From the Cubicle to the Vineyard, and Now Their Very Own Winery
April 11, 2022— PETALUMA, CA-– After a down-to-the-studs renovation of a 100-year-old building in downtown Petaluma, Garry and wife Joanne (Note) Brooks are thrilled to announce the opening of Brooks Note Winery. A welcoming tasting room and modern industrial event space, Brooks Note offers an upscale wine experience without pretension, seven days a week.
“Building a permanent home for our winery is something we have dreamed of,” said owner and winemaker Garry Brooks. “To have a place to host our guests and enjoy wine with them, and to be part of the community in Petaluma, marks the beginning of an exciting new chapter for us.”
A passionate and down-to-earth vintner, Brooks left a career in IT business management to pursue winemaking in 2004. The decision to flee the cubicle– not the corner office– came at his wife’s suggestion, after the couple helped their in-laws plant a hobby vineyard in Sonoma.
Bootstrapped from the start, Brooks worked cellar jobs by day while he went back to school to study Viticulture at UC Davis at night. Brooks Note Winery, named after husband Garry Brooks and wife Joanne (Note) Brooks, produced their first Pinot Noir in 2012.
In 2018, after several successful vintages, the couple started looking for the winery’s permanent home. Built in 1921 as a Studebaker dealership, the Brooks Note Winery building is located at 426 Petaluma Boulevard North, just one block from downtown. Throughout the renovation process, Joanne and Garry reused as many original materials as possible, including massive wooden trusses and beams found throughout the 7,000 square foot space. The winery is up and running on solar as well.
Now open for business, the airy, modern industrial space offers casual wine tasting (reservations appreciated) and wines by the glass. It is home to the winery’s production facilities. On a limited basis, the winery’s Barrel Room and Tank Room will be utilized for private events.
With roots in both Sonoma and Marin, the Brooks Note wine portfolio focuses on balanced, elegant Pinot Noir and other varietals from the Petaluma Gap appellation and hidden corners of wine country. Tastings of current releases and single vineyard offerings, accompanied by local cheese plates and charcuterie, are available by appointment. Visit exploretock.com/brooksnotewinery to learn more.
ABOUT BROOKS NOTE
Owner-operators Garry Brooks and Joanne (Note) Brooks, founded their small family winery, Brooks Note, in 2012. What started as a Pinot Noir passion project has turned into a community of intrepid wine fans. Anchored in downtown Petaluma, Brooks Note presents a portfolio of elegant, vineyard driven wines from the hidden corners of Sonoma, Marin and Napa, made by Garry himself. For more information, visit brooksnotewinery.com.
