Adron Wines
Get the Dirt from Brent Kennedy
“Adron was my father’s middle name, and I always thought it sounded impressive. Although my father wasn’t much of a wine-drinker, he inspired me to pursue my dreams, and work hard to achieve them.”
What was your first vintage year? 2016
How many cases do you make per vintage? 100-150
Do you have a Tasting Room? We don’t have a tasting room, but tasting by appointment is available.
What wine made you want to become a winemaker/start your own winery? 2003 Tablas Creek Esprit de Beaucastel
What varietals do you work with? Which varietal/wine is your favorite to make? We specialize in Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Why? We wanted to concentrate on what we can do best.
What vineyards do you source from? Why? Manchester Ridge in Mendocino County, and Black Knight in Santa Rosa.The Mendocino fruit is always hard-won, due to the extreme location, but worth the effort in the powerful earthiness and strong black fruit. The Sonoma Coast fruit from Black Knight Vineyard is very delicate, and yields a very pretty, well-balanced Pinot, and a crisp-but-creamy Chardonnay.
What type of oak treatment do you use? Why? We ferment and age with little or no oak, and blend up to 15% from oaked reserve barrels into the final product.
What do you love about your winemaking region? What makes it different special? Sonoma County, and Northern California by extension, provide the opportunity to experiment with wildly-varying grapes and styles of wine.
What’s the story behind your winery name / label? Adron was my father’s middle name, and I always thought it sounded impressive. Although my father wasn’t much of a wine-drinker, he inspired me to pursue my dreams, and work hard to achieve them.
What's the one thing you wish someone had told you about the wine business before you started your own winery? Ironically, I wish I had known how easy (relatively) it could be to start up. I agonized for years over whether to invest such a large amount of time and money, but I finally realized I could start small, without having to spend millions of dollars. Once I understood that, I was on my way.
Most importantly, what's so great about being small? What can you do as a small winemaker, that wouldn't be possible for larger wineries? As I grow, I have the opportunity to branch out and experiment with other grapes and styles of wine.
How do you view the future in the wine industry for small-lot winemakers? With the growth of events and associations like Garagiste, things can only get better.
If you had to choose another wine region to work in what would it be? Willamette Valley, Oregon.
To learn more about Adron Wines, please visit their website or follow them on FACEBOOK.