Best Friends in the Cellar
From Austin, Texas to San Francisco, California — Anne Disabato and Noelle Vandendriessche turned friendship into fermentation. Apprenticed under Tony Coturri, they now make wild, expressive wines from old-vine Mendocino fruit: carbonic Carignan that tastes like strawberry Twizzlers, no-sulfur Chardonnay that screams with acidity, and cuvées named after tarot cards.
From Austin to Tony Coturri
Anne Disabato and Noelle Vandendriessche met in Austin, Texas — two friends with a shared curiosity about wine that would eventually become a shared cellar. Their path to winemaking was not through enology school or family inheritance, but through apprenticeship: they learned their craft working under Tony Coturri, one of California's most respected natural wine pioneers, at his Sonoma County winery [^224^][^229^].
Under Coturri's guidance, they absorbed the principles of low-intervention winemaking: native yeast fermentation, minimal sulfur (or none at all), gentle handling of fruit, and a deep respect for the vineyard's voice. When they were ready, they launched Etteilla — a small project with a big personality, producing their first vintage in 2021 [^224^].
The name "Etteilla" comes from Jean-Baptiste Alliette, an 18th-century French occultist who published the first known guide to tarot card divination under the reversed spelling of his surname. The tarot theme runs through the entire project — cuvées are named after cards, labels carry mystical imagery, and the wines themselves feel like revelations: unpredictable, layered, and requiring interpretation [^226^].
In 2022, the duo relocated from Austin to San Francisco, bringing their project into the heart of California's natural wine community. The move placed them closer to their fruit sources in Mendocino and Sonoma, and closer to the buyers, sommeliers, and drinkers who have embraced their style [^231^].
"Etteilla Wines is a small winemaking project started by Anne Disabato and Noelle Vandendriessche. The two apprenticed for Tony Coturri and produced their first vintage in 2021."
— Small Wine Shop
Mendocino Old Vines, & Redwood Valley
Etteilla sources fruit from some of California's most storied organic and old-vine vineyards — sites that have been farmed for generations without chemicals, where the vines are head-trained, dry-farmed, and deeply rooted in Mendocino's complex soils [^225^][^230^].
Testa Vineyards in Calpella, Mendocino, provides the Carignan for "Set" — carbonic and direct-pressed fruit from old vines that have survived decades of California wine fashion. The vineyard's sandy loam and Mediterranean climate produce Carignan of unusual depth and brightness, perfect for the carbonic maceration that defines the cuvée [^236^].
Redwood Valley contributes the Chardonnay for "Aterpea" — fruit from organically farmed vineyards that yields a wine described as "creamy, screaming with bright acidity and fresh and lifted with minerality." No sulfur is added at any point in the process, making this a true zero-zero white: no additions, no adjustments, just fruit and fermentation [^230^][^235^].
Stonehouse Cellars in Clear Lake provides Sauvignon Blanc for "Remi" — a lightly macerated white from vines cultivated at elevation, where cooler temperatures preserve acidity and aromatic intensity [^232^].
Calpella, Mendocino. Old-vine Carignan, organically farmed. Sandy loam soils, Mediterranean climate. The source for "Set" — carbonic and direct-pressed. Strawberry Twizzlers, pink peppercorn, vibrant colour. The heart of Etteilla's red program.
Mendocino County. Organically farmed. The source for "Aterpea" — creamy, screaming acidity, lifted minerality. No sulfur added at any point. A zero-zero white that proves California Chardonnay can be alive and electric without intervention.
Clear Lake, Lake County. Elevated vineyard, cooler temperatures. The source for "Remi" — lightly macerated Sauvignon Blanc. Aromatic intensity, preserved acidity, wild yeast fermentation. The white wine that expands Etteilla's range.
Etteilla works with a network of small, organic and sustainably farmed vineyards across Northern California. The exact sources shift with vintage and availability, but the criteria remain constant: old vines, chemical-free farming, and fruit with enough character to speak without manipulation.
Natural, Low-Intervention, & Expressive
"Etteilla Wines is a boutique natural wine project dedicated to producing low-intervention, expressive wines with a deep sense of place" [^226^]. This is not marketing language — it is the operational reality of two winemakers who learned from Tony Coturri and have committed to his principles without his decades of experience to fall back on. They make wine by intuition, tasting, and trust in the fruit.
The reds employ carbonic maceration — whole-cluster fermentation in a carbon dioxide-rich environment that produces vibrant, fruity, low-tannin wines. The "Set" Carignan is the flagship: "carbonic and direct-pressed Carignan from Testa Vineyards... tastes like strawberry Twizzlers and pink peppercorn" [^236^]. It is chillable, crushable, and unmistakably natural — the kind of wine that converts sceptics.
The whites see no sulfur at any point — a radical commitment that requires pristine fruit, immaculate cellar hygiene, and a willingness to accept variation. The Aterpea Chardonnay is described as "insane" by retailers — "a very impressive freshman effort" that balances creaminess with screaming acidity and lifted minerality [^231^][^235^].
All wines are made with native yeast, minimal manipulation, and a focus on drinkability. These are not wines for cellaring or contemplation — they are wines for the table, the party, the moment. "Vibrant, colorful, and flavorful" [^225^].
The Tarot Connection
Jean-Baptiste Alliette — Etteilla — was the first to publish a guide to tarot divination. His method involved reading cards not as fixed predictions but as prompts for intuition and interpretation. Anne and Noelle apply the same philosophy to wine: each cuvée is named after a card, each vintage is a new reading, each bottle is a prompt for the drinker's own experience. The wine does not dictate; it reveals [^226^].
Woman-Owned, San Francisco-Based
Etteilla is a woman-owned winery in an industry still dominated by male faces and inherited names. Anne and Noelle are not legacy winemakers — they are self-made, apprenticed, and collaborative. Their partnership is based on friendship first, business second, and wine as the glue that binds both [^229^].
Their relocation to San Francisco placed them at the centre of one of America's most vibrant natural wine communities. The city's restaurants, wine bars, and retailers have embraced their style — low-intervention, high-energy, unapologetically fun. Etteilla is not trying to make serious, age-worthy wines for collectors. It is trying to make wines that people want to drink now, with friends, without pretension [^231^].
The project remains small — "a small winemaking project" by their own description — but its impact is disproportionate. In just a few vintages, they have established a distinctive style, a loyal following, and a reputation for wines that deliver exactly what they promise: natural, expressive, and alive [^224^][^229^].
"This Chardonnay is insane! A very impressive freshman effort from Annie and Noelle, the duo behind Etteilla."
— Vintage Berkeley
The Etteilla Tarot
All wines are made from organically or sustainably farmed fruit, hand-harvested, fermented with native yeast, and bottled with minimal or no sulfur. The range spans carbonic reds, no-sulfur whites, and skin-contact expressions, each named after a tarot card or concept. The style is consistent: vibrant, colourful, flavorful, and unapologetically drinkable [^225^][^226^][^230^].