Before The Press Democrat partnered with Benovia Winery to produce a bottle dubbed “Good Press” (with proceeds benefiting local journalism), Sonoma’s Bartholomew Estate Winery started the presses on their own journo-themed bottling.
A brilliant, relatively recent rebrand frontlines the winery’s newsy backstory, with subtle cues nodding to founder Frank “Bart” Bartholomew’s past as a reporter, WWII correspondent and eventually president of global news wire service United Press International. For example, the new logo suggests a “B” key pried from a vintage typewriter. Likewise, “Press Release” is a red blend that Wine Enthusiast awarded 93 points last April.
Comprised predominantly of syrah from Viviano’s Block (a six-acre vineyard site at the estate so named for the Native American homesteader who was baptized Viviano and originally planted it in 1832), the wine also features the venture’s estate cabernet sauvignon. The result is a rich, aromatic splash into dark berries, underscored with a dusty chocolate and baking spices.
Leaning further into the syrah—and weighing in at a commendable 100%—is 2021 syrah Viviano’s Block, which ups the game with an earthy spin on blueberry jam with notes of allspice and nutmeg and an inky hue that reminds that your wine should be more purple than your prose. Both wines are excellent and a compliment to the efforts of winemaker Kevin Holt. Moreover, they pair well with an array of delectable Lebanese-inspired comestibles available to nosh al fresco through a charming tiffin arrangement the winery has with Sonoma’s Spread Kitchen.
Winemaker Holt joined the newly minted Bartholomew Estate Winery in 2019 when it opened its doors thanks to the efforts of foundation trustee Anna Pope. And though the history of the grounds is long and storied, a certain mid-century chapter set much of its current iteration in motion.
In 1943, Bart and his wife, Antonia, took over the 375-acre property and, with a vision for its future, established the Frank H. Bartholomew Foundation, a non-profit trust dedicated to preserving the property for generations to come. To wit, the park remains open to the public at no charge, offering hiking trails, walking paths, horseback riding, three picnic areas, stunning vineyard views, ponds, streams and stands of majestic oaks. All of the wine produced by the winery is certified sustainable, with profits directly supporting the park’s preservation and protection—an enduring gift to the community the Bartholomews cherished.
All that said, I’d be remiss if I didn’t share a sampling of Bartholomew’s written work, which is as wonderfully understated and whimsical as the wines that now bear his name. Note the repertorial drollery evident in how he opened Bart, Memoirs of Frank H. Bartholomew: “She was a femme fatale, if ever I met one. She had six toes on each foot—fascinating because she never wore shoes, so you could count for yourself. And she set fire to my house after attacking it with a hatchet.”
The femme fatale in question was actually the six-year-old neighbor girl with whom the then five-year-old Bartholomew was infatuated. Fortunately for us, he later found Antonia—and wine.
Bartholomew Estate Winery, 1000 Vineyard La., Sonoma. 707.509.0540. bartholomewestate.com.
Interesting article, the estate also was the location of the Cooley family’s Hacienda Winery
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hacienda_Wine_Cellars#:~:text=JFJ%20Bronco%20purchased%20Hacienda%20by,as%20Hacienda's%20sister%20label%2C%20Antares.&text=Frank%20Bartholomew%20died%20in%201985,Bartholomew%20Park%20Winery%20in%201994.