Olivet Lane Vineyard

2Russian River Valley

Grape Stats

Varietals:
Pinot Noir & Chardonnay

Clones:
Martini, Wente Clone

Rootstock:
AxR1

Vineyard Stats

Number of acres:
60

Positioning:
North to South

Topopgraphy:
Benchland

Elevation:
150 feet

Soil type:
Sandy, clay loam

Trellising:
Bi-lateral cordon

Irrigated:
Yes

Cover crop:
Bell bean, vetch

The Pellegrini Family traces its heritage in winemaking to the early 1900s when brothers Nello and Gino Pellegrini arrived in New York City from their native Tuscany. They soon made their way to the West Coast and in 1925 became Sonoma County grape merchants, shipping grapes throughout the U.S. for home winemaking.

Nello’s son Vincent took over direction of the winery in the early 1950s, and expanded into wholesale distribution of imported and domestic wines and spirits.

Robert Pellegrini manages the Olivet Lane Vineyard. A member of the third generation in the Pellegrini family business, he has almost forty years of experience in various capacities of the wine industry. After graduating from Santa Clara University in 1971, his studies in viticulture and enology brought him to U.C. Davis and the company’s role as an importer enabled him to spend a good deal of time in Burgundy, Bordeaux, and Italy. Today, most of his time is spent in the vineyards and at the winery in Sonoma.

In life beyond the vine, his interests include cycling, an occasional round of golf, walking the dog, and cooking for small groups of friends and family. Bob and his wife Susan have been married since 1978 and have three children, Laura, Alexia, and Vincent.

In 1973, Vincent and his wife Ida purchased a 70-acre apple and plum orchard on West Olivet Road in Santa Rosa. They converted this prime Russian River Valley property to grape vines, and Vincent had the foresight to plant Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Olivet Lane was one of the first Pinot Noir estates in the Russian River Valley, and over the years has been the grape source for many of the Valley’s Pinot Noir luminaries, in addition to the family’s own award-winning Olivet Lane Estate Chardonnay and Pinot Noir production.