| Region of production: | Russian River Valley AVA |
| Winery Location: | Sebastopol |
| Year Established: | 1975 |
Vineyard Holdings
- Estate (18.2 ha): 6.5 ha planted to Pinot Noir. Planted from 1975 to 2011.
Top Wines Produced & Inaugural Vintages
- Goldridge (Russian River Valley AVA): Sourced from Goldridge soils on the Dehlinger estate.
- Altamont (Russian River Valley AVA): Sourced from red Altamont soils in the upper vineyard sections. Typically includes a small amount of whole cluster.
- Octagon (Russian River Valley AVA): Only released in select vintages. Inaugural vintage 1994.
- High Plains (Russian River Valley AVA): Only released in select vintages. Sourced from a high-elevation section of the vineyard planted in 1989. Inaugural vintage 1999.
Average Total Production
- 84,000 bottles
Summary
Tom Dehlinger studied biochemistry at UC Berkeley, then viticulture and enology at UC Davis. He worked for Beringer, Dry Creek Vineyard, and Hanzell before founding his estate in 1975, when he was only 28. Until the completion of the winery in 1977, the wines were made at Joseph Swan. Today, over 75% of the production is sold through a mailing list, with the remainder placed on the market in select establishments. Operations are now overseen by Tom and Carole Dehlinger’s daughters, Carmen and Eva.
Style & Vinification Techniques
Dehlinger includes a small amount of whole cluster in its Pinot Noir, which is fermented in open-top tanks with punchdowns done by hand. Only free-run juice is used; press wine is sold off in bulk. A small percentage of juice is saignéed. Wines are bottled unfined and unfiltered. Due primarily to the location of the vineyards, these are bigger, riper examples of California Pinot Noir.
Producer Website: Dehlinger