Popelouchum Estate Vineyard: The New Releases

Randall Graham's work and vision pay off.

When Randall Grahm founded Bonny Doon Vineyards in 1983, in the Santa Cruz Mountains, his intention was to make the perfect pinot noir, in the style of the best Burgundies. Indeed, the first time I met Grahm, on a trip he made to Memphis in the late 1980s, we tasted the latest release of a Bonny Doon pinot noir. That was the last pinot noir from Bonny Doon I ever encountered. Grahm soon turned to making wines from Rhône red grape varieties like syrah, grenache, mourvèdre and cinsault that performed better in the area. Indeed, he became known as a pioneer of Rhône grapes and was regarded as the avant-garde of a singular movement that, for his part, included listing ingredients on labels, farming by biodynamic principles and using screw-cap closures for premium wines.