Winemaker Notes
Critical Acclaim
All Vintages
Always Certified Organically Grown – At Paul Dolan vineyards all of our wines are certified organically grown by California Certified Organic Farmers (CCOF), a process that takes a minimum of three years. We believe that soil is a living, life giving system that is sensitive to chemicals and over cultivation. In organic farming, we do not use herbicides such as glyphosate or other synthetic pesticides and chemical fertilizers.
All of our wines are vegan; we do not use any animal based fining, a finishing process many wines go through. Like many of the best wines in the world we do add sulfites, never more than 100ppm, less than 1/3 the limit of conventional non-organically grown wines.
Paul Dolan Vineyards wines are the unique expressions of carefully nurtured vineyards in northern California’s Mendocino County. Our winegrowing practices create small lots of elegant wines, while sustaining our environment, the place where we live, and the people who live here.
A large and diverse appellation within California’s North Coast AVA, Mendocino is home to several smaller sub-regions—most notably the Anderson Valley. This scenic region, with rolling hills covered in redwood forests as well as vineyards, is one of the world’s top producers of certified organically-grown grapes. Due to wide geographical and climatic variation, a vast array of wine styles can be found here.
Unapologetically bold, spice-driven and jammy, Zinfandel has secured its title as the darling of California vintners by adapting well to the state's diverse microclimates and landscapes. Born in Croatia, it later made its way to southern Italy where it was named Primitivo. Fortunately, the imperial nursery of Vienna catalogued specimens of the vine, and it later made its way to New England in 1829. Parading the true American spirit, Zinfandel found a new home in California during the Gold Rush of 1849. Somm Secret—California's ancient vines of Zinfandel are those that survived the neglect of Prohibition; today these vines produce the most concentrated, ethereal and complex examples.