Cool-Climate Winery Known for Burgundian Styles Honors Milestone Anniversary with Celebration Event & Special Bottling
SONOMA COUNTY, Calif. (July 16, 2019) – La Crema, one of Russian River Valley’s pioneering wineries, will reach a momentous milestone this fall: its 40th anniversary. To celebrate four decades of winemaking excellence, the winery, founded on its principal of using traditional Burgundian practices in crafting Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, will release a special bottling made in collaboration with founding winemaker, Rod Berglund. The winery will also host its loyal fans at a celebration at La Crema’s Estate at Saralee’s Vineyard on Saturday, August 17th.
La Crema’s history is vibrant, and the winery has been a significant part of Sonoma County’s esteemed winemaking circle since its inception in 1979. The winery helped to establish prominence for the enviable winegrowing appellation of Russian River Valley during its early days. More notable, La Crema played a fundamental role in propelling single-vineyard designated wine from cool-climate appellations, and was an integral part of the Sonoma Coast’s rise to winemaking fame as one of the first to craft Chardonnay and Pinot Noir from this previously unfamiliar appellation. Today, La Crema is still known for its celebrated single-vineyard wines and Sonoma Coast collection. While the winery continues to grow in popularity, La Crema maintains the same focus and Burgundian winemaking practices that it envisioned 40 years ago.
In the years since its founding, La Crema has put down roots in the Russian River Valley with the opening of its tasting room in 2016 at the historic Saralee’s Vineyard. However, the winery’s trailblazing spirit still rings true, and La Crema has continued to explore and craft wines from other cool-climate regions, like Monterey, Anderson Valley, and Oregon’s Willamette Valley. Winemaker Craig McAllister draws inspiration from these regions to create a collection of highly regarded, appellation-specific and single-vineyard Chardonnay and Pinot Noir that exude a distinct sense of place.
In honor of the momentous anniversary, La Crema welcomes back founding winemaker Rod Berglund to create a special 40th anniversary bottling alongside McAllister and La Crema’s winemaking team. Berglund, currently co-owner and winemaker for Joseph Swan Vineyards, has been making wine for 40 years and his service and dedication to Sonoma County has spanned his entire career — from being one of the founding Board members of the Russian River Valley Winegrowers, where he served for 17 years including three terms as President, to President of Wine Road, an association of wineries and lodgings in the Alexander, Dry Creek, and Russian River valleys of Northern Sonoma County. The special bottling, a blend of Pinot Noir from the Russian River Valley, will be available in limited quantities this fall.
“The 40th Anniversary of La Crema is significant, and we’re excited to showcase this successful milestone with a tribute to where it all began,” says McAllister. “Bringing the past and present together was a unique opportunity that allowed us to showcase how La Crema has stayed true to its original vision, which at the time, was a departure from the norm.”
In addition to the 40th Anniversary bottling, La Crema will host a special celebration at the winery’s estate at Saralee’s Vineyard in the Russian River Valley on Saturday, August 17th. The winery will welcome important members of La Crema’s past, wine club members, and the general public to take part in the festivities. Guests will enjoy wine tasting with La Crema’s winemakers, food pairings, live music, local vendors, vineyard tours, and more. Tickets are $25 and can be purchased here.
To learn more about La Crema and its history please visit www.lacrema.com. You can also follow La Crema on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter at @LaCremaWines. For more information, please contact Natalie Perkins (nperkins@colangelopr.com) or Andrew Quinzi (aquinzi@colangelopr.com).
About La Crema
Beloved artisan winery La Crema was founded in 1979 as La Crema Viñera, meaning “Best of the Vine.” For 40 years, the family-owned and operated winery has focused exclusively on cool-climate coastal appellations, where ocean winds and fog allow grapes to ripen slowly on the vine. Winemaker Craig McAllister continues to use boutique, time-intensive techniques to produce distinctively balanced and elegant wines. La Crema combines consistent high quality and elegant flavor with a modern, cosmopolitan personality. For more information, visit www.LaCrema.com.
