Trione Vineyards and Winery’s success is steeped in family history, passion and the search for the best quality fruit.
The story begins with Navy veteran Henry Trione and his wife, Madelyne, who moved to Sonoma County in the 1940s. Henry, an entrepreneurial man, saw Santa Rosa as the ideal place to run a business and settle down. Henry ventured into many different opportunities, some more successful than others.
Eventually, Henry turned to the wine business, determined to purchase the best vineyard sites he could find. Henry and his two sons, Vic and Mark, acquired and planted nearly 1,000 acres of vineyards. Shortly after, the Trione family purchased Geyser Peak Winery in the heart of Alexander Valley and ran the winery for 20 years before selling it and refocusing their efforts into grape growing.
In 2005, Vic and Mark, along with Mark’s daughter, Denise, returned to the wine business. This time, they focused on taking the top 3% of what they grew from their 700 acres of vineyard sites to make wine for their own family brand. The first vintage of Trione Vineyards and Winery was created in 2005, and in 2008, the Triones had a brand new winery facility in Geyserville.
Now in its 18th year, Trione Vineyards and Winery continues its focus on growing the best quality grapes, and making delicious, award-winning wines. The winery has been recognized for its zinfandel in this year’s Best Of the North Bay readers’ poll.
“We love our zinfandel and it feels so great to have it recognized by NorthBay biz readers as well,” says Denise Trione, director of sales and marketing.
The winery’s most popular zinfandel remains the Flatridge. The vineyard site is 8 acres planted in the Sonoma Coast appellation. “Our vineyard site sits just above the fog line and is planted with the revered Rockpile clonal selection of St. Peter’s Church Zinfandel,” says Denise. “The terroir and growing climate is ideal for producing a zin rich with aromas of wild blackberries, sage and black pepper. The mouth is elegant, balanced and earthy with flavors of deep red fruits and dark chocolate.”
Trione Vineyards and Winery recently welcomed a new winemaker to the team. “John Dukket is focused on continuing to elevate the quality of Trione wines, putting emphasis on fine tuning clonal selections and carefully considered barrel choices,” says Denise.
However, the vision of the winery will remain the same: choosing the best fruit and letting the grapes speak for themselves. “When you have top-tier fruit, all that is needed is a healthy ferment and subtle enhancements from quality oak aging,” says Densie. “This allows the varietals to stay true to their character and the place from which they originate.”
