Ferrari-Carano Vineyards and Winery

Don and Rhonda Carano, second-generation Italian-Americans born in Reno, Nevada, discovered Sonoma County in 1979 while searching for wines to enhance the restaurant lists at their Eldorado Hotel Casino. They purchased a 60-acre parcel in Alexander Valley, began taking enology and viticulture classes at UC Davis, and made early wines under the 'Carano Cellars' label for friends and family. Ferrari is Don's grandmother's surname, giving the winery its Italian identity. Ground was broken for the Dry Creek Valley winery in 1985, and the first Ferrari-Carano labeled wines, a 1986 Fumé Blanc and a 1985 Alexander Valley Chardonnay, were released in 1987. Don Carano, who also founded the Eldorado Hotel Casino in Reno in 1973 and was a founding member of the McDonald, Carano and Wilson law firm, passed away in October 2017. Foley Family Wines acquired Ferrari-Carano in 2020.

• Initial 60-acre Alexander Valley parcel purchased in 1979; winery construction in Dry Creek Valley began 1985
• First commercial releases in 1987 were the 1986 Fumé Blanc and 1985 Alexander Valley Chardonnay
• Don Carano opened the Eldorado Hotel Casino in Reno in 1973 and was a founding member of the McDonald, Carano and Wilson law firm
• Foley Family Wines announced acquisition of Ferrari-Carano in June 2020; winery now part of the Foley portfolio under Bill and Carol Foley

Ferrari-Carano farms certified-sustainable estate vineyards across six distinct California appellations, giving winemakers access to a broad range of microclimates and soils. Alexander Valley, home to the PreVail Mountain Winery on RockRise Mountain at 1,000 feet elevation, provides more than half of the estate's vineyard land with mountain, bench, and valley-floor blocks planted to Cabernet Sauvignon, Sauvignon Blanc, Merlot, Malbec, Sangiovese, and more. Dry Creek Valley, where the Italianate Villa Fiore winery sits, supplies warm, well-drained benchland sites ideal for Sauvignon Blanc and red blends. The cooler Russian River Valley provides gravelly, fog-influenced sites for Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, while Napa Carneros contributes its marine-cooled Chardonnay fruit to the Reserve program. Mendocino Ridge holdings include the Sky High Ranch Vineyard at approximately 1,600 feet elevation, planted to Pinot Noir.

• Six appellations: Alexander Valley, Dry Creek Valley, Russian River Valley, Napa Carneros, Anderson Valley, and Mendocino Ridge
• PreVail Mountain Winery on RockRise Mountain, east side of Alexander Valley, elevation 1,000 feet, dedicated to red wine production
• Russian River Valley vineyards (gravelly soils, marine fog) supply single-vineyard Chardonnays and Pinot Noir; Napa Carneros supplies Reserve Chardonnay
• All estate vineyards are Certified California Sustainable by the California Sustainable Winegrowing Alliance; named Sustainable Producer of the Year at the 2019 Sonoma County Harvest Fair

Ferrari-Carano's winery operations are divided between two production facilities. The Estate Winery in Dry Creek Valley, home to the Villa Fiore tasting room, produces white wines; grapes are night-harvested for freshness, then whole-cluster pressed and cold-settled before fermentation in stainless steel or older French oak. The flagship Fumé Blanc is sourced from seven estate vineyards in Dry Creek, Alexander, and Russian River Valleys and fermented partly in stainless and partly in older barrels with regular stirring. The Sonoma County Chardonnay draws from multiple estate clones; the Reserve Chardonnay is primarily from Napa Carneros. Red wines and the Trésor blend are crafted at the PreVail Mountain Winery, where whole berries are moved by a custom vertical-elevator system into stainless and oak tanks for cold soak and fermentation. Trésor, the flagship red, blends all five classic Bordeaux varieties and ages 20 months in French oak (56% new) in the 77,000-square-foot underground cave. Siena, the Italian-heritage red blend, combines Sangiovese, Malbec, Petite Sirah, and Cabernet Sauvignon from Dry Creek, Alexander, and Russian River Valley estate vineyards. Executive Winemaker Sarah Quider leads a team of seven women winemakers across three winery facilities.

• Fumé Blanc: sourced from seven estate vineyards in Dry Creek, Alexander, and Russian River Valleys; fermented in stainless and older French oak; approximately 230,000 cases annually
• Trésor: Cabernet Sauvignon-dominant blend of all five Bordeaux red varieties; 20 months in French oak (56% new) in underground cave
• Siena: Sangiovese-based blend with Malbec, Petite Sirah, and Cabernet Sauvignon; reflects the Carano family's Italian heritage
• Night harvesting used across estate to preserve natural acidity and fruit aromatics at cooler temperatures

Ferrari-Carano is one of Sonoma County's largest estate wineries by volume, producing approximately 480,000 cases annually at the time of the 2020 Foley Family Wines acquisition, with Fumé Blanc alone accounting for roughly 230,000 cases and Chardonnay for approximately 120,000 cases. The 2024 Fumé Blanc received 92 points from James Suckling. The 2019 Trésor was ranked among Wine Enthusiast's Top 100 wines with a 94-point score. The winery was named Sustainable Producer of the Year at the 2019 Sonoma County Harvest Fair, and the 2017 Fumé Blanc won the top white varietal award at the same fair. Ferrari-Carano's five-tier portfolio spans widely distributed classics, winery-exclusive bottlings, single-vineyard Vineyard Selects, proprietary blends, and the premium PreVail label.

• 2024 Fumé Blanc: 92 points James Suckling; approximately 230,000 cases produced annually
• 2019 Trésor: ranked on Wine Enthusiast Top 100 with 94 points; Trésor ages 20 months in 56% new French oak in underground caves
• Named Sustainable Producer of the Year, 2019 Sonoma County Harvest Fair; 2017 Fumé Blanc won top white varietal at same competition
• Total production approximately 480,000 cases annually at acquisition; portfolio spans five tiers from classic to PreVail premium

Ferrari-Carano wines are anchored by their consistent expression of cool and warm Sonoma terroir. The Fumé Blanc, the winery's founding wine and largest production bottling, shows bright citrus and tropical aromatics including grapefruit, lychee, guava, apricot, mango, and pineapple, with crisp acidity and a clean mineral finish reflecting its multi-appellation estate sourcing. Chardonnays range from the approachable, multi-clone Sonoma County bottling to the single-vineyard Russian River Valley Tre Terre and the Carneros-based Reserve, which offers greater textural weight and stone-fruit depth. Red blends divide into the Italian-inspired Siena, with its Sangiovese-driven cranberry and cherry fruit and soft tannin profile, and the Bordeaux-structured Trésor, which delivers black currant, dark chocolate, and cedar. The PreVail tier, made at the Alexander Valley Mountain Winery, represents the estate's most concentrated mountain-fruit expressions.

• Fumé Blanc aromatics: grapefruit, guava, lychee, mango, apricot; clean acidity and mineral finish; bone dry; fermented in stainless and older oak
• Chardonnay range: Sonoma County (multi-clone, approachable), Tre Terre Russian River Valley (single-vineyard), Reserve Carneros (richer, stone fruit focus)
• Siena profile: Sangiovese-led; cranberry, strawberry, cherry, cinnamon; medium body, soft tannins; Italian-heritage character
• Trésor profile: Cabernet Sauvignon-dominant; black currant, dark plum, mocha, cedar; full body, fine tannins; cave-aged 20 months

Ferrari-Carano has practiced sustainable farming across its estate for decades, earning Certified California Sustainable Vineyard status for all its vineyards through the California Sustainable Winegrowing Alliance. Water conservation is central to the program: sub-surface drip irrigation delivers water directly to root zones, 30 percent of vineyards are equipped with wind machines (saving an estimated 23.5 million gallons of water), and the winery uses 19 million gallons of recycled water annually for vineyard irrigation. The Alexander Valley winery lagoon system treats wastewater via micro-bubble aeration, eliminating approximately 1.5 million gallons of water waste. The 77,000-square-foot underground cave uses only 20 horsepower to maintain temperature-controlled HVAC for two hours per day. Foley Family Wines, established by Bill Foley in 1996, acquired Ferrari-Carano in 2020, preserving the estate's production team, sustainability commitments, and winemaking identity.

• All estate vineyards certified by California Sustainable Winegrowing Alliance; named Sustainable Producer of the Year at 2019 Sonoma County Harvest Fair
• 19 million gallons of recycled water used annually for irrigation; lagoon system at Alexander Valley facility eliminates 1.5 million gallons of water waste
• 77,000-square-foot underground cave: temperature maintained using only 20 hp HVAC for 2 hours per day, dramatically reducing energy use
• Acquired by Foley Family Wines (Bill and Carol Foley) in 2020; Executive Winemaker Sarah Quider and a team of seven women winemakers continue operations