Acclaimed California winemaker returns to Toulouse Vineyard with a limited inaugural Pinot Noir available now by allocation
September 1, 2026 (Healdsburg, CA) — After more than thirty harvests crafting acclaimed Pinot Noir and Chardonnay across California’s leading coastal wine regions, winemaker James MacPhail is once again making wines under his own family name with the debut of MacPhail Family Wines.
The inaugural release begins with Toulouse Vineyard in Anderson Valley – the first Pinot Noir vineyard James worked with when he launched MacPhail Family Wines in 2002 and the site that helped shape his career. Only 150 cases of the 2024 Toulouse Vineyard Anderson Valley Pinot Noir were produced. Priced at $70 per bottle, the wine is available by allocation now, with wine shipping beginning on October 6.
James reacquired the MacPhail Family Wines brand in 2024 with the goal of returning it to its original roots. Beginning again with Toulouse Vineyard reconnects the winery with the place where its story first began.
Few vineyards have shaped MacPhail’s career more than Toulouse Vineyard. Nestled in the heart of Anderson Valley just 12 miles from the Pacific Ocean, Toulouse was where James first fell in love with the region and began refining the style of Pinot Noir that would define much of his career.
“This isn’t about looking back,” said James MacPhail. “It’s about taking everything I’ve learned over the past thirty harvests and applying it to wines that carry my family’s name. Returning to Toulouse felt like the right place to begin because it’s where so much of my journey started.”
Over the course of his career, MacPhail has earned a reputation as one of California’s most respected Pinot Noir and Chardonnay producers, working with many of the state’s most celebrated vineyards and helping shape the identity of Anderson Valley, Sonoma Coast and other premier coastal appellations.
MacPhail Family Wines gives James the opportunity to make wines under his own family name, with the freedom to focus on a small number of vineyard sites that continue to challenge and inspire him rather than building a broad portfolio. With the relaunch of MacPhail Family Wines, the label was updated slightly by designer Sharon Parham of Parham Design, signaling new chapter but some continuity.
Future releases will include vineyard-designated wines such as a 2025 Rochioli Allen Russian River Valley Chardonnay and a 2025 Boars’ View Fort Ross-Seaview Pinot Noir, reflecting James’s continued focus on distinctive coastal vineyard sites. The wines will be offered exclusively through MacPhail Family Wines.
For more information or to acquire the wine, visit www.macphailwines.com.
About MacPhail Family Wines
MacPhail Family Wines is the personal winery of acclaimed California winemaker James MacPhail. After more than thirty harvests crafting Pinot Noir and Chardonnay from some of California’s most celebrated vineyards, James brought back MacPhail Family Wines to produce small-lot wines under his own family name. Produced in limited quantities from exceptional coastal vineyards, the wines reflect the experience of a lifetime in California wine and James’s continued passion for discovering remarkable vineyard sites. www.macphailwines.com
