Ross Halleck

Ross Halleck

Ross moved to Sonoma County in 1991 with Jennifer to develop a Pinot Noir vineyard in the Sonoma Coast region. He shepherds the spirit of the earth into every glass of Halleck Vineyard wine.

Sebastopol Wine Tasting Experience at Halleck Vineyard

By Ross Halleck

For more than 20 years, we’ve been hosting Sebastopol wine tasting experiences at our estate. We’re just inland from the majestic Sonoma Coast about 20 minutes from Bodega Bay or 15 minutes from the Barlow. Our Sebastopol wine tastings aren’t held in a traditional visitors center or hospitality tasting room. Rather, we welcome you and your dog if you have one, into our home. We have indoor and outdoor seating and a sweeping view of our vineyard,…

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Belle Glos vs La Crema vs Meiomi Pinot Noir (Wine Review)

By Ross Halleck

Pinot Noir is the primary red wine grape planted in Burgundy. So if you’re talking about red Burgundy, you’re talking about Pinot Noir. But not all Pinot Noir comes from France. In fact, some of the best Pinots in the world aren’t French at all. Many are made from grapes grown on the west coast of the US from Oregon down to Central California.According to Google, the first three are most searched Pinot Noir wine brands in the US.…

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Pursuit of the Best Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir: The Halleck History

By Ross Halleck

Near the coast of northern California is a place where the fog caresses the sea and envelops the rolling hills in its cool embrace. And here lies a family owned estate that started from the most humble of beginnings. One that would go on to create the best Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir around.

That estate is Halleck Vineyard.

But when Ross and Jennifer Halleck, the co-founders of Halleck Vineyard, originally planted their Estate Vineyard in 1993,…

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Feeling Special and Loved: Intimate Virtual Wine Tastings at Home

By Ross Halleck

Our Virtual Tasting Salons are designed not only to bring the vineyard to you, but to offer a tasting experience paired with organic delectables created by local artisan producers. As part of our California Wine Club, we’ve explored food pairing with Pinot Noir wines, Gewurztraminer, Sauvignon Blanc and many others.

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Find Your Light Pinot Noir: Josh Groban Wine Story

By Ross Halleck

In 2015, I got a call from a young man in New York, Josh Groban. He was performing on Broadway, had tasted our Pinot Noir, loved it, and inquired about making a special wine to benefit his foundation, the Find Your Light Foundation. The Find Your Light Foundation funds arts education across the United States.

Since we had three sons, all artists, all having attended public schools, the fit was synchronistic. We happily agreed.…

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Estate Grown Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir – Wine Story

By Ross Halleck

When we planted our Estate Vineyard in 1993, our goals were not lofty.

There had never been a Pinot Noir vineyard planted in western Sebastopol, all the way to the coast. We were the first; we proceeded without a clue what we were doing. We purchased the rootstock from the Yellow Pages.

We thought it would be beautiful, relatively inexpensive landscaping and we could make “backyard garage wine.” In the best of all worlds,…

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Clone 828, Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir – Wine Story

By Ross Halleck

By 2006, Halleck Vineyard had emerged as one of the top wineries amongst a handful of boutiques in our neighborhood. To say we were a big fish in a little pond would be overstating. We were a small fish in a small pond, but showing some bright colors.

One of the big fish in our neighborhood was a gentleman named Brice Cutrer Jones. He founded Sonoma Cutrer, a poster child for success in the region. Sonoma Cutrer was known for Chardonnay.…

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Hillside Cuvee, Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir – Wine Story

By Ross Halleck

Similar to our approach with our Three Sons Cuvee Russian River Valley Pinot Noir, we hoped to create a signature blend of vineyards to represent the Sonoma Coast. We introduced the Three Sons in 2003, but awaited until 2006 to introduce its Sonoma Coast brother.

For Hillside Cuvee, we sourced vineyards close to the Halleck Vineyard Estate, of similar elevation and character. Our desire was to express our region in a single Pinot Noir red wine that aggregated the best qualities for which the region is known.…

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Haas Vineyard Sonoma Mountain Pinot Noir – Wine Story

By Ross Halleck

The Haas Vineyard is really not named, as such. It’s a modest, two-acre Pinot Noir vineyard behind an equally modest home near Glen Ellen on the eastern foot of Sonoma Mountain. It’s currently owned by Peter and Ginny Haas, but we had purchased fruit from this site through two previous owners.

I met Pete some years ago after the first harvest since he had purchased the property. His daughter was getting married and he hoped to pour wine made from his vineyard at her wedding.…

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Farm Vineyards Russian River Valley Pinot Noir – Wine Story

By Ross Halleck

The Farm Vineyards was the first vineyard in our neighborhood from which we purchased fruit to make Pinot Noir.

In 2003, after being judged #1 Pinot in the United States, we needed to make more wine than our Estate Grown Pinot Noir could support. Greg Lafollette, our winemaker, started combing the countryside and met Ben and George, just down the road from the winery in western Sebastopol.

Ben and George were successful, retired San Francisco business attorneys who planted a two-acre backyard vineyard with modest aspirations for its future.…

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