About BACA
BACA Wines, from the makers of HALL and WALT Wines, is the creation of next-gen trailblazers Vintner Jennifer Brown and Senior Winemaker Alison Frichtl Hollister. Their respective entrepreneurial and artistic talents come through with every sip.
Zinfandel brings the craft and adventure of winemaking together.
It starts in some of the best vineyards across California: from down in Paso Robles, up to Rockpile, over to Russian River, to right here on Howell Mountain in Napa Valley. We source from vineyards that are tended by families that share our commitment to sustainability and intentional practices that bring out the elegance, rich flavor, and signature expression of each site.
Wines
Our method is responsive to the temperamental nature of the Zinfandel grape, notorious for uneven ripening, to produce a pure, fresh expression of this intrinsically Californian fruit. We draw on our extensive experience to select gentle cellar techniques tailored to bring out the individuality in each wine—such as optical sorting, exacting fermentations, aging in French oak barrels and bottling without fining or filtration.
Home Base Dry Creek, Sonoma County
Sourced from the renowned Dry Creek Valley, the Home Base is rich with intense dark berry notes. Savory aromas of wet stone, coriander, fennel frond, and anise lie atop a weighty, densely structured palate. This classic, lush Zinfandel rounds out with a mouthwatering, spicy finish.
Double Dutch Dusi Vineyard, Paso Robles
The expression is pure, delightful, and wonderfully drinkable. Vivid flavors of blackcurrant and red cherry interweave with an underlying herbaceous note of celery seed. A balanced composition of supple, juice textures culminates in a crisp, dry finish with a lingering flavor of licorice root.
Cat's Cradle Rockpile Sonoma County
We love the exotic profile of this wine that is so unique to Zinfandel from this region. Deep ruby in color, Cat’s Cradle has nuanced aromas of potpourri, spicy clove, and sun-ripened blackberry that rise from the glass. The generous palate displays a fleshy and polished texture full of concentrated flavors. Earthy notes of terra cotta and licorice tea provide grounding balance and lead to a supple and lingering finish.
Vineyards
Rockpile AVA
Located in the remote northwestern corner of Sonoma County and spanning over 15,000 acres, a sparse 190 acres of the Rockpile AVA are planted to vineyards. We are thrilled to source fruit from the Mauritson family, grape growing pioneers whose history in the area dates back to the 1880s. Grown in an almost otherworldly landscape, the wine from these mountain slopes is defined by brambly fruit, a unique minerality, and an intense tannic structure. Harsh, exposed, rocky, and 1,200 feet above sea level, this environment reflects the struggle that defines great wine.
Cat's Cradle Zinfandel
Rockpile, Sonoma Flinty minerality is not typical of the flavor spectrum of Zinfandel. Then again, with its complex undertones of terra cotta, brambly fruit, violets, and black pepper, Cat’s Cradle isn’t a typical Zinfandel. It’s a big wine, with a sensation of opulent extract on the mid-palate and well-built tannins that carry through a lengthy finish. Pop it open with friends and delight in witty repartee.
Dusi Vineyard, Paso Robles
Dusi Vineyard is found on the west side of Paso Robles in an expansive landscape of undulating hills bathed in Californian sunshine. Originally planted by the Dusi family in 1945, to this day two generations are working together, farming the land with the family’s traditional, hands-on approach. The dry-farmed, head-trained vines that we source were planted in the 1980’s and are impressively resilient in limiting, rocky, alluvial soil. The fruit, maturing under the greatest diurnal temperature variation of all Californian AVAs, retains vibrant acidity while developing an intense berry profile distinguished by untamed spice notes of black pepper and licorice.
Double Dutch Zinfandel
Hold on tight—this one has a big personality with aromas of black cherry and blackcurrant, nuanced by notes of celery seed, black pepper, and licorice. It’s concentrated, with fantastic acidity and a plush mouthfeel with just the right amount of tannic structure on the back palate. The finish is luxurious and long. It’s perfect shared over rousing conversation with friends new and old.
Dry Creek, Sonoma County
The opening of our Healdsburg tasting room coincides with our initial release of this Dry Creek Valley Zinfandel. Working with the pioneering Mauritson family, we source fruit from two vineyards on the eastern side of the valley with vine ages ranging from 40-70 years old. One of the oldest wine regions in California, Dry Creek Valley has been renowned for its Zinfandel since the 1880’s. Distinctive from most other growing regions in Sonoma county, the valley warms earlier in the day and reaches higher average temperatures, yet still drops dramatically in temperature at night. These conditions make for deliciously rich and weighty wine.
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Home Base Zinfandel
Sourced from the renowned Dry Creek Valley, the Home Base is rich with intense dark berry notes. Savory aromas of wet stone, coriander, fennel frond, and anise lie atop a weighty, densely structured palate. This classic, lush Zinfandel rounds out with a mouthwatering, spicy finish.
Four Shipments a Year
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