Banshee began in 2009 as three friends, eight barrels of Sonoma Coast Pinot, borrowed money, and a contrarian idea: serious wine without the markup. Now a Foley Family label in an Alexander Valley winery, it keeps the unpretentious spirit — vinyl on the turntable, Pinot and Cabernet in the glass.
Banshee is the rare Sonoma label that takes its wine seriously and itself lightly. Founded in 2009 by three Midwest-and-East-Coast friends who launched the brand from a San Francisco bar with eight barrels of borrowed-money Pinot Noir, it built a following on a simple premise — coastal-quality Pinot, Chardonnay, and Cabernet at prices real people pay. The tasting experience has always felt more like a friend's living room than a bar: reclaimed wood, distressed leather, a communal table, and a stack of vinyl you're invited to spin while you taste.
Pinot Noir, Sonoma County — Banshee's calling card since 2009: cool-climate fruit, supple and food-friendly, the bottling that built the brand.
'Mordecai' Proprietary Red — The 'gentle giant' of the lineup, a bold Sonoma red blend and longtime fan favorite.
Sauvignon Blanc, Sonoma County — Crisp and aromatic, often carrying a dollop of Sauvignon Musqué.
Coastal Chardonnay — Vibrant and balanced, in the Burgundian register the founders always favored.
'Ten of Cups' Sparkling Brut, California — 90 points from Wine Enthusiast; bright, creamy, an easy aperitif.
In 2018 the brand joined Bill Foley's Foley Family Wines, and in late 2023 it left its longtime downtown Healdsburg storefront for a far more dramatic home: the architecturally celebrated former Foley Sonoma facility at the base of the Mayacamas on Highway 128, about fifteen minutes north in Alexander Valley. The new estate trades the storefront's intimacy for space and view — surrounded by estate vineyards, dog- and family-friendly, with room for the record-spinning hospitality Banshee is known for. The list still leads with Pinot Noir from the cool Sonoma Coast, alongside Sauvignon Blanc, coastal Chardonnay, Rosé, sparkling, and the bold 'Mordecai' red blend. Reservations are preferred and hours shift with the season.
Banshee's wines were shaped from the start by co-founder Noah Dorrance, who made every vintage from the 2009 launch until he left in 2017 to focus on his own Reeve Wines. In the early years he led a team that included consulting winemaker Ross Cobb and Katy Wilson, building Banshee's reputation for cool-climate Pinot Noir of finesse and value. Since the brand joined Foley Family Wines in 2018, production has been guided by the Foley winemaking team, which runs each of its labels as a distinct, autonomous house.
Baron Ziegler co-founded Banshee Wines in 2009 with his brother-in-law Steve Graf and friend Noah Dorrance — three wine-obsessed friends from the Midwest and East Coast who hatched the idea at a bar in San Francisco's Dogpatch and launched with eight barrels of Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir bought on borrowed money. Ziegler helped grow Banshee into one of California's fastest-rising premium brands, known for delivering coastal quality at an approachable price, before partnering with Bill Foley's Foley Family Wines in 2018 to expand the label's reach.
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Pinot Noir, Sonoma County — Banshee's calling card since 2009: cool-climate fruit, supple and food-friendly, the bottling that built the brand.
'Mordecai' Proprietary Red — The 'gentle giant' of the lineup, a bold Sonoma red blend and longtime fan favorite.
Sauvignon Blanc, Sonoma County — Crisp and aromatic, often carrying a dollop of Sauvignon Musqué.
Coastal Chardonnay — Vibrant and balanced, in the Burgundian register the founders always favored.
'Ten of Cups' Sparkling Brut, California — 90 points from Wine Enthusiast; bright, creamy, an easy aperitif.
Banshee is the rare Sonoma label that takes its wine seriously and itself lightly. Founded in 2009 by three Midwest-and-East-Coast friends who launched the brand from a San Francisco bar with eight barrels of borrowed-money Pinot Noir, it built a following on a simple premise — coastal-quality Pinot, Chardonnay, and Cabernet at prices real people pay. The tasting experience has always felt more like a friend's living room than a bar: reclaimed wood, distressed leather, a communal table, and a stack of vinyl you're invited to spin while you taste.
In 2018 the brand joined Bill Foley's Foley Family Wines, and in late 2023 it left its longtime downtown Healdsburg storefront for a far more dramatic home: the architecturally celebrated former Foley Sonoma facility at the base of the Mayacamas on Highway 128, about fifteen minutes north in Alexander Valley. The new estate trades the storefront's intimacy for space and view — surrounded by estate vineyards, dog- and family-friendly, with room for the record-spinning hospitality Banshee is known for. The list still leads with Pinot Noir from the cool Sonoma Coast, alongside Sauvignon Blanc, coastal Chardonnay, Rosé, sparkling, and the bold 'Mordecai' red blend. Reservations are preferred and hours shift with the season.
Banshee's wines were shaped from the start by co-founder Noah Dorrance, who made every vintage from the 2009 launch until he left in 2017 to focus on his own Reeve Wines. In the early years he led a team that included consulting winemaker Ross Cobb and Katy Wilson, building Banshee's reputation for cool-climate Pinot Noir of finesse and value. Since the brand joined Foley Family Wines in 2018, production has been guided by the Foley winemaking team, which runs each of its labels as a distinct, autonomous house.
Baron Ziegler co-founded Banshee Wines in 2009 with his brother-in-law Steve Graf and friend Noah Dorrance — three wine-obsessed friends from the Midwest and East Coast who hatched the idea at a bar in San Francisco's Dogpatch and launched with eight barrels of Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir bought on borrowed money. Ziegler helped grow Banshee into one of California's fastest-rising premium brands, known for delivering coastal quality at an approachable price, before partnering with Bill Foley's Foley Family Wines in 2018 to expand the label's reach.
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