VILLANELLE ESTATE

Villanelle is a family-owned and operated winery in the Sierra Nevada Mountains.

The vineyards are terraced into a hillside above the South Yuba River Canyon, with soils composed of granite, quartz silt, clay, blue schist, and limestone –the gravelly marl of a glacier that flowed from the high Sierra 65 million years ago, to form the walls of the ancestral Yuba.

At 2200’ elevation, Soñante Cabernet Franc, is on the Yuba ridge; then east to west –down the slopes –Poētria Merlot, Violona Sauvignon Blanc, and Le Bestiaire Cabernet Sauvignon.

The individuality of each Villanelle wine begins here on this hillside –soil, weather, play of light and shadow. When Villanelle was founded in 1996, by G. M. Johnson, the first task was pruning back the vines, and cutting over-productive growth, opening the canopy, to grow small berries with thick skins.

The second task was converting the 100-year-old stone and cedar post barn, to a winery. The winemaking techniques are: (1) natural, ripe, fruit; (2) fermentation in small vessels; (3) barrel aging in no more than 10% new limousin oak; (4) extended bottle aging; (5) no manipulation of the wine.

SINGLE VINEYARD

Soñante Cabernet Franc

Poētria Merlot

Violona Sauvignon Blanc

Le Bestiaire Cabernet Sauvignon

VINEYARD BLEND

French Corral Cabernet Sauvignon-Merlot-Cabernet Franc.

LATE HARVEST

Pallant Late Harvest Sauvignon Blanc (Noble Rot).