Brothers Nello and Gino Pellegrini emigrated from Tuscany in the early 1900s and settled in the Santa Rosa Plains, a region whose climate and Italian community reminded them of home. Their first wines were made in 1925, and after Prohibition's repeal in 1933 they received Winegrower License No. 4. Vincent Pellegrini took over in the 1950s and expanded into wholesale distribution, and Vincent and his wife Aida later purchased a 70-acre apple and plum orchard on West Olivet Road. In 1975 the family planted 40 acres of Chardonnay and 20 acres of Pinot Noir, one of the earliest dedicated plantings of these varieties in what would become the Russian River Valley AVA.
Olivet Lane Vineyard Chardonnay, Russian River Valley: whole-cluster-pressed and barrel-fermented from half-century-old estate vines planted in 1975.
Olivet Lane Vineyard Pinot Noir, Russian River Valley: estate-grown and barrel-aged 16 months; among the oldest producing Pinot vines in the appellation.
La Bionda Méthode Champenoise Sparkling: grown, aged en tirage, and bottled entirely on the Olivet Lane estate.
Brut Sauvage Méthode Champenoise: a bone-dry, 100% estate-grown sparkling.
Old-Clone Zinfandel: from the 12-acre heritage parcel beside the estate; rounded out by Sauvignon Blanc and Rosé.
The Olivet Lane Vineyard, named for the 120 olive trees flanking its east entrance, became a heritage source for many of the appellation's Pinot luminaries, including Williams Selyem, Merry Edwards, Gary Farrell, and Darioush. The family's Tuscan-style winery, completed in 2001, sits adjacent to the vineyard. Third-generation Robert Pellegrini tended Olivet Lane for three decades before passing the reins in 2017 to his daughter, fourth-generation Alexia Pellegrini, with Lynn Krausmann as winemaker since 2013 (an alumna of Williams Selyem, Mondavi, and Cloudy Bay). Production focuses on Olivet Lane Pinot Noir and Chardonnay plus single-vineyard selections of Pinot, Zinfandel, and Sauvignon Blanc.
