A Unique Q&A with Ravenswood's Joel Peterson

It all started in 1976 in a rented corner of the old Joseph Swann winery. Flashy varietals like Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Cabernet were on the mind of rookie winemaker Joel Peterson but Zinfandel was in the budget. Ravenswood was born with the 1976 vintage as Peterson churned out a modest 327 cases of Dry Creek Zinfandel. Not much in volume but Ravenswood was certainly making noise! This first wine took first place in a prestigious San Francisco tasting and the legend was born. In the following decade Peterson found more terrific and expressive small vineyards and soon he, and his brand Ravenswood, had developed a loyal following of Zin Heads.

In the late 80s Ravenswood proved that inexpensive wine didn’t have to be cheap wine with the introduction of their “Vintner’s Blend” Zinfandel. This wine introduced the great Ravenswood wines to a far broader audience and before long this cult brand was something of a mainstream success. Today Ravenswood is part of Constellation Wines, the largest wine company in the world. Peterson has swapped his proprietor hat for a seat at the corporate table but he never gave up his role as winemaker. Sure he has a team of winemakers and a lot of shiny new equipment to work with but the goal remains the same; no wimpy wines!

Recently Joel, on one of his American tours, rolled into my adopted hometown of Chicago. I jumped at the dinner invite relishing the chance to taste the new wines and to pick the brain of the guy who has made some of California’s most memorable and iconic wines. Here are a few highlights of this dinner conversation.

BEVX: Today, Ravenswood is synonymous with Zinfandel. Back in 1976 when you founded Ravenswood what inspired you to choose Zinfandel?

PETERSON: In 1976, I had the good luck to have Joseph Swann as my mentor. Joe was interested in making Pinot Noir and Chardonnay but he had an old patch of Zinfandel on his property. In 1968, Joe made one of the most magnificent Zinfandels that I have ever tasted. Joe was also working with the Mike Teldeschi ranch in Dry Creek which was an old vine vineyard and continuously produced exceptional, outstanding zinfandel during the early 70’s. I had tasted a number of much older zinfandels, some of which were very high quality, and was smitten with the notion that something could be done with the grapes from these old vines that was delicious and uncommon. So, I guess that one could say the history lead me to the possibility and he possibly inspired my reality.

BEVX: Early in your career, you started out by renting a corner in the old Joseph Swann winery and then went on to your own modest winery. You then grew the brand and became quite successful and now you are part of a big corporate force in the world of wine. Does this journey seem odd at times?

PETERSON: Odd maybe too mild a word. Sometimes, in retrospect, it seems a little surreal. My winery was only 327 cases when I started and in my wildest fantasy I didn’t think that I would ever make more than 10,000 cases. I guess that tells you something about the capacity of my imagination. It is remarkable to have come on the journey of 32 years, to be part of Constellation Wines, the largest wine company in the world. And yet, Ravenswood seems to have found its niche within this organization and successfully negotiates the aspects which are required to maintain separateness and the uniqueness which has always been the Ravenswood signature.

BEVX: These days Ravenswood produces much more wine than it did when it was your little independent winery. Still, the quality remains. Long-time fans of the brand haven’t seen changes in style or quality. How do you do it (especially considering that so many have not been able to increase production without losses in quality)?

PETERSON: Ravenswood has a core set of principals around wine production and wine style that were established in the earliest years of our existence. They revolve around putting the vineyard first, making sure that each vineyard is fermented and evaluated separately, the use of native yeast fermentations, French oak, and smaller fermentation sizes. When we started out, we made only vineyard designated wines with single vineyards fermented, in open top fermenters, punched down by hand, fermentations using native yeast and wine that spent 16 months in barrel with little or no processing before bottling. A natural outgrowth of this is the County Series wines that are essentially made the same way but with some closed top fermenters to provide a bit more fruit lift to the wines. And finally, the Vintners Blend, with which we still select vineyards carefully, individually ferment them with native yeasts, and use only French oak. Though production sizes are larger with Vintners Blend, they are still quite small by comparison to other wineries of our size. We really think of ourselves as 3 separate wineries and that segmentation allows us to focus on each of the wines in a way that maintains character and quality. The other factor is the human factor. Most of the people who worked in production at Ravenswood are the same people who have been there for a number of years. That kind of stability has maintained continuity and style and quality.

BEVX: Zinfandel has gone through so many changes in image through the years from having a niche appeal in the 80s to being the “poster child’ for big and bold wines when that came into fashion, and now it seems to be evolving again. Where is Zin in your view today?

PETERSON: Zinfandel, in recent past history, has painted itself into a difficult corner. It seems that too many Zinfandels have been made with what I consider the 3 cardinal sins of Zinfandel production: too much oak, too much sugar, and too much alcohol. This unholy triad produces wines that are immediately appealing upon first taste but ultimately, virtually undrinkable, particularly if you have any sensitivity to your physiology the next day. Fortunately, we seem to be pulling away from that mode. There are more and more Zinfandels that are cast in the classical mode where fruit complexity, structure and acid create an interesting and harmonious balance that is both friendly to food and to humans.

BEVX: Your winemaking style evolved rather quickly. I remember the very first vintages being massive, over the top wines but then your wines became balanced and complex while still being bold. What was and is your winemaking model?

PETERSON: When I learned about wine, it was by tasting mostly European wines. Those wines, while regionally very different, do have some common aspects that revolve around the flavor of the grape in conjunction with the soil/climate complex and winemaking that was supportive as opposed to directive. The French word for winemaking is eleve which essentially means to raise up. I don’t believe they actually have word for winemaker. It is just a different vision. When I started I had made wines with Joe Swann, but had never done a complete wine myself from beginning to end. I was using grapes from a number of different regions whose character I didn’t know and we were in a draught cycle, which contributed to the intensity of those early wines. It was incumbent upon me to evolve to make wines that had power and yet were still balanced. These were the wines that I liked to drink, and the types of wines that have stood out and distinguished themselves. If I were to try to envision the perfect Ravenswood Zinfandel, based on a European antecedent, I would say that my wines should represent something of a cross between Chateau Neuf du Pape for its density and richness and Barolo with its structure, acidity and its complex, layered aromatics.

BEVX: You have been involved in the wine industry for more than three decades. In your view what has been the greatest change?

PETERSON: I think the greatest change has really been the consumer of wine. There are many more of them, they are more interested in what they are drinking, they are willing to experiment more, and they have great enthusiasm when they discover something that they enjoy or think is authentic. Of course the wine industry itself had become far more professional and much more orderly in the way it makes wines and brings them to market. There are many more selections of wine available from across the globe. While there may have been some loss of simplicity and naïveté, on the whole, the wines made now are more interesting, better made, and at least for the vast volume more affordable. That is not to say that the base of this business, where the future resides, is not healthy and active. It is pretty easy to think of 30 or 40 wineries that produce exceptional wine that are less than 5000 cases, run by people under 35 years of age. This is a sign of a very healthy, engaged, vital enterprise.

BEVX: Most Zinfandel fanatics would be surprised to learn of your love of Champagne. Please tell us about that.

PETERSON: On my 50th birthday, I decided that I would have a glass of champagne every night for the rest of my life. It is simply a reminder to celebrate and appreciate my existence. I live a pretty remarkable and blessed life. Champagne, of course, also serves the purpose of removing the red wine stains from a day of tasting at the winery before I dive into my red wine with dinner at night.

See our reviews of Ravenswood wines.