Anaba Wines

John Sweazey founded Anaba Wines in 2006. He 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, he kept returning to Europe's wine regions on month-long trips, above all Burgundy and the southern Rhone Valley, whose wines inspired the ones Anaba makes today. With his wife, Kathleen, he also traveled to French wine regions including Bordeaux and Champagne. In 2006 he bought the Carneros-area property that became Anaba. It had been part of Castle Vineyards, whose relationship with the Sangiacomo family became Anaba's first grower connection. The name comes from anabatic winds, the air currents that drift upward as they meet the slopes.

• Founded 2006 by proprietor John Sweazey
• Site previously part of Castle Vineyards, which already worked with the Sangiacomo family
• Named for anabatic winds, air currents that drift upward as they meet the slopes
• Sweazey traveled to French wine regions including Bordeaux and Champagne with his wife, Kathleen

In 2009, three years after Sweazey bought the 16-acre property, Anaba installed a 45-foot Skystream wind turbine and became the first winery in Northern California to use wind power. The turbine runs vineyard operations, irrigation and an EV charger for tasting room guests. With solar panels added later, the estate now draws 100% of its electricity from renewable sources, and visitors have four complimentary EV chargers. Anaba is a Sonoma Certified Sustainable Winegrower. Wastewater goes into an on-site pond that is also 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 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. The San Francisco Chronicle named her a "Winemaker to Watch" in 2013, and in October 2025 VinePair named her NextWave Winemaker of the Year, a national award recognizing her work on Anaba's Rhone- and Burgundian-focused wines. Wilson also manages the estate's custom crush clients and makes her own label, LaRue Wines, in the facility. John Sweazey remains proprietor. The team also includes Casandra Knox (Estate Director), Ashley Leeming (Wine Club Manager), Michelle Hogan (Marketing Director), Tess Taylor (Events Manager), Chef Maria (Executive Chef) and Jesse Perez (Cellar Master).

• Katy Wilson, winemaker since 2014; SF Chronicle Winemaker to Watch (2013) and VinePair NextWave Winemaker of the Year (October 2025)
• Wilson also makes her own LaRue Wines label in 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)

The J McK Estate Vineyard lies on the winery property in Carneros and takes its name from Sweazey's children, John Michael and McKenna. Partner growers supply the rest of the fruit. Bismark Vineyard sits at 2,100 feet in the Moon Mountain District. 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 in the Santa Lucia Highlands is farmed by the Pisoni and Franscioni families. 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
• 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) 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 signature Rhone-style red blend, drawn from vineyard sites across Sonoma County; the 2023 vintage blends Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre, Cinsaut and Petite Sirah. Its companion, Turbine White, is a Rhone-style white blend; the 2024 vintage combines Grenache Blanc, Roussanne, Marsanne, Viognier and Picpoul Blanc from the Drennan Family and Telman vineyards. Anaba has bottled a standalone Picpoul Blanc since 2015. La Colline ("the hillside") is a proprietary Rhone-style red blend inspired by Sweazey's 1970s visit with winemaker Max Chapoutier in the Rhone Valley; the inaugural 2022 vintage blends Syrah, Mourvedre and Grenache from three Sonoma mountain vineyards and spent 22 months in French oak. Single-vineyard Chardonnay comes 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; the 2023 vintage blends Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre, Cinsaut and Petite Sirah
• Turbine White: Rhone-style white blend; the 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

The production winery opened on the estate in 2019 and runs on wind and solar energy. The Vintners House hosts tastings on a hillside patio and indoors, including the Elements flight, the five-wine Legacy flight and the Pinnacle of Pinot flight of single-vineyard Pinot Noirs. Other experiences include a quarterly Seasonal Food & Wine Pairing menu from the Estate Chef, Pizza, Pinot & Bocce, 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
• Tastings include the Elements and Legacy flights and the single-vineyard Pinnacle of Pinot flight
• Quarterly Seasonal Food & Wine Pairing menu, Pizza Pinot & Bocce, and Pickleball & Wine Tasting

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 2026-10-12. Where the producer's site and a secondary source disagree, the producer's site governs.