Albini Family Vineyards is one of Sonoma's smallest bonded operations, a Windsor family estate making 275 to 500 cases a year of unfiltered Merlot and Zinfandel from their Russian River vineyards. Don and Lynne Albini do every step by hand. The most uncompromised garagiste experience in the county.
Albini Family Vineyards is among the smallest bonded operations in Sonoma County — Don and Lynne Albini make 275 to 500 cases a year of unfiltered Merlot and Zinfandel from their family estate in Windsor, in the eastern Russian River Valley. Yields are kept to 2 to 3 tons per acre. Every step happens by hand: indigenous-yeast fermentation in small open-top fermenters, cap punched down three to four times a day, half-ton basket pressing, wine moved barrel to barrel by bucket rather than pump, and every bottle filled by hand. Both wines are unfiltered. The Russian River Valley Merlot ages 20 months in a mix of French and American oak; the Zinfandel ages 18 to 20 months in primarily American oak.
Russian River Valley Merlot — Unfiltered and hand-bottled, aged 20 months in French and American oak; soft, cherry-driven and cedary.
Russian River Valley Zinfandel — Aged 18–20 months primarily in American oak; bold, spicy and concentrated.
Ponzo Vineyard Zinfandel, Russian River Valley — A single-vineyard Zin from low-yield estate fruit.
Albini Family Vineyards is a tiny Windsor estate established in 1991 by Don Albini, producing only about 275–500 cases a year of Merlot and Zinfandel — and nothing else. Everything is hand-made: indigenous-yeast fermentation, hand punch-downs, basket-pressed, unfiltered and hand-bottled. A genuine two-variety specialist house.
Albini Family Vineyards is one of Sonoma County's smallest bonded wineries — Don and Lynne Albini press, punch down, and bucket wine from fermenter to barrel by hand on their family estate in Windsor. Annual production runs between 275 and 500 cases split between Merlot and Zinfandel, both Russian River Valley designations, both unfiltered and hand-bottled. Over half the wine goes directly to mailing-list customers, with the remainder placed in a small handful of California and East Coast restaurants and wine shops. Visits are strictly by appointment, and the winemaker himself usually hosts. An authentic expression of what true garagiste farming looks like in Sonoma.
The owner-winemaker behind every bottle. Albini won best-of-show for his amateur wine at the Sonoma County Harvest Fair before releasing his first commercial vintage under the family label in 1998, building out from a Windsor garage operation to a tiny bonded winery on Jensen Lane. His method is uncompromisingly traditional and small-scale: indigenous-yeast fermentation in small open-top fermenters, cap punched down by hand three to four times daily, half-ton basket pressing, wine moved barrel-to-barrel by bucket rather than pump, and every bottle hand-filled. Yields are kept to 2 to 3 tons per acre. The Russian River Valley Merlot ages 20 months in French and American oak; the Zinfandel ages 18 to 20 months in primarily American oak — both unfiltered. Mailing-list customers receive the majority of each release, with the remainder placed in a small handful of California and East Coast restaurants and wine shops.
Lynne Albini co-founded Albini Family Vineyards in 1991 with her husband Don, building one of Sonoma County’s smallest bonded wineries on the outskirts of Windsor. From the start it has been a true family affair — Lynne working the crush alongside Don, her parents helping sort fruit, and their daughters joining in the vineyard chores. The estate produces only around 500 cases a year of handcrafted, unfiltered Merlot and Zinfandel, all hand-picked, fermented with native yeast, and hand-bottled in their tiny barn. The Albinis’ old-fashioned, entirely hands-on approach defines every bottle.
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Russian River Valley Merlot — Unfiltered and hand-bottled, aged 20 months in French and American oak; soft, cherry-driven and cedary.
Russian River Valley Zinfandel — Aged 18–20 months primarily in American oak; bold, spicy and concentrated.
Ponzo Vineyard Zinfandel, Russian River Valley — A single-vineyard Zin from low-yield estate fruit.
Albini Family Vineyards is a tiny Windsor estate established in 1991 by Don Albini, producing only about 275–500 cases a year of Merlot and Zinfandel — and nothing else. Everything is hand-made: indigenous-yeast fermentation, hand punch-downs, basket-pressed, unfiltered and hand-bottled. A genuine two-variety specialist house.
Albini Family Vineyards is among the smallest bonded operations in Sonoma County — Don and Lynne Albini make 275 to 500 cases a year of unfiltered Merlot and Zinfandel from their family estate in Windsor, in the eastern Russian River Valley. Yields are kept to 2 to 3 tons per acre. Every step happens by hand: indigenous-yeast fermentation in small open-top fermenters, cap punched down three to four times a day, half-ton basket pressing, wine moved barrel to barrel by bucket rather than pump, and every bottle filled by hand. Both wines are unfiltered. The Russian River Valley Merlot ages 20 months in a mix of French and American oak; the Zinfandel ages 18 to 20 months in primarily American oak.
Albini Family Vineyards is one of Sonoma County's smallest bonded wineries — Don and Lynne Albini press, punch down, and bucket wine from fermenter to barrel by hand on their family estate in Windsor. Annual production runs between 275 and 500 cases split between Merlot and Zinfandel, both Russian River Valley designations, both unfiltered and hand-bottled. Over half the wine goes directly to mailing-list customers, with the remainder placed in a small handful of California and East Coast restaurants and wine shops. Visits are strictly by appointment, and the winemaker himself usually hosts. An authentic expression of what true garagiste farming looks like in Sonoma.
The owner-winemaker behind every bottle. Albini won best-of-show for his amateur wine at the Sonoma County Harvest Fair before releasing his first commercial vintage under the family label in 1998, building out from a Windsor garage operation to a tiny bonded winery on Jensen Lane. His method is uncompromisingly traditional and small-scale: indigenous-yeast fermentation in small open-top fermenters, cap punched down by hand three to four times daily, half-ton basket pressing, wine moved barrel-to-barrel by bucket rather than pump, and every bottle hand-filled. Yields are kept to 2 to 3 tons per acre. The Russian River Valley Merlot ages 20 months in French and American oak; the Zinfandel ages 18 to 20 months in primarily American oak — both unfiltered. Mailing-list customers receive the majority of each release, with the remainder placed in a small handful of California and East Coast restaurants and wine shops.
Lynne Albini co-founded Albini Family Vineyards in 1991 with her husband Don, building one of Sonoma County’s smallest bonded wineries on the outskirts of Windsor. From the start it has been a true family affair — Lynne working the crush alongside Don, her parents helping sort fruit, and their daughters joining in the vineyard chores. The estate produces only around 500 cases a year of handcrafted, unfiltered Merlot and Zinfandel, all hand-picked, fermented with native yeast, and hand-bottled in their tiny barn. The Albinis’ old-fashioned, entirely hands-on approach defines every bottle.
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