruit characteristics. Most of the wine is fermented in stainless steel tanks, but a small percentage of the finished wine goes to neutral oak barrels to provide a nice, round finish. The result is a wine with aromas of ripe lemon zest and fresh-cut grass. Kiwi, lemonade, grapefruit and sweet tart passion fruit dominate the palate, while a slight effervescence and long finish makes this the perfect wine for the warm days of summer. $18
Every step in crafting the 2017 Foppiano Vineyards Pinot Noir is done with careful consideration. The grapes are harvested at night to fully capture their elegant fruit flavors and hand-sorted to ensure only the finest fruit goes into the fermenter. The gentle method of whole berry and whole cluster fermentation to maximize fruit aromatics and complexity. The nose is loaded with earthy scents of plum and raspberry fruit. Wonderfully integrated flavors of black cherries, plum, spice and tea show beautifully on the front end, with just a touch of black licorice on the smooth finish. I’d love to pair this with Peking duck. $35
Of course, you can’t talk about Foppiano without talking about petite sirah — which is fine by me, because I love petite sirah. The 2015 Foppiano Vineyards Estate Petite Sirah is like a chocolate-covered blackberry on steroids. Aromas of blackberry and blueberry spice dominate the bouquet, while flavors of baked blueberries, jammy blackberries, ripe black cherries and dark chocolate mingle on the tongue. It possesses a wonderful balance between acidity, and firm tannins will allow this wine to age for 10 or more years — if you can wait that long. $25
