Thumbprint Cellars

Thumbprint Cellars

52 Front St. Healdsburg, CA 95448
thumbprintcellars.com

Region:  Sonoma

Owner: Scott Lindstrom-Dake

Winemakers: Scott Lindstrom-Dake

About: Scott Lindstrom-Dake, winemaker and founder of thumbprint cellars, majored in Fine Arts in College. One summer he studied Art History in Florence, Italy, and upon returning inspired, Scott decided to start making wine. His first vintage was tasty and he and Erica drank most of their creation! The holiday came around and as college students, the couple decided to give away some of their prized wine to friends and family. Erica gave Scott a gold ink pen to sign some bottles. It malfunctioned and spewed gold ink onto a bottle. Scott used his thumb to wipe up the dripping gold ink and inadvertently placed it on one of the other bottles. Soon, they were all adorned with one of Scott’s gold thumbprints. A passion and new wine brand were born.

What is your favorite undiscovered grape? Only one? Hmm, then old vine Carignane (karen yawn). Carignane was the first wine grape I picked and made wine from. Over the years I have been sourcing old vine Carignane to craft as a standalone and single vineyard varietal. The old vines grow lower yields with higher concentration of varietal character. I make this as a mid-weight red and sometimes even serve it slightly chilled. Carignane is also a versatile food-wine.

What was your first experience with an undiscovered grape? I had never heard of Carignane when a friends client offered their “few vines that weren’t picked”. The old head-pruned vines, each like a miniature tree and meticulously pruned all resembling individual works of art. As an art student at the time I thought, “well this should be fun!” From our garage winemaking in 1995 to our current 2026 harvest, I have never been disappointed with our old vine Carignane.

What do you love most about the undiscovered grapes? Sharing them with our guests and watching the surprise of discovering something new!