The Trentadue family has been growing premium red wine grapes on their 200 acre estate in the Alexander Valley for over 47 years. With vines dating back to 1886, to the adaptation of improved farming practices and the planting of new clones and rootstocks, the Trentadues continue to balance the traditions of the area's early Italian growers and the ever-evolving changes within the viticulture industry. Of the twelve varieties grown on the Estate, special attention is given to blocks of Zinfandel, Petite Sirah, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet France that make up the four selections in our award winning La Storia line of wines and ports.
Our farming practices reflect a commitment to fruit quality and to the land from which it comes. We carefully select the varieties that thrive in our microclimate and gravely-loam soils. We practice sustainable agriculture and believe we are stewards of the land and utilize all of the elements available to put the most we can offer into each bottle of wine while retaining the viability of our estate for generations to come.
While the majority of our vines are supported by trellis wires, our Zinfandel, Petite Sirah and Carignane blocks are head pruned, which we believe allow these varieties to produce higher quality fruit. Although more labor is involved in farming grapes this way, the improved fruit quality outweighs the increase time and labor cost. We use soil-building cover crops which add nutrients and nitrogen into the soil, as well as control erosion and suppress unwanted weeds. All of our fruit is hand picked, mostly at night which keeps the temperature of the juice from 50 to 60 ° F, which preserves and enhances the flavors of the grapes.
Our vineyard crew is run by Winery President Victor Trentadue, who has been farming wine grapes in the Alexander and Dry Creek Valleys for over 40 years, and Vineyard Manager Cooper Henderson who graduated from Fresno State University in 2002 with a degree in Viticulture. The crew consists of employees who have been here at least 10 years and all have vast farming experience. Our foreman, Miguel Garcia, has been with the winery for 20 years and his two brothers have joined him for the last 16. With our great employee base and dedication to our estate, our grapes and our wines, we perpetuate the goal set by Leo Trentadue in 1959, of producing top quality fruit and ultra-premium wines from his Alexander Valley Estate.
