Hallberg Ranch pinot noir woos top Sonoma County winemakers

For winemakers who want coveted pinot noir grapes from Hallberg Ranch, there’s a long waiting list.

By the time Brice Cutrer Jones purchased Hallberg Ranch in 1999, he’d been eyeing the historic Sebastopol property for nearly a decade.

Back then, the 115-acre parcel was planted to apples, which the Hallberg family had grown in Sonoma County since 1886. But Jones, who founded Sonoma-Cutrer winery in 1973, suspected the land held great promise for growing pinot noir grapes.

“When my dad became interested in buying the property, he and (vineyard manager) Kirk Lokka would stop by the Hallberg fruit stand on Highway 116 to chat up Don Hallberg and buy a pie from his wife, Marcia,” said Mari Jones, president of Emeritus Vineyards, which owns Hallberg Ranch. “They’d ask Don whether he was ready to sell and to keep them in mind when he did.”

For Don Hallberg, selling the last of his family’s holdings — one that once encompassed over 1,000 agricultural acres in Sonoma County — was not a straightforward decision. For nearly 100 years, the Hallbergs were one of the top apple growers in the county, with their O.A. Hallberg & Sons Cannery one of the largest independent apple businesses on the West Coast.

But Hallberg trusted Brice Jones’ vision of transforming the orchard into a premium pinot noir vineyard.

“Before the Hallbergs planted apple trees on the property, it was actually a vineyard that grew zinfandel and Italian varietals,” Mari Jones said. “Don Hallberg said it was his father’s dream to see the property returned to a vineyard one day.”

In 1999, Don Hallberg was ready to sell. That year, Jones sold Sonoma-Cutrer winery and purchased Hallberg Ranch for $5.6 million.

Premier pinot noir

His purchase turned out to be a very worthwhile investment.

Today, Hallberg Ranch produces some of the most sought after pinot noir in the Russian River Valley, with 11 wineries sourcing fruit from the property since its first vintage in 2004. Gary Farrell, Fred Scherer, Williams Selyem, Radio Coteau and Etude are among the wineries that have made a Hallberg Ranch pinot noir over the last two decades.

For newcomers, however, buying fruit from the ranch is not a given.

“There is a definitely waiting list for clients who want to purchase fruit and another for current clients who want to buy more,” Mari Jones said. “With all of our clients, it’s about building and maintaining relationships. We would never compromise a relationship with a current client by switching them out for someone new. But if it happens to be a big harvest, a new winery might get fruit for one year.”

Location, location

Located a few miles east of the Pacific coast, in the Green Valley sub-appellation of the Russian River Valley, Hallberg Ranch is influenced by the cool marine layer that arrives each evening, covering the vineyard in a blanket of fog. The fog dissipates around noon, giving way to warm sunny afternoons that ensure ample ripening time for the fruit.

This diurnal rhythm — a temperature swing of up to 30 degrees a day — is a key factor in making Hallberg Ranch prime for pinot noir.

Nighttime temperatures of around 50 to 55 degrees preserve the grapes’ verve of acidity, while daytime warmth nurtures the sugars and ripens the fruit.

The soil

The celebrity of Sonoma County soils, Goldridge soil is a light sandy loam with excellent drainage, making it prized by those growing pinot noir.

At Hallberg Ranch, the Goldridge soil extends 2 feet beneath the surface where it meets a layer of Sebastopol sandy clay loam. Together, these lasagna-like layers provide the perfect recipe for dry farmed pinot noir, which Hallberg began growing in 2007.

“Goldridge soil is vitally important to our pinot noir because it drains so well,” said Riggs Lokka, assistant vineyard manager at Emeritus Vineyards. “The Sebastopol clay layer retains moisture and provides pockets of sand in the soil for the vines to grow straight down. Because we dry farm, the root systems grow very deep to seek out moisture. We believe this adds complexity and flavor to the grapes that you wouldn’t get with irrigation.”

On average, most grapevine root systems grow 8 to 10 feet deep. Lokka said Hallberg Ranch’s vines reach depths of closer to 15 to 20 feet. That drought in 2022? Lokka said the grapevines didn’t blink.

“We had only 11 inches of rain that year, and the vines never looked better,” Lokka said. “There aren’t many places you can get away with no irrigation at all. The vines keep growing like weeds.”

The farming

Kirk Lokka, Riggs Lokka’s father and longtime vineyard manager for Emeritus Vineyards, said sustainability has been an important aspect of farming at Hallberg Ranch from the beginning.

“The term ‘sustainability’ is funny to me because we’ve been farming that way for a long time, long before it was a buzzword,” he said. “We were sequestering carbon before we even knew what that meant. Good farmers are always trying to make their vineyards better for the next generation.”

Certified sustainable by the California Sustainable Winegrowing Alliance and Sonoma County Winegrowers, Emeritus Vineyards (including Hallberg Ranch and Pinot Hill vineyard) makes sustainability part of their practice. Minimal tillage in the vineyard, composting, cover crops, wildlife habitat preservation, water conservation and other sustainability efforts have given Emeritus Vineyards a negative carbon output overall.

“Every day and every year, we evaluate our sustainability goals and reflect on what we’ve done so far,” Mari Jones said. “It’s an ongoing process, but we’re always looking at how we can tread lightly on the land.”

The fruit

Hallberg Ranch grows 14 pinot noir clones, each with its own physical characteristics, growing habits and nuanced flavors. Among the usual suspects are clone 667 (dark and brambly), 777 (thick-skinned and chewy), 115 (fresh and aromatic) and Pommard (earthy and deep in color).

But you’ll also find Swan — named after Sonoma County pinot noir pioneer Joseph Swan — and Elite, a clone Kirk Lokka sourced from the Grand Cru La Romanée vineyard in Burgundy, France.

“What makes Hallberg Ranch so special is that there is a real depth of flavor and complexity in every clone grown on the site,” Mari Jones said. “That is a real hallmark of the vineyard and a testament to the people who farm it so meticulously. They work incredibly hard to make sure every clone, block and cluster can make a complete, delicious and beautiful wine.”

The wine

Hallberg Ranch pinot noir has been in demand since 2004, when Gary Farrell and Scherrer Winery were the first to make wine with its fruit. (Both still buy grapes from the vineyard.) Other wineries that produce a Hallberg-designate wine include Emeritus, Etude, DRNK, Joseph Jewell and Martin Ray Winery. Here are just a few of our favorite Hallberg Ranch pinot noirs.

Gary Farrell 2019 Pinot Noir, Hallberg Ranch, Russian River Valley ($60): Mulberry, bay laurel, fennel, Satsuma zest and fresh cedar on the nose, with vibrant flavors of Bing cherry compote, cassis and hibiscus. Seductive with ample acidity to offer years of age in the bottle.

DRNK 2019 Pinot Noir, Hallberg Ranch, Russian River Valley ($55): Aromas of baking spice and caramel reveal black cherry, raspberry and strawberry on the palate with a fresh, juicy core. Double Gold medal winner at 2022 Sonoma County Harvest Fair.

Scherrer 2018 Pinot Noir, Green Valley, Russian River Valley ($78): Winemaker Fred Scherrer said this is one of his favorite bottlings, with “just about everything a person could ask for in a pinot noir: grace, personality and mystery.” Notes of honeycomb, beets, crushed red raspberries and hibiscus.

You can reach Staff Writer Sarah Doyle at 707-521-5478 or sarah.doyle@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @whiskymuse.