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A CENTURY IN THE MAKING
2023
ELETTO
Heritage vines
The Chosen One
Winemaker Katie Madigan selects the finest Sonoma County old vine vineyards for each vintage, all of which were planted in the early 1900s. As was tradition among those early growers, cuttings were exchanged between neighbors and friends to fill out their blocks. Over generations, those plantings evolved into what winemakers call a “Mixed Blacks” field blend — more than a dozen varieties, including Alicante, Petite Sirah, Carignane, and Zinfandel, grown together and harvested as one. Fermented in the same lot, Mixed Blacks produce a wine of distinct character: more structure, deeper color, and brighter acidity than a traditional Zinfandel blend.
Rooted in Sonoma's Pioneering Past
The story of Eletto begins not in the winery, but in the soil, and not in our lifetimes, but in those of the Italian immigrant families who first shaped Sonoma County’s hillsides and river valleys over a century ago. Beginning in the late 1800s and through the early 1900s, these pioneering settlers arrived with an intimate understanding of the vine and a tradition of communal farming. They planted what they knew: Zinfandel, Petite Sirah, Carignane, Alicante Bouschet, often filling their rows with cuttings shared between neighbors, creating patchwork plantings that became something irreplaceable over time. Winemakers would come to call them “Mixed Blacks,” and today those blocks stand among the most historically significant old vines in California.
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Notes, Character & Masterful Winemaking
Tasting Notes
Earthy depth meets dark fruit opulence in this Zinfandel-led field blend, where chocolate-laced aromatics give way to concentrated blackberry and a core of cherry cola richness. Anise and warm spice weave through a luxuriously silky palate, supported by fine-grained tannins and bright acidity. The finish is long, layered, and thoroughly inviting at the table.
Vineyard Notes
Eletto, meaning “the chosen one,” pays homage to the heritage old vine vineyards planted over 100 years ago. For this vintage, winemaker Katie Madigan chose a variety of top-notch Sonoma County old-vine vineyards to showcase in this spectacular blend. All of the vineyards used were planted in the early 1900s. It was common for these pioneering farmers to ask for cuttings from neighbors and friends to fill out their vineyards. Over time, some of the blocks became a traditional “field blend” of over a dozen varieties, including Alicante, Petite Sirah, and Carignane, along with Zinfandel. This field blend, also called “Mixed Blacks”, is picked and fermented together, having distinct characteristics including more structure and acid than a traditional Zinfandel blend.
Uboldi Vineyard
– Sonoma Valley
Nestled at the base of Sonoma Mountain on the southern edge of Kenwood, the Uboldi Vineyard sits where volcanic foothills meet the valley floor. Rocky red volcanic and Gold Ridge sandy loam soils, farmed sustainably by legendary viticulturist Chuy Ordaz, produce Mixed Blacks vines first planted by Italian families in the early 1900s. The result is fruit of pronounced acidity, layered complexity, and concentrated dark character.
Anacleto Vineyard
– Russian River
Valley
A short walk south of Healdsburg near the banks of the Russian River, the Anacleto Vineyard is one of Sonoma County’s most revered heritage sites. This certified organic, 2-acre estate is recognized by both the Historic Vineyard Society and the Old Vine Registry. Its two blocks span generations: a 50-year-old trellised section and a centenarian head-pruned block producing intensely concentrated, low-yield Zinfandel with a small fraction of Petite Sirah. Managed today by Robert Gray and Andrea Theodore, Anacleto brings depth, structure, and genuine old-vine character to every vintage.
Winemaking Notes
Eletto is built on old-vine field blends planted in the early 1900s, where Zinfandel grows alongside Alicante, Petite Sirah, and Carignane, picked and fermented together the way these vineyards always have been. Every lot starts with a gentle de-stem and two days of cold soak to draw out color and primary fruit, then ferments separately so each vineyard can speak before the blending table. Fifteen months in French oak, half of it new, gives the wine its structure and resolve. The result has more backbone and acidity than a traditional Zinfandel blend, and that’s exactly the point.
Vintage Notes
Cooler temperatures and an abundance of spring rains in 2023 pushed back the first day of harvest to the beginning of September. The later start and extra ripening time for the fruit allowed flavors and color to develop slowly for depth and concentration. Warm fall days spread harvest out past the end of October for many of the red varieties, with a final pick of Merlot delivered to the winery on November 2.