Coturri Winery

Coturri Winery is more than just a winery; it's a living piece of California's winemaking history and a foundational pillar of the natural wine movement. Led by Tony Coturri, a third-generation winemaker, the winery has been a staunch and uncompromising advocate for non-interventionist winemaking since its founding in 1979. The Coturri family's approach is rooted in the traditional Italian methods passed down through generations, a philosophy so ahead of its time that it was once met with skepticism and derision, but is now revered as a model for authentic, terroir-driven winemaking.

Terroir: Sonoma Mountain's Heritage

The foundation of Coturri's winemaking is its estate vineyard on Sonoma Mountain, in the heart of what Jack London called "The Valley of the Moon." This location provides a unique and challenging environment that is central to their style.

• Dry Farming and Old Vines: The estate vineyard, which includes Zinfandel clones from the historic Monte Rosso Vineyard, is dry-farmed. This means the vines receive no irrigation, forcing them to develop deep roots in search of water. This practice naturally limits yields, resulting in grapes with highly concentrated flavors and a powerful expression of the soil.

• Volcanic and Clay Soils: The soils are a mix of red clay and volcanic material, which contributes to the wines' distinct minerality and structure. The Sonoma Mountain elevation (around 750 feet) also plays a role in the diurnal temperature shifts, which helps to preserve the grapes' natural acidity and freshness.

• Organic Viticulture from the Start: Since the beginning, the Coturri family has farmed its vineyards organically, long before it was a common practice. They have never used synthetic pesticides, fungicides, or herbicides, believing that healthy grapes are the only ingredient needed to make great wine.

Winemaking: "Just Grapes" and Ancestral Wisdom

In the cellar, Tony Coturri's winemaking philosophy is as direct and uncompromising as his vineyard practices. He believes that "wine is a food," and his goal is to make it "pure and simple: just grapes, nothing more, and nothing less."

• No Additions, Period: The core of the Coturri method is a radical rejection of winemaking additives. This means no added sulfur dioxide (SO2), no commercial yeast cultures, no added water, acids, or anything else. The wines are a pure product of the fermented grapes.

• Native Yeast Fermentation: All of the wines undergo spontaneous fermentation using the natural yeasts present on the grapes and in the winery. This is a crucial element of his hands-off approach, as it allows the wine to develop a unique character that is a direct reflection of its microbial environment.

• Traditional Methods and Equipment: The winemaking process is a manual, low-tech affair. The winery uses open-top redwood tanks for fermentation, with the grape caps being pushed down by hand. Grapes are handled gently with a specially designed crusher/destemmer to avoid crushing seeds and stems. The use of a traditional basket press also ensures a gentle extraction, avoiding the bitter qualities that can come from a horizontal press.

• Unfined and Unfiltered: The wines are unfined and unfiltered, preserving their natural texture, color, and flavor. This often results in a slight sediment in the bottle, a hallmark of an unprocessed and "living" wine.

• Aging in Neutral Oak: Coturri ages his wines in reconditioned, neutral French oak barrels. This choice allows the wine to mature and develop complexity without being masked by the flavors of new wood. The wines are aged for extended periods, and are racked by hand to separate out the sediment.

Coturri Winery is a monument to the integrity of natural winemaking. By adhering to traditional, hands-on methods and a philosophy of "just grapes," Tony Coturri has not only created a singular and powerful style of wine but has also served as an inspiration for a new generation of winemakers who are rediscovering the beauty and authenticity of unadulterated wine.