A philosophy of respecting the wine grape’s origins in the vineyard and making good juice accordingly… Bill Price was a true pioneer of new vineyard plantings seeing unrealized potential and greatness where others saw only… dirt.

Three Sticks is a real steward of the land in Sonoma County, California.

Some of these vineyard sites themselves are clearly blessed, viti-culturally speaking.

Some of these wines are altogether from another universe.

Both finesse mixed with complexity in the glass. They are that good.

The pedigree of Three Sticks Wines begins not in the glass, nor even in the cellar.

Instead, it begins in the VINEYARD…

Durell Vineyard to be exact.

For those not familiar with Durell, it is often named one of the top 5 vineyards in Sonoma County. The vineyard includes a rolling 610-acre parcel that spans the Sonoma Valley, Sonoma Coast and Carneros AVAs. Rolling hill after rolling hillside. With such a plethora of terroir choices in one vineyard alone, the expression of this piece of land seems to have no boundaries.

Planted primarily to Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. The list of wineries producing top-scoring wines from Durell reads like a Who’s Who of Sonoma: Kistler. Tor. Patz & Hall. Chasseur. Lioco. Saxon Brown… Just sayin’.

I recently had the pleasure of tasting and touring the historic Vallejo-Casteñada Adobe along the Sonoma Plaza and embarking on a culinary adventure with a group of fabulous writers arranged by Emily Martin of Emily Martin Communications & Events. Emily, who is also a close personal friend, arranged to have Ryan Prichard “winemaker extraordinaire” to lead the tasting and educational experience.

Enjoying fabulous food from one of my favorite local restaurants, the girl & the fig… which is right next door to Three Sticks making for a fabulous pairing with our wine.

This was my 2nd visit to Three Sticks Wines. I love it here!! Such a great atmosphere and a lovely outdoor area to enjoy after the tasting experience as well. How could I turn down another invitation to visit?!?

The wines are powerful, ripe, viscous… did I mention that I am a fan… hehe.

I had enjoyed a Cookie & Wine Pairing with a Valentine’s Day theme a few years back. And fell in love.

I often see Ryan at tasting events throughout the year and love that he is both hands on with the day to day operation as well as hands on with ‘The Grapes’ of course!! Ryan is a talented winemaker and it was a pleasure to get to sit down with him one on one at the event and hear more of the history of Bill Price while sipping his new Spring releases and learn more about his winemaking style.

Unfined and Unfiltered on many bottles. The Sonoma Mountain Chardonnay knocked it out of the park for me… I’ll take a case!

The Adobe in downtown Sonoma is a historic building that houses the Three Sticks Wines Tasting Room. It is a beautiful location – from both esthetic and historical aspects. The Adobe is the longest occupied residence in Sonoma and one of the town’s few remaining buildings from California’s Mexican Period.  Designer Ken Fulk’s final touches make this jewel box simply unforgettable. 

Bill Price and his close working team here at Three Sticks manage personally each small detail of these tastings and tours. It is an intimate tasting experience right in the amazing transformation of this incredible historic space. Limit 8 guests per party keeping it intimate. Appointments are needed and it is recommended that you call at least a few weeks in advance.

Thank you again to Emily E Martin Communications for throwing a fabulous event!!

Of course, if you refer to this article and #SonomaChat when booking, they will do everything in their power to accommodate you and your guests as VIP’s and fit you into the schedule when possible. They care about their guests and the experience and memories that they take away. The building and the wines along with the history of Three Sticks show the kind of vision and strategy that is long term in Sonoma Valley.

The lineup of wines for our tasting were designed to showcase the best of their AVA’s. Tasting from Sonoma Mountain to the Valley Floor to Moon Mountain across the valley itself. What a treat! See the video below.  At Three Sticks, they believe wine enriches lives by bringing joy to people, occasions and celebrations.

This really shows true when you sit down to one of their tasting events. The winemaker and chef have sat down to taste through the wines and find just the right complementary foods to pair with.

The foods help to highlight the best features of the glass and in turn the wines highlight the flavors on the plate.

The winery believes in a genuine love of wine growing, and that it takes more than one person to make great wine. It’s a journey from the earth to the glass. They make a small batch selection of handcrafted Pinot Noir, Chardonnays, and some unique specialty wines along the way. Focus is single vineyard, single varietal, in small lots.

Let’s do this!!!

We had the pleasure of tasting the Casteñada Rosé (even before its release in March)! Talk about a treat. The Casteñada is a favorite of mine and I always make sure to take home a bottle (or two) to enjoy at home with each visit to the tasting room in Sonoma, and usually take home some Pinot Noir too, yum.

These yummy wines are only available here at the tasting room, so schedule your visit sooner rather than later, they go quickly with the Rosé selling out in mere weeks oftentimes.

Five wines paired to perfection with 5 course girl & the fig menu. Woo your tastebuds. Dishes as delicious as they are beautiful. The plating game was strong here. It was a lovely display of the food, the wine, and the service that showed attention to each detail.

‘Bill Price  purchased the Durell Vineyard in 1998, and launched Three Sticks Wines in 2002. From there, his role as a farmer began to grow.

Price is the proprietor of Price Family Vineyards & Estates—including ownership and management of Sonoma Coast vineyards including Durell, Gap’s Crown, Walala, Alana, One Sky and William James Vineyard. He has ownership interests in Kistler Vineyards, Gary Farrell Winery, Three Sticks, Lutum and Head High.

Price’s business strategy is to work with winemakers who have their own individual style of winemaking and who maintain that vision with each vintage and with each piece of land. He believes that this commitment to a specific style lets one perfect their identity as a winemaker while also allowing them to stand out in the marketplace. Price sees his family vineyards and winery investments as something he can share with his children someday.’

As Winemaker of Three Sticks Wines, Ryan is excited about crafting wines with character and finesse that showcase the unique vineyard sites that Three Sticks works with. As Prichard says best:

“With iconic vineyards such as Durell and Gaps Crown, we are given the best ingredients to make truly spectacular wines. This and getting to work with such a talented and passionate team of people makes making wine at Three Sticks an incredible opportunity”

At Three Sticks they really do care to educate the consumer on why it tastes they way it does, what the history of the grape is and where the glass came from. A quality philosophy explained.

If you are interested in receiving an allotment of Three Sticks wines please reach out to them directly.

Bill Price and his pioneering vineyard locations seem to have done a great job growing wine grapes here in Sonoma if you ask me. The proof is in the bottle. Try some soon, thank me later.

The wine is chilled, the Adobe is waiting, and the hosts are eager to pour for you! Contact THREE STICKS WINES today to book your experience. The Adobe visit grants you access to their Spring Release wines which are no longer available online!!

Three Sticks Wines

143 West Spain Street

Sonoma, CA 95476

Tel: 707 996 3328

For more videos, see my next article launching March 20th for a full virtual tour of Three Sticks Winery here on the website!!