Pedroncelli
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John Pedroncelli, Jr. - Winemaker

John Pedroncelli, Jr. is Dry Creek Valley's most experienced winemaker. More than 40 vintages at Pedroncelli Winery have given him an unsurpassed understanding of the region and its grapes, and an uncanny ability to bring out the best of both in his wines.
John was two years old when the Pedroncelli family purchased the winery and moved to Geyserville in 1927. Vineyard chores were simply part of growing up. "There was always work a kid could do to help out, like suckering vines," he recalls. When wine production resumed after Prohibition, his chores expanded to include cleaning redwood tanks and assisting his father in the cellar.

After two years of military service, he entered Santa Rosa Junior College, where he studied chemistry and botany. He began assuming winemaking responsibilities from his father in 1948, but returned to college in the early 1950s to take enology courses at the University of California at Davis.

After the retirement of John Pedroncelli, Sr. in 1963, he also became manager of the firm's 135 acres of vineyards. During his tenure, John has guided Pedroncelli through the tough transition from bulk wine producer to premium winery. He created California's first Zinfandel Rosé in 1958, began producing premium varietal wines in 1965, and updated the winemaking facility with modern equipment and small oak barrels in the 1960s and 1970s.

Today, he continues to innovate, creating vineyard-select wines and replanting the estate vineyards on advanced trellises to grape varieties carefully selected for each site. "I've always wanted Pedroncelli wines to be among the best made in Dry Creek Valley," he explains. That's why we continue to fine-tune our grape growing and winemaking; using our experience to achieve a balance of ripe fruit, oak complexity and approachable character that is both distinctive and a pleasure to drink."

 

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Winemaker

Winemaker John Pedroncelli Jr.

A Sonoma County Tradition Since 1927
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