Battaglini Winery in the Russian River Valley Wine Appellation

The Russian River wine region in West Sonoma County is a vastly underrated wine region of California. The region contains several distinct appellations, the most notable being the Alexander Valley, Dry Creek Valley, and the Russian River Valley AVA’s. These appellations have many unique and interesting wineries to visit.  On a day’s outing we visited a hidden gem, Battaglini Winery on Piner Road in the Russian River Valley AVA. 

Several things make this winery a fascinating visit. One of the first features that will catch your eye is the old redwood barn leaning so badly that it looks like a good wind could bring it to the ground. Inside that barn are the remnants of the original winery that began operation in 1885.

Then there are the 25 acres of old vine Zinfandel and Petit Syrah. These 120-year-old vines are still producing, although the yields are small. The fruit is concentrated with flavors that produce wonderful wine.

Italian native Joe Battaglini is the owner and winemaker. Joe and his wife Lucia purchased the then abandoned winery in 1988 and produced their first vintage in 1994. Slowly but surely, Joe is resurrecting the winery taking full advantage of the old vines to produce some very full-flavored and well-structured Zinfandels. Joe learned his winemaking from both his grandfather and father as he grew up in Tuscany.

On this trip my wine collector and wine consultant friend Mike Beltran and I tasted several wines from 1998 to 2004. The 1998 Estate Zinfandel especially intrigued us. The flavors were soft and subtle, making it a perfect food-friendly Zinfandel. To make things even more intriguing about this wine was the price. Joe has small quarters to store his wine and he needs to move his wine to make room for current vintages. He has this wine on sale for $10 a bottle. What a deal!

Another wine that stood out, was the 2003 Proprietor Reserve Zinfandel, It was absolutely delicious. The wine recently won a gold medal at the Sonoma Harvest Fair.

Where the old barn of the original winery sits, Joe plans to eventually build a new facility for winemaking, events, and tasting. We will certainly be back to watch the progress of this sleeper of a winery.

To get to Battaglini Winery, take the Bicentennial Exit from Highway 101 in Santa Rosa.  Cross over the freeway to the west and take a right at the stoplight. Then take an immediate left at the next stoplight, onto Piner Road. Follow Piner Road for approximately 3 miles. The winery entrance is to the left.

Olivet Road Wineries

For more wine tasting, leave Battaglini Winery and take a left turn and continue along Piner Road to Olivet Lane.  There are five lovely wineries on Olivet Road that we have highlighted on our Olivet Wine Trail.  Visiting any of these wineries along with Battaglini will make for a delightful wine country getaway. 

Lunch in Healdsburg

Head north on Olivet Lane, turn right on River Road to Highway 101.  Go north to Healdsburg. There are many fine restaurants in Healdsburg where one can have an enjoyable lunch. Or, on a fine sunny day, you can picnic at one of the wineries on the Olivet Road Wine Trail.