If there’s a short way to describe Peter Franus and his winemaking, it’s this: He takes his craft seriously, but not himself. He is a son of Connecticut and a product of Berkeley. He’s a regular guy filled with Old World ethos, New World spirit, and with rock and roll. And he’s a searcher who could not avoid his life’s path. Wine called to Peter and he answered with his soul.
Featured Wines
2014 Peter Franus, Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley, USA - Tasting Note
2014 Peter Franus Napa valley, Proprietary Red, USA - Tasting Note
2014 Peter Franus Zinfandel, Napa Valley, USA - Tasting Note
2015 Peter Franus Brandlin Vineyard Zinfandel (Magnum), Napa Valley, USA - Tasting Note
2012 Peter Franus Red Hills Red, Lake County, USA - Tasting Note
2014 Peter Franus, Red Hills, Lake County Mourvedre, USA - Tasting Note
Peter grew up in Greenwich, Connecticut and headed in the late 1960s to the University of California at Berkeley, to explore the expanding, rebellious world. He graduated in 1971 with a degree in journalism, and with an awareness of something else that would define his life. He discovered Napa and the world of wine – not just the taste, but the connection to nature, the attention to detail in the winemaking, the feel of vineyards and wine country, and the bonds people had with their vineyards, the wine, and each other.
He enrolled in Fresno State’s viticulture and enology program in 1978, then worked at a number of wineries before taking over as winemaker at Mount Veeder Winery in 1981. While he was still making Mount Veeder’s wine, he fell in love with the zinfandel from that mountain. He started his own label in 1987 and left Mount Veeder Winery in 1992 to devote all his attention to what would become Peter Franus wine.
Peter says his first goal is to make wines that are delicious. He relies on intuition, experience and a minimalist approach to winemaking, and he believes that the more you manipulate and hover over a wine, the more you’ll lose its unique personality and character. He’s guided by his love of the vineyards he works with and of wines that have richness, complexity, harmony, and, most of all, that invite you back to discover something new with each taste.
Join Peter as he guides us through two Cabernet/Bordeaux blends which will make a perfect duo to start our tasting. Followed by two Zinfandels, displaying very distinct Zinfandel styles, one old vine mountain fruit and the other organic grapes from the valley floor and ending on a high note with two wines from lesser known Red Hills Lake County, which sits at 3000 ft elevation.