Idlewild

Idlewild

132 Plaza Street, Healdsburg, CA 95448
idlewildwines.com

Region: Sonoma County

Owners: Sam Bilbro and David Drummon

Winemaker: Sam Bilbro

About: Idlewild has a relatively concise aim within a broad context: to produce wines of exceptional balance and beauty. It is a journey to pursue Italy’s Piedmont in the elevated hills of Mendocino and Sonoma Counties. We aspire to find the intriguing, delicious, and haunting side of these Old World varieties that have found a new home in Northern California.

What is your favorite undiscovered grape? Timorasso is a new favorite variety of mine, not only because ours is the first to be grown outside of Piedmont. It feels like a perfect intro to Italian white varieties for those who drink mostly from California. It is almost totally unknown even in the wine world, but it falls in a familiar weight class and has an incredibly fresh frame that has broad appeal.

What was your first experience with an undiscovered grape? When working in restaurants in college, I had a sales rep walk me through a lineup of Italian varieties that were, at the time, less common. The first sip of Nebbiolo was like a whole new lens to see wine through. It was delicate but powerful, floral yet with tar and earth, and just haunting in the best way. It all started from that moment.

What do you love most about the undiscovered grapes? Undiscovered grapes are an inroad to viewing a familiar place through a new point of view. Regardless of the appellation, a new variety grown there gives opportunity for a fresh expression of place.