Many a self-styled Napa Valley rancher, rusticating after a corporate career, might like to have Vince Tofanelli’s look. Perched on the tailgate of a vintage Toyota Land Cruiser at the edge of a vineyard, wearing a straw hat over wavy gray hair, Tofanelli could be a hippie farmer or veteran blues man, but mostly looks the part of the third-generation grape grower that he is.

Not many would envy the look of his vineyard. Instead of Cabernet Sauvignon neatly confined by miles of steel and wire, dry-farmed, head-trained vines sprawl every which way. Established by Vince’s grandparents, Sebastian and Irene DiGiulio, in 1929, the ranch is planted in Zinfandel, Petite Sirah and Charbono, with idiosyncratic patches of Grenache and Burger, and the odd Cinsault in between. When the new regime rolled up old vineyards like this, Tofanelli’s land became an island, a living museum. For him, doing something radically different meant staying exactly where he was, becoming its curator. “This was the time of Earth Day, of back to the land,” Tofanelli explains, reflecting on his grandparents, who had always lived on the land, with a milk cow and chickens in the yard. “They didn’t have a word for organic, but they were living it.”

No Napa origin story being complete without an André Tchelistcheff cameo, it was the maestro who advised Tofanelli to plant Charbono, of all things, when it was about as fashionable as disco. Tofanelli’s 2012 Charbono ($40) has exotic aromas of spice, ripe arbor grapes and fig, and a characteristic standoff between acidity and tannin that makes Charbono an interesting guest at the dinner table.

Brimming with olallieberry wine and boysenberry fruit flavor, with fresh tobacco notes, the 2011 Zinfandel ($35) is plush and toasty, without heat. The photograph on the label shows Irene, gamely posing on the 1915 Harley Davidson that the couple rode to San Francisco to elope. Tofanelli shares a tasting room in Calistoga with Barlow, Hindsight, Kenefick Ranch and Zacherle, where you may taste at the bar, or buy the 2013 Sémillon ($28) by the glass and hang out in the courtyard out back. With a savor of ground Herbes de Provence, the 2012 Grenache ($40) smacks of licorice and strawberry; it’s lively, bright and earthy.

It’s nice to find that for his efforts, Tofanelli is not only preserving historical curiosities, but is also offering delicious wines that are anything but rustic.

Up Valley Vintners, 1371 Lincoln Ave., Calistoga. Monday–Thursday, noon–6pm; Friday–Sunday, noon–8pm. Wines by flight, glass and half glass. $15, by appointment for all Tofanelli wines plus Vince. 707.942.1004.

The way the story usually goes, some Bordeaux-besotted character vows to make wines that “rival the best of France.” Who dreams of besting the wines of Rías Baixas, Spain? Hoping to score two or three local specimens of Albariño, an aromatic, “alternative” white varietal made from a thick-skinned grape native to northwestern Spain, and grown on just 21 acres in Sonoma and Napa counties, I was surprised to find more than a few. With International Albariño Day on Aug. 2, I set off on a little winetasting fiesta.

Peter Franus 2013 Napa Valley Albariño ($26) This wine hits all the right notes. Cool, gentle aromas of applesauce, guava, pear and melon rind precede a surprisingly rich, Roussanne-like palate, with a characteristic salty sensation—often said, particularly of Spanish Albariño, to evoke the damp, Galician coast. The grapes are from a ranch south of Napa that’s also home to the “Oreo cows” familiar to highway motorists.

Gordian Knot 2012 Russian River Valley Albariño ($23) After touring Spain, Anne Giere and Tim Meinken replanted one acre of their estate to Albariño. Here’s a floral aroma, yellow roses and lemon skin, with tangy flavors of lemon and unripe pear, yet persistent on the palate. Try this instead of Pinot Grigio.

Saddleback 2012 Carneros Albariño ($24) Completely different, and distinctly toasty-oaky, with lemon, pear and lavender. But the bitter melon palate is nothing like the expected butterball. Pineapple and mango come in later, bringing it all together.

Imagery Estate 2013 Sonoma Valley Albariño ($29) More like a Sauvignon Blanc, with green, “cat pee” and jasmine aromas, bitter melon, bits of pear and peach; crisp and dry.

Marimar Estate 2013 Russian River Valley Albariño ($32) Marimar Torres grows a little Albariño alongside Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. The most delicately floral of the bunch, with lime blossom, this feels like Pinot Blanc—pear and melon and a hint of that salty persistence.

Artesa 2013 Carneros Albariño ($28) Apropos offering from this Spanish-owned winery. Here the fragrance is more of ripe, brown-speckled golden apples, less of melon. Crisp palate with just enough of that salty weight to drink nicely with shiitake-ginger-soy marinated steak salad.

Mahoney 2011 Las Brisas Vineyard Carneros Albariño ($20) From one of the most notable alternative varietal experiments in Carneros. The smoky, oaky nose suggests barrel fermentation, with sweet caramel, pineapple and mango, but flavors of salted kiwi marinated in the juice of underripe pears. Sneak this into a paper bag tasting and watch your friends’ confident “Ah, Cali Chardonnay” pronouncements disintegrate into confusion over this deliciously different, Galician anomaly.