Welcome to Wilde Farm. Wilde Farm wines are made for the table. Every wine that I have ever loved, I have loved more with food. Wilde Farm wines are easy to drink, nuanced and sometimes even elegant. They tend to be lower in alcohol, though not always. We hope you will enjoy a bottle of Wilde Farm Chardonnay, Pinot Noir or a bottle of our Heritage field blend from the Bedrock Vineyard with a meal and perhaps a few friends.
Wilde Farm was a place long before it was a wine. Built in 1907 on the estate of Samuel Wilde, a successful coffee and spice trader, Wilde Farm began as a horse farm, with a generous kitchen garden of vegetables and herbs. It is of the Colonial Revival style popular at the time. The edifice itself is purposefully constructed, with hand-hewn floorboards, chestnut moldings, high, plastered ceilings and strong, honest lines. Much like its eponymous wine, the house was expertly crafted of honest materials and made to age gracefully. About twenty years ago, my wife and I took over custody of Wilde Farm. There we have raised three beautiful boys, in the only home they have ever known.
Wilde Farm makes wines from old vines and exceptional vineyards. Quantities are very small. Our wines are bright, balanced and made by hand. They emphasize a balance of acid and fruit. As an added bonus they age great.
Pax Mahle makes Wilde Farm wines. He has a light touch and a craftsman’s approach. Together, we work hard to ensure that Pax has the best materials available and that as a team we screw it up as little as possible. We source grapes from old vine, low yield sites, where soil, climate and honest farming practices allow for a full expression of the type of grape and the place the grapes come from. We only offer vineyard designated wines (so far).We pick when the grapes are ripe and ready. Yeasts are ambient, oak is neutral and fermentation happens at its own pace. We sometimes include stems in the primary fermentation, when it makes sense. We bottle our wines unfined and unfiltered. We sell them when we think they are delicious.
Febuary 24, 2016
Below is a very nice video review by Mark Andrews, Editor of Noble Rot magazine, offering a few words on Wilde Farm’s Donnelly Creek Pinot Noir. We will be with Mark and with Roberson Wine in London on May 9th, at the Golden State Trade event during the day and at Sager + Wilde Wine Bar in the evening, pouring a number of Wilde Farm recent releases. Hope to see you there.
Febuary 2, 2015
Once again Wilde Farm was reviewed by Antonio Galloni and Vinous Media, this time in the “Sonoma, Anderson Valley and Beyond: New Releases”. And once again his kind words make us blush! Below a few excerpts from his more comprehensive reviews:
“These new releases from Wilde Farm build on the success of the 2012s. In just their second vintage working together, proprietor Loren Grossman and winemaker Pax Mahle have once again crafted a compelling set of wines. At Wilde Farm, Mahle seeks a little more ripeness and overall depth than he does at Wind Gap, his own label. Readers who have not yet discovered Wilde Farm owe it to themselves to do so, as the wines are endowed with notable distinctiveness and tons of personality. “
2013 Donnelly Creek vineyard Pinot Noir: The 2013 Pinot Noir Donnelly Creek Vineyard bursts from the glass with exotic red berries, mint, crushed flowers, spices and pine. Vinification with 50% whole clusters and aging in new oak contribute to the wine’s totally translucent personality. Hints of orange peel and rose petal add intrigue and nuance. Weightless, perfumed and super-expressive, Wilde Farm’s Pinot Noir is superb. 95 Pts.
2013 Bedrock vineyard Heritage: Wilde Farm’s 2013 Heritage Red Bedrock Vineyard shows a totally different side of this site than readers might be used to. Picking early and gentle vinification results in a distinctly Pinot-leaning mixed blacks built on aromatics, silkiness and transparency. Sweet red cherries, plums, hard candy and Christmas cake are some of the many notes that inform this precise, super-finessed field blend from Wilde Farm. 94 Pts.
2013 Cardiac Hill vineyard Syrah: The 2013 Syrah Jemrose Vineyard Cardiac Hill is decidedly deep, dense and meaty, with plenty of varietal character and nuance. Smoke, tobacco, flowers and black cherries are all nicely delineated in the glass. Today, the Syrah is a bit rough around the edges, but it certainly has plenty of potential. The 2013 was done with 100% whole clusters and aged in neutral oak. 93+ Pts.
2013 Brosseau vineyard Chardonnay: The 2013 Chardonnay is simply beautiful. Apricot pit, smoke, spices, butter and smoke meld together in a surprisingly dense, powerful Chardonnay. These small, Wente clone clusters, with their high percentage of shot berries, yield a textured Chardonnay built on serious depth. Dried pear, spice and butter reappear on the finish. This is a surprisingly rich style for Pax Mahle these days, but it works. 93 Pts.
October 29, 2014
Jancis Robinson, arguably the UK’s best known wine critic, had some very kind words for Wilde Farm in her article entiteld “An American Assortment”, published today. In it she reviews Wilde Farm Donnelly Creek Pinot Noir:
“Quite deep crimson. But really very burgundian in build and in energy. Light and lively. Silky tannins. Very savoury and fine. Exciting! Lovely succulence and refinement on this wine. Spreads with some cranberry fruit all across the palate with real polish…Real persistence but not alcoholic power. Bravo!”
October 14, 2014
Our second annual newsletter can be found here for your reading pleasure! It contains more information about the wines, the vineyards and updates you on some of the happenings present and future at the winery. Plus, it offers a bit of a preview on what to expect in the Spring. We hope you enjoy reading it as much as we enjoy crafting it.
April 25, 2014
Jon Bonné, author of the recently published “The New California Wine”, offers some opinions about the state of California red blends – and includes Wilde Farm Heritage as an example of a success. The full article can be read here.
November 14, 2013
Doug Wilder, founder and critic of Purely Domestic Wine Review (PDWR) was kind enough to review and score our 2012 wines in his latest publication. Read the review here:
Wilde Farm Wines
6450 First Street
Forestville, CA 95436
Email: info@wildefarmwines.com
917.520.7060
