Enriquez Estate Wines
Get the Dirt from winemaker Cecilia Enriquez
“I love the colder climate wines and also doing non-traditional wines in an area that’s already established. Pushing the boundaries and seeing how people react to that.”
What was your first vintage year? 2009
How many cases do you make per vintage? 600-800
Do you have a Tasting Room? We invite people to visit our estate vineyard by appointment only.
What wine made you want to become a winemaker/start your own winery? It wasn’t one particular wine, it was my family’s first Sonoma County wine country experience.
What varietals do you work with? Sauvignon Blanc, Muscat, Pinot Noir, and Tempranillo.
What vineyards do you source from? If Estate, why do you choose your location?
Our first estate property was in Petaluma. We sold that to purchase property in the Russian River Valley. Both properties we were lead to by accident but were meant to be. We continue to source from our first property, from our estate, and also from Windsor Oaks.
What type of oak treatment do you use? Why?
It depends on the wine. Whites and Roses are fermented dry in stainless steel. I love the clean and crisp wines that show off the fruit characteristics. For pinot noir, French oak, for my Tempranillo, I make it in traditional Rioja style.
What do you love about your winemaking region? What makes it different special?
The wine profiles. I love the colder climate wines and also doing non-traditional wines in an area that’s already established. Pushing the boundaries and seeing how people react to that.
What’s the story behind your winery name / label?
It’s my family’s name. We all fell in love with Sonoma County/wine at the same time. It only seemed fitting to name it our name. My parents purchased the property and I was ready to tackle the farming/winemaking for them.
What's the one thing you wish someone had told you about the wine business before you started your own winery?
How labor intensive it is to do it from grape to bottle. There’s so many things you don’t realize that goes into farming/winemaking/running a winery. The bookkeeping is a pain.
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?
Quality control. The larger wineries have it with science and staff but the small guys really get to have a tighter control from start to finish and are able to use taste/art more than just looking at the numbers.
How do you view the future in the wine industry for small-lot winemakers?
I’m hoping that the trend for farm-to-table and going back to basics/craft production/natural will lead people towards a path of experimenting and trying things out of their comfort zone which will lead to them expanding their palates and discovering new varietals.
If you had to choose another wine region to work in what would it be?
I don’t think I could narrow it down. I love to learn so I would love the opportunity to work in all of the wine regions.
For more information about Enriquez Estate Wines, please visit their website.