Three Northern California Wineries - Color Outside the Lines
IN THE HEART OF CALIFORNIA’S WINE COUNTRY there’s a new wave of innovative winemakers stirring things up. Three pioneering wineries are helping to lead the way in redefining California wine with fresh flavors and bold perspectives.
From sparkling Albariño to mind-bending blends to vineyards planted with upwards of 50 sub-alpine grape varieties, the innovative techniques of these trailblazers are expanding what it means to make wine here. Their stories share common threads: a passion for experimentation, deep respect for California’s terroir, and a commitment to making wine more accessible. Read on to discover how these winemakers are reimagining the rules of California wine.
Overshine (plus Idlewild & Comunità) David Drummond & Sam Bilbro, Healdsburg
Healdsburg winemaker Sam Bilbro and recently retired Google exec David Drummond met over their shared passion for Italian wine, quickly becoming friends and collaborators. David joined Idlewild, Sam’s Healdsburg winery specializing in Piedmontese varieties, as a partner. And together with Operations Director Thomas DeBiase, the trio dreamed up Overshine—a vibrant wine label that celebrates diversity from vineyard to tasting room and beyond.
When the pair met, David, a longtime wine enthusiast and first-time vigneron, had recently acquired Las Cimas Vineyard, a site with unique terroir featuring high elevation, steep slopes and rocky soils. When he invited Sam to visit, the property was still planted with regional classics: Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon and Zinfandel. But Sam thought it would be perfect for sub-alpine varieties.
Today, the property grows an impressive 49 varieties—ranging from northern Italian whites like Friulano and Ribolla to reds from the Jura region, like Trousseau and Poulsard.
As David reminds us, “A tradition is an experiment that worked out.”
In addition to Overshine, which focuses on classic California varieties given an old-school treatment in the cellar, the team launched Comunità. This sublabel is David’s passion project, dedicated to bottling the kaleidoscopic range of grapes planted at Las Cimas. The 2022 Comunità ‘Monte Regio’ white blend features Friulano, Ribolla Gialla, Riesling, and Malvasia Bianca grown at Las Cimas.
Whether talking about Idlewild, Overshine or Comunità, this team aims to build inclusivity into everything they do. “The wine industry hasn’t been great at marketing to all the people it could involve,” David says, and he’s on a mission to change that. How? By making wines that are joyful, easy and accessible and selling them to new audiences. Sam adds, “We’re selling wine, but what we’re really selling is the good life—easy living. There’s no one who doesn’t want this.” 2201 Westside Rd., Healdsburg. Open daily 11am–5pm
Carboniste Dan & Jacqueline Person, Sonoma
Meet Dan and Jacqueline Person, California winemakers with a vision for authentic sparkling wine that captures the true essence of their state. This couple, who met while studying enology at UC Davis, aren’t here to deliver more of the same—they’re on a mission to redefine sparkling wine with a distinctly California flair.
After cutting his teeth at Clos du Bois and Schramsberg, Dan had two takeaways: “There’s too much Napa Cab in this world, and, you wouldn’t make Burgundy in Bordeaux, so why would you make Champagne in California?” He found that the tendency to mimic France offered a ripe opportunity to celebrate California’s sunny personality.
Upon launching Carboniste in 2017, Dan knew he wanted to make sparkling wine but not in the way others in the region were. Instead of working with classic, cooler-climate Champagne grapes (like Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Pinot Meunier), Dan turned to Albariño, a nontraditional choice for sparkling wine yet a variety that thrives in California’s sunnier climes. Using the time-tested Champagne method but updating the grape choice to suit the terroir, Dan landed on a distinctive California sparkling wine. “Albariño is great, unripe or riper,” he says, making it perfect for the expressive, crunchy style of wine he was striving to capture.
For Dan, winemaking is a form of art. He relishes “the opportunity to take a vineyard, some grapes, and discover what kind of wine they’ll make.” This experimental streak has led to other interesting bottlings from Carboniste including a sparkling, skin-fermented Pinot Grigio, a “Rouge Brute” Merlot & Albariño blend and Pinot Grigio Pet Nat.
With their hands-on approach and unwavering commitment to California terroir, Carboniste proves that challenging tradition and crafting a product true to its roots can yield delicious results.
For tastings, reach out directly to set up a tasting at the winery. Email info@carboniste.com.
Extradimensional Wine Co. Yeah! Hardy Wallace & Kate Graham, Sonoma
Extradimensional Wine Co. Yeah! is the brainchild of Hardy Wallace and Kate Graham, a couple combining innovative ideas with seasoned expertise to produce unique wines that challenge industry conventions.
With 15 vintages under his belt, Extradimensional is not Hardy’s first rodeo. He came to Wine Country to work in marketing but soon entered the cellar under the tutelage of now-retired innovator Kevin Kelley of Salina and the Natural Process Alliance. Hooked on experimental winemaking, Hardy launched Dirty & Rowdy with Matt Richardson in the Napa Valley in 2010. After 11 years, Dirty & Rowdy hung up their hats and Hardy and Kate launched Extradimensional.
Hardy looked at Mourvèdre and said, “Let’s make this fun!” How? By using partial carbonic maceration for lighter, fruitier results. He is also a big believer in blending, often mixing red and white varieties to achieve wines with balance, tension, lift and one-of-a-kind character. Instead of copy-pasting euro-centric blending models, Hardy writes his own rules. For instance, the 2021 “Family Band” includes mostly Zin, plus 35% Old Vine Grenache and 15% Older Vine Chardonnay. This is by no means a traditional blend but the results are beautiful and mysterious: medium bodied, autumnal and reminiscent of Cru Beaujoulais.
At the Extradimensional tasting room just off the Sonoma plaza, instead of another Pinot you can discover wines that make both 75-year-olds from Oklahoma and young hipsters from Oakland exclaim, “This is SO me!”
For aspiring winemakers, Hardy’s advice is simple yet profound: Pursue your passion and maintain a strong point of view. In an industry often bound by tradition, Extradimensional stands out as a beacon of creativity, proving that there’s always room for imagination and innovation. 27 E. Napa St. Suite E, Sonoma. Friday–Sunday 11am–4:15pm
