Twomey Cellars

Twomey Cellars was founded in 1999 by the Duncan family of Silver Oak, with a vision to make wines beyond Cabernet Sauvignon that reflected the family's hands-on approach to winemaking. It began with a single-vineyard Merlot from the newly acquired Soda Canyon Ranch in Napa Valley, made using the soutirage traditionnel method, the labor-intensive barrel-to-barrel racking technique used in Bordeaux's most ambitious estates. The first Russian River Valley Pinot Noir was harvested in 2002, the Healdsburg tasting room opened in 2007 alongside the first Sauvignon Blanc, and single-vineyard Pinot Noirs followed from 2012, beginning with Monument Tree and Soberanes vineyards. Today the focus is Pinot Noir and Sauvignon Blanc.

Twomey's home in Sonoma County is the Healdsburg Westside Road property, a 109-acre estate above the Russian River about two miles from Healdsburg Square. The modern tasting room sits beside estate vineyards, with indoor and outdoor tasting areas, wraparound patios, and views of Mount St. Helena and Geyser Peak. The Russian River tasting experience focuses on the Pinot Noir lineup (single-vineyard bottlings from Bien Nacido, Anderson Valley, and the estate) alongside Sauvignon Blanc and a small Chardonnay program. Seated tastings last about an hour on the back patio or indoors, from the Twomey Experience, which closes with an elder-vintage Pinot Noir, to the Founders Flight pairing Twomey with Silver Oak; guided tours visit the production cellar where the Pinot Noir and Sauvignon Blanc are made.