Papera Ranch

Russian River Valley

Just a stone's throw from Carlisle Vineyard, this grande dame of the Piner-Olivet area of the Russian River Valley was planted in 1934 by Celestino (Charlie) Papera. Hardpan is a defining characteristic of the Huichica loam soil found in this area but here at Papera, the soil depth is much deeper, leading to uncommonly consistent vine development and health across the vineyard.

While many old-vine vineyards contain plenty of mixed black varieties, most of the blocks at Papera Ranch are 95+% Zinfandel. One block, however, does contain a significant amount of Carignan with a sprinkling of Syrah, Petite Sirah, and Valdiguié. Given its cool location, this is one of our later Zinfandel vineyards to be picked.