Amador County – Sobon Family Wines’ winemaker marks his 30th anniversary of being a winemaker this year, and last week he gave TSPN a tour of one of the family’s two vineyards.
Winemaker and vineyard manager Paul Sobon and his family own and operate Sobon and Shenandhoah Estates wineries, and they farm 130 acres of grapes, predominantly zinfandel. They also grow about 20 different varieties, with some small plots that they sell only in their tasting room.
Sobon vineyards is formerly the D’Agostini Winery, which is 155 years old, and was founded in 1856 by Adam Uhlinger. The Sobon family purchased the winery in 1977, and Paul Sobon said he began making wine in 1981. He spent a harvest season in Australia, and has taken winemaking classes through the University of California Cooperative Extension.
Last week, Sobon spent the midway mark of the harvest cycling every 30 minutes or so between work crews picking grapes at the Sobon vineyards at 14430 Shenandoah Road, and processing the grapes at Shenandoah Vineyards.
He said the crew members pick about a ton of grapes a day, each, and they will be processing about 18 tons a day. Last week, a crew was picking syrah grapes from 12-year-old vines, while across the ravine stood field of zinfandel vines that are 60 years old, and above those, the more zinfandel on 85-year-old vines, which make up one of its lines, the “Rocky Top.”
He said the harvest is cut off generally in the second week of November when the days are getting so much shorter. He said if your grapes are not ripe by then, they probably won’t get ripe. After that, he will spend about three weeks on the road marketing his wines in other states, at locations that already sell their wines.
The quantity output this year being hurt from severe spring weather will mean more purchases, and he buys grapes exclusively from Northern California, in a 50-mile radius, with a little bit from Lodi, and Contra Costa County. Sobon said almost all of the grapes they buy are zinfandel, with a little bit of petite syrah.
He said all of their over $15 wines are made with all Amador County grapes.
The Sobon vineyard at Shenandoah Road includes California register historical landmark marker number 762, a plaque placed by the California State Park Commission in Cooperation with the James W. Marhall Chapter Number 49 of the E. Clampus Vitus, on Sept. 16, 1961.
The winery includes a museum with old winemaking items, including old oak casks, presses and old bottles of the D’Agostini line. The tasting room has a wall of ribbons, and the local selections, including some sold exclusively at the tasting room.
Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
