PASSIONS
72
FORTUNE.COM // NOVEMBER 2019
4
THE B ACK
ROADS OF
WINE COUNTRY
YOU PROBABLY THINK
you know Californian
wines: big, brash
Cabernet Sauvignons,
Zinfandels, Merlots,
and copiously oaked
Chardonnays that were
ubiquitous on steak-
house menus in the
1990s. Delicious for
sure, owing to the per-
fect growing conditions
found in the Sonoma
and Napa valleys, and
the talent of the local
winemakers. Nuanced,
they are not. But there’s
a quiet revolution going
on in California wine
country, one that local
oenophiles are keeping
mostly to themselves.
While the aforemen-
tioned varietals still pay
the bills for the big-
name producers—you
know the ones—a new
ethos is taking hold that
challenges the percep-
tion of what Californian
wine can be. Take Scribe
winery in Sonoma. Co-
owned by brothers An-
drew and Adam Mariani,
and anchored by a
stunning 1870s Mission-
style hacienda, it’s
producing varietals that
make sense for the area’s
land, microclimates,
and a younger palate.
Sonoma Riesling? It’s a
thing at Scribe. Un-
oaked Chardonnay too.
Where oak is used, it’s
neutral, softening the
wine rather than taking
center stage.
To find these gems
among the more than
800 wineries in Napa
and Sonoma requires
some local knowledge.
Bohemian Highway
Travel Co., a husband-
and-wife-owned opera-
tion based in Sonoma,
will put together a
custom itinerary of
the region’s best small
producers based on your
preference, pair it with
incredible food, and
ferry you from winery to
vineyard on the road less
traveled—all in the back
of a classic Land Rover.
RESOURCES:
BOHEMIAN HIGHWAY
TRAVEL CO.
bohohwy.com
707-204-9660
SCRIBE WINERY
2100 Denmark St.,
Sonoma, Calif. 95476
scribewinery.com
A classic Land Rover
Defender 110 from
the fleet of Bohemian
Highway Travel Co. in
Sonoma, Calif.
There’s a quiet
revolution going
on in California
wine country,
one that local
oenophiles are
keeping mostly
to themselves.
COURTESY OF BOHEMIAN HIGHWAY TRAVEL CO.
