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The son of two chemists, himself trained as a microbiologist, Joel Peterson may not be the most likely winemaker and brand marketing executive, but that’s how it all shook out.
He founded, with then-partner Reed Foster, the Ravenswood winery, in Sonoma. They had a beautiful three-bird logo, plus a mantra which was given pride of place on every label, and at the winery door itself; “No Wimpy Wines”.
The mantra is a touch misleading, since in fact the zinfandels Peterson made early on, from old-vine plantings, were models of the complex heights zinfandel can reach. The single vineyard production continues to this day to be exemplary, above the fray of zinfandel trends or tastes of the day. They are rich, brooding, well-structured, but bursting with dark fruits and great acidity.
Peterson himself acknowledges the business, and his place in it, has changed: “When we sold the winery to Constellation Brands, I wanted to keep my hand in things, and definitely to keep on producing the single vineyard wines. Constellation has done wonders with the Vintner’s Blend wines, which now reach markets I never even dreamed about. But for me, the brand is intact in what I wanted it to be from the outset.” Mr. Peterson is not quite gregarious, but by no means shy, and his thoughtful, pragmatic approach to Ravenswood is obvious in every respect. “I am not pretending that the business side of this is not important. Shareholders expect a return, and I get that. I embrace it. At the same time, for me, Ravenswood still provides the interesting wine experiences I have always expected. I have never put wine on a pedestal; it is a product meant to be part of everyday life. And we provide a nice range of options for wine drinkers.”
The days of hosting visitors to the winery in a ramshackle trailer are long gone, but that kind of down to earth approach, and those single vineyard wines, still speak directly to Peterson’s heart. The Teldeschi Vineyard zin, as one example, came out of Peterson seeking out the Teldeschi family, sitting down and drinking some home-made wine, and striking a deal to acquire the fruit, a deal which continues today. Like others in the portfolio, this is terroir-driven, empathic, but somehow elegant zinfandel, approachable now but capable of some bottle age. Peterson, as he is wont to do, breaks into a grin, and says, “These wines are just fun to drink, just like I have always wanted them to be.”
