Sun Valley Vineyards: winery information
Winemaker: Wilfred Franklin
Wilfred Franklin was born in Humboldt County and received his B.S. degree in Botany and a Master’s Degree in Mycology from Humboldt State University. Scientifically trained in plant science and the fungal diseases that infect plants, Wil began his winemaking journey at Edna Valley Vineyards in San Luis Obispo, California. This lead to a winemaking and vineyard managing position at a small startup in Pennsylvania just outside of Philadelphia where he learned to grow wine grapes in a region with very high pest and disease pressure. Before returning to Humboldt County to pursue his dream of starting a local winery, he spent over seven years working part time at the unrivaled Moore Brothers Wine Company, a fine wine retailer on the eastern seaboard. Specializing in Imported French, Italian, and German wines, Wil learned about Old World Wines and the deep traditions that make them so intrinsically valuable. More than just a commodity, wine is, at its best, the perfect distillation of a place. Starting with the interactions of a devoted farmer, and moving up to families and entire communities all eating and working together and doing so over millennia, wine has the ability to capture not only the physical place, but also the culinary, and community traditions that truly breathe life into a bottle of wine.
Annual Production: 1,500 cases
Gardner Ranch, 5 acres. No one quite knows the exact date of the vineyards inceptions, but as legend has it the vines were planted sometime in the early 1960’s, making the vineyard one of the oldest in Humboldt County. Today the vineyard produces mature and elegant Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon, Chardonnay, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon.
Grape Varieties Planted