Cherry Family Winery is located in the Sleepy Hollow area of Orinda. Cherry pinot noir is 100 percent estate grown and consists of approximately 225 pinot noir vines planted to clones 115, 667 and 777 in a 45/28/27 proportion. Sleepy Hollow’s warm days and cool nights create ideal growing conditions for pinot noir. The vineyard faces southwest and is planted on a gentle downslope with good sun exposure.
Brian Cherry established the vineyard in 2009. While he has a love for wine, he didn’t have a background in grape growing or winemaking. A fan of California’s fruit driven pinot’s, he also appreciates the complexity of a great Burgundy. Brian believes great wines start in the vineyard but are also completed under the steady hand of a skilled winemaker.
The inaugural bottling of Cherry pinot was the 2014 vintage and based on initial reviews, it looks like the terroir is well suited to growing pinot noir. Cherry pinot noir is finished in new French oak barrels and bottled by hand on site. Yields were low in 2014 and are even lower in 2015, but yields should increase as the vines get older.
Being a small grape grower and a winemaker is both challenging and hard work, but the reward of being able to open a bottle of your own wine after a long, tough day is worth working for.
