Monte Rosso Vineyard^® Moon Mountain, Sonoma County

There is nothing quite like it. Huge, twisting, gnarled, mountain-rooted Zinfandel vines with a view of Sonoma Valley, San Francisco, and the Bay Area–thriving plants that are still producing thrilling wines since their origins in the 1880s. It is said that the roots run up to 40 feet deep. Louis M. Martini purchased this lofty site on the Sonoma side of the Mayacamas shortly after Prohibition. Labeled originally as “California Mountain” Zinfandel, it became the source for many compelling, age worthy, and underrated bottlings under Martini’s namesake label. The Martini Winery has shared some of the prized fruit over the decades with several Zinfandel winemakers, and the Monte Rosso Vineyard® has gone on to achieve legend status on the Martini label and on other labels, including Biale. The vineyard has been under the ownership of E. & J. Gallo Winery since the early 2000s and under the watchful eye of Vineyard Manager, Brenae Royal.

At an average of about 1100’ elevation, with its reddish volcanic soils filled with rock and iron, Monte Rosso speaks clearly and firmly as to its sense of place. Try visualizing those pioneering laborers digging into a remote Californian mountainside simply to grow delicious wine. To Biale, Monte Rosso® is a national treasure and we are proud to be one of the fortunate winemakers since 1995 to craft a classic from this rare repository of some of America’s most historic grapevines. Long live Monte Rosso®!

For a more in-depth map and historic review, check out Antonio Galloni’s California Vineyard Series: Monte Rosso.