Anaba Wines

Anaba Wines was founded in 2006 by proprietor John Sweazey. Sweazey grew up near Chicago, studied at Stanford, and worked in computer sales before a nine-month trip through Europe in 1971 deepened his love of wine. Back in San Francisco, working in commercial real estate finance, he kept returning to Europe's wine regions on month-long trips, particularly Burgundy and the southern Rhone Valley, journeys he credits as the inspiration for the wines Anaba produces today. He also traveled to French wine regions including Bordeaux and Champagne with his wife, Kathleen. In 2006 he purchased the Carneros-area property that became Anaba; the site had previously been part of Castle Vineyards, whose existing relationship with the Sangiacomo family became Anaba's own first grower connection. The name Anaba comes from anabatic winds, the warm air currents that rise up the property's slopes.

• Founded 2006 by proprietor John Sweazey
• Site previously part of Castle Vineyards, which had an existing relationship with the Sangiacomo family
• Named for anabatic winds, warm air currents that rise up the property's slopes
• John Sweazey traveled French wine regions including Bordeaux and Champagne with his wife, Kathleen

In 2009, three years after Sweazey purchased the 16-acre property, Anaba installed a 45-foot Skystream wind turbine, becoming the first winery in Northern California to use wind power. The turbine powers vineyard operations, irrigation and an EV charger for tasting room guests. Together with rooftop solar panels added later, the turbine now supplies 100% of the estate's electricity, and Anaba offers four complimentary EV chargers for visitors. Anaba is a Sonoma Certified Sustainable Winegrower. Wastewater is diverted into an on-site pond that also serves as habitat for migrating birds and endangered black toads, and collected water is reclaimed for landscape irrigation.

• 2009: 45-foot Skystream wind turbine installed, the first at a Northern California winery
• 100% renewable electricity from the wind turbine and rooftop solar panels
• Sonoma Certified Sustainable Winegrower
• On-site wastewater pond doubles as habitat for migrating birds and endangered black toads

Katy Wilson joined Anaba as winemaker in 2014. She had already been recognized as a San Francisco Chronicle "Winemaker to Watch" in 2013, and in October 2025 she was named VinePair's NextWave Winemaker of the Year, a national award recognizing her work on Anaba's Rhone- and Burgundian-focused portfolio. Beyond crafting Anaba's own wines, Wilson oversees the estate's custom crush clients and uses the facility to produce her own label, LaRue Wines. John Sweazey remains proprietor. The rest of the team includes Casandra Knox as Estate Director, Ashley Leeming as Wine Club Manager, Michelle Hogan as Marketing Director, Tess Taylor as Events Manager, Chef Maria as Executive Chef, and Jesse Perez as Cellar Master.

• Katy Wilson, Winemaker since 2014; named SF Chronicle Winemaker to Watch (2013) and VinePair NextWave Winemaker of the Year (October 2025)
• Wilson also produces her own LaRue Wines label using Anaba's production facility
• John Sweazey, Proprietor
• Team includes Casandra Knox (Estate Director), Ashley Leeming (Wine Club Manager), Michelle Hogan (Marketing Director), Jesse Perez (Cellar Master)

Anaba's estate J McK Estate Vineyard sits on the winery property in Carneros; its name comes from proprietor John Sweazey's children, John Michael and McKenna. Beyond the estate, Anaba sources fruit from a network of Sonoma County grower partners. Bismark Vineyard sits high in the Moon Mountain District at 2,100 feet. Dutton Ranch supplies Chardonnay from the Green Valley sub-AVA of Russian River Valley. Sangiacomo's Roberts Road Vineyard, planted in 1999, lies in the Petaluma Gap AVA. Pigasus Vineyard, renamed in 2016 by owners Dale and Amy Harvey, straddles the Bennett Valley and Sonoma Mountain AVAs. Soberanes Vineyard, farmed by the Pisoni and Franscioni families, lies in the Santa Lucia Highlands. Wildcat Mountain Vineyard, planted in 1998 by vintner Steve MacRostie, sits 700 feet above sea level. Other partner sites include H. Klopp Vineyard and Felix Hunter Vineyard near Sebastopol, Landa Vineyard in the Sonoma foothills, Las Brisas Vineyard at the Mahoney Estate in Carneros, Flora Marie Vineyard in the Russian River and Sonoma Coast appellations, and Teldeschi Vineyard Home Ranch in Dry Creek Valley.

• J McK Estate Vineyard: on the winery property in Carneros, named for John Sweazey's children John Michael and McKenna
• Bismark Vineyard: Moon Mountain District, 2,100 feet elevation
• Sangiacomo Roberts Road Vineyard: Petaluma Gap AVA, planted 1999
• Pigasus Vineyard: Bennett Valley / Sonoma Mountain AVAs, renamed 2016 by owners Dale and Amy Harvey
• Soberanes Vineyard (Santa Lucia Highlands) and Wildcat Mountain Vineyard (planted 1998, 700 feet elevation) among other partner sites

Anaba's portfolio centers on Rhone-style blends alongside single-vineyard Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Turbine Red, named for the estate's wind turbine, is the winery's signature Rhone-style red blend sourced from vineyard sites across Sonoma County; the 2023 vintage blends Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre, Cinsaut and Petite Sirah. Turbine White is a companion Rhone-style white blend; the 2024 vintage draws on Grenache Blanc, Roussanne, Marsanne, Viognier and Picpoul Blanc from the Drennan Family and Telman vineyards. Anaba has also bottled a standalone Picpoul Blanc since 2015. La Colline, meaning "the hillside," is a proprietary Rhone-style red blend inspired by a visit John Sweazey made with winemaker Max Chapoutier in the Rhone Valley in the 1970s; its inaugural 2022 vintage blends Syrah, Mourvedre and Grenache from three Sonoma mountain vineyards, aged 22 months in French oak. The estate also produces single-vineyard Chardonnay from the J McK Estate Vineyard and single-vineyard Pinot Noir from grower partners such as Sangiacomo Roberts Road.

• Turbine Red: signature Rhone-style red blend, 2023 vintage blends Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre, Cinsaut and Petite Sirah
• Turbine White: Rhone-style white blend, 2024 vintage blends Grenache Blanc, Roussanne, Marsanne, Viognier and Picpoul Blanc
• Picpoul Blanc: standalone bottling since 2015
• La Colline: proprietary Rhone-style red blend, inaugural vintage 2022, Syrah/Mourvedre/Grenache aged 22 months in French oak
• Single-vineyard Chardonnay (J McK Estate) and single-vineyard Pinot Noirs from grower partners

Anaba's current production winery opened on the estate in 2019 and is powered by wind and solar energy. The Vintners House hospitality center hosts tastings on a hillside patio and indoors, including the Elements flight, the five-wine Legacy flight, and the Pinnacle of Pinot flight focused on single-vineyard Pinot Noirs. The winery also offers a quarterly Seasonal Food & Wine Pairing menu prepared by its Estate Chef, a Pizza, Pinot & Bocce experience, and Pickleball & Wine Tasting on a private court overlooking the estate's Picpoul Blanc vineyard. The Vintners House was voted Best Tasting Room in the Sonoma Index-Tribune's People's Choice Awards.

• Production winery opened 2019, powered by wind and solar
• Vintners House tasting room voted Best Tasting Room, Sonoma Index-Tribune People's Choice Awards
• Tasting options include the Elements and Legacy flights and the single-vineyard-focused Pinnacle of Pinot flight
• Quarterly Seasonal Food & Wine Pairing menu, Pizza Pinot & Bocce, and Pickleball & Wine Tasting experiences

Primary sources (producer's own site): https://www.anabawines.com/, https://www.anabawines.com/about/, https://www.anabawines.com/about/our-history/, https://www.anabawines.com/about/our-vineyards/, https://www.anabawines.com/about/our-commitment-to-sustainability/, https://www.anabawines.com/about/our-team/, https://www.anabawines.com/collection/all-wines/, https://www.anabawines.com/visit-us/, https://www.anabawines.com/visit-us/menu-tastings/, and individual wine product pages. Secondary sources: Wine Industry Advisor (October 17, 2025), Nob Hill Gazette, Petaluma Gap Winegrowers Alliance. Last verified 2026-09-14. Where the producer's site and a secondary source disagree, the producer's site governs.