Ravenswood Winery

Joel Peterson founded Ravenswood in 1976, naming it partly for the ravens that appeared during his first harvest and partly for the tragic-opera figure Edgardo di Ravenswood in Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor. His first vintage was 327 cases, and by his own account he never expected commercial success. Peterson had apprenticed under Zinfandel pioneer Joseph Swan, learning to pick grapes by taste, farm for concentration rather than volume, ferment with wild yeasts, and age in French oak. He could not afford to bottle his 1976 wine until 1979, when he formed a limited partnership with his business partner Reed Foster, who assembled 15 investors to back the young winery; Peterson's own site credits the founding to him alone and does not mention Foster. The wine released at $7.50 a bottle, an outrageous price at the time for an unknown label. In 1982 Ravenswood introduced Vintners Blend, a lower-cost, faster-turnaround Zinfandel that grew to half a million cases within a few years and funded the winery's prestige single-vineyard bottlings, including historic sites like Old Hill Ranch in Sonoma Valley (established in the 1880s) and Dickerson in Napa Valley (planted in the 1920s). Robert Parker's rave reviews, calling the wines "First class, bold, dramatic and complex," boosted the brand's reputation. Peterson quit his day job as a hospital lab clinician in 1992 once the winery turned a profit, took Ravenswood public in 1999, and sold it to Constellation Brands in 2001 for $148 million.

• Founded 1976 by Joel Peterson, who apprenticed under Zinfandel pioneer Joseph Swan; first vintage was 327 cases
• Business partner Reed Foster assembled a limited partnership of 15 investors that financed bottling of the 1976 wine in 1979, released at $7.50 a bottle
• Vintners Blend, introduced 1982 at 1,000 cases, grew to half a million cases within a few years and funded single-vineyard bottlings from historic sites like Old Hill Ranch (Sonoma Valley, 1880s) and Dickerson (Napa Valley, 1920s)
• Peterson quit his hospital lab job in 1992, took the company public in 1999, and sold Ravenswood to Constellation Brands in 2001 for $148 million

Under Constellation Brands, production grew from roughly 440,000 cases at the time of the 2001 sale toward nearly a million cases annually, driven largely by the value-priced Vintners Blend. Peterson joined Constellation's board after the sale and stayed involved in winemaking and promotion for several years before transitioning out as the brand scaled. Constellation eventually lost interest in Ravenswood as sales declined. Gallo and Constellation announced a deal for Gallo to acquire roughly 30 Constellation wine and spirits brands, including Ravenswood, originally valued at $1.7 billion; the Federal Trade Commission objected that the deal would substantially lessen competition, and after required divestitures of certain sparkling wine, brandy and production assets, the companies amended the agreement and closed it in January 2021, nearly two years after it was first announced, at a reduced value of about $810 million. While the sale was pending, Constellation closed Ravenswood's production facility and tasting room in Sonoma Valley and let contracts on most of its old-vine vineyards lapse in 2020, effectively halting new Ravenswood wine production for roughly five years.

• Production climbed from about 440,000 cases (2001 sale) to nearly 1 million cases annually under Constellation, mostly Vintners Blend
• Gallo-Constellation deal for about 30 brands including Ravenswood was originally valued at $1.7 billion; FTC-required divestitures reduced the finalized deal to about $810 million, closed in January 2021 nearly two years after it was first announced
• Constellation closed the Sonoma Valley production facility and tasting room and let most old-vine vineyard contracts lapse in 2020 while the Gallo sale was pending
• No new Ravenswood wine was produced during a roughly five-year hiatus that ended with the 2025 relaunch

Gallo announced Ravenswood's relaunch on March 4, 2025 from Healdsburg, California, after dedicating more than two years to redefining the brand in collaboration with founder Joel Peterson. The revival was originally planned for the 2022 vintage, but extreme heat that growing season led the winemaking team to postpone the debut by a year. The first release comprised about 3,400 cases of 2023-vintage wine: a Dry Creek Valley AVA blend (about 1,900 cases, $26.99 SRP) and three single-vineyard wines at about 500 cases each, from MacMurray Vineyard ($49.99), Teldeschi Vineyard ($49.99), and Monte Rosso Vineyard ($69.99). The Dry Creek Valley wine released in March 2025, with the single-vineyard wines following in May. MacMurray Ranch is a new addition to the single-vineyard lineup; Ravenswood had previously bottled single-vineyard Zinfandels from Monte Rosso and Teldeschi. Both Monte Rosso and MacMurray Ranch are owned by Gallo. The relaunched wines are sold at fine wine retailers and select restaurants in California, Texas and New Jersey, and the producer's own site also lists availability through Instacart.com. Joel Peterson consults on the relaunch with no financial stake in the business, asking Gallo to donate his compensation to Zinfandel Advocates & Producers (ZAP). Michael Eddy-Cort, Gallo's senior director of winemaking and previously more than 15 years at Louis M. Martini, leads the winemaking, with his approach shaped in part by Peterson's mentorship.

• Relaunch announced March 4, 2025 (Healdsburg, CA) after more than two years of work by Gallo in collaboration with Joel Peterson; originally planned for the 2022 vintage but postponed a year due to extreme heat
• First release: about 3,400 cases of 2023-vintage Zinfandel across four wines, released March (Dry Creek Valley) and May 2025 (single-vineyard wines)
• Pricing (SRP): Dry Creek Valley AVA $26.99 (~1,900 cases); MacMurray, Teldeschi $49.99 each; Monte Rosso $69.99 (~500 cases each); MacMurray is new to the single-vineyard tier, Monte Rosso and MacMurray vineyards are Gallo-owned
• Michael Eddy-Cort (Gallo senior director of winemaking, 15-plus years at Louis M. Martini) leads winemaking; Joel Peterson consults unpaid, with his compensation donated to ZAP

Monte Rosso Vineyard, first planted in 1886 by Emmanuel Goldstein, sits on a southwest-facing slope of Moon Mountain at 1,300 feet elevation, with iron-rich volcanic soils; the site is owned by Gallo and considered a sacred site by winemakers and collectors alike. MacMurray Vineyard, in the Russian River Valley, was once the cattle ranch retreat of Hollywood actor Fred MacMurray and was planted to vines in the 1990s, producing elegant, peppery Zinfandel, a telltale sign of its Russian River Valley origins. Teldeschi Vineyard, in a warm pocket of northern Sonoma County, was one of the first vineyards Joel Peterson sourced from and is planted to dry-farmed, old-vine Zinfandel. Ravenswood's earlier, broader lineup also drew on historic dry-farmed, low-yield sites including Old Hill Ranch in Sonoma Valley (established in the 1880s) and Dickerson in Napa Valley (planted in the 1920s); those sites are not part of the 2025 relaunch portfolio.

• Monte Rosso Vineyard: first planted 1886 by Emmanuel Goldstein, Moon Mountain, 1,300-foot elevation, iron-rich volcanic soils; owned by Gallo
• MacMurray Vineyard: Russian River Valley, former Fred MacMurray cattle ranch, planted to vines in the 1990s; new to the single-vineyard tier in 2025
• Teldeschi Vineyard: northern Sonoma County, dry-farmed old-vine Zinfandel, one of the first vineyards Peterson sourced from
• Old Hill Ranch (Sonoma Valley, 1880s) and Dickerson (Napa Valley, 1920s) were historic Ravenswood single-vineyard sources not included in the 2025 relaunch lineup

Joel Peterson remains Ravenswood's founder and, per the producer's own site, its "Brand Spirit Guide," a close collaborator to the current team; Gallo's own materials describe him as a Vintner's Hall of Fame winemaker. Michael Eddy-Cort is Head Winemaker, having previously made acclaimed wines at Louis M. Martini for more than 15 years. The current winemaking team, per Ravenswood's own site, also includes Sarah Lampi as Senior Winemaker, Camila Tahim (Brazil-born, with a Finger Lakes background) as Associate Winemaker, Mara Dickson (Sonoma County born and raised) as Assistant Winemaker, and Mario Salinas as Assistant Winemaker. Peterson's son, Morgan Twain-Peterson, runs his own label, Bedrock Wine Co., and was named one of the San Francisco Chronicle's 2015 winemakers of the year; trade press has reported him as one of the first California winemakers to become a Master of Wine.

• Joel Peterson: founder, unpaid consultant and "Brand Spirit Guide" on the relaunch; described by Gallo as a Vintner's Hall of Fame winemaker
• Michael Eddy-Cort: Head Winemaker, Gallo senior director of winemaking, previously 15-plus years at Louis M. Martini
• Current team (producer's own site): Sarah Lampi (Senior Winemaker), Camila Tahim (Associate Winemaker), Mara Dickson (Assistant Winemaker), Mario Salinas (Assistant Winemaker)
• Morgan Twain-Peterson, Peterson's son, runs Bedrock Wine Co.; named a 2015 San Francisco Chronicle winemaker of the year and reported as one of the first California winemakers to earn the Master of Wine credential

Ravenswood's "No Wimpy Wines" motto, born from Joel Peterson's rejection of the sweet White Zinfandel category, helped define serious, dry, terroir-driven Zinfandel as a category in American wine. The winery's original labels and three-raven imagery, designed by Berkeley artist David Lance Goines, became one of the more recognizable images in California wine, and Peterson's early punch-down tool is held in the Smithsonian. The brand's arc, from a home winemaker's side project through public offering, corporate acquisition, near-dormancy, and a deliberately scaled-back 2025 revival, traces the broader history of how American Zinfandel moved from bulk commodity to serious varietal and back to boutique, site-driven winemaking. With Peterson consulting without pay and proceeds from his role going to Zinfandel Advocates & Producers, Ravenswood's relaunch frames itself as a return to the old-vine, single-vineyard focus that built the brand's reputation in the first place.

• The "No Wimpy Wines" motto and the Goines-designed three-raven label are among the most recognizable identities in American Zinfandel
• Peterson's early punch-down tool is held in the Smithsonian
• The brand's history traces Zinfandel's path from bulk commodity through White Zinfandel-era backlash to serious, site-driven varietal wine
• The 2025 relaunch, scaled to about 3,400 cases, is a deliberate return to old-vine, single-vineyard focus after a near million-case commercial peak

Primary sources (producer's own site and current owner's press materials): https://www.ravenswoodwinery.com/, https://www.ravenswoodwinery.com/our-story.html, https://www.ravenswoodwinery.com/our-wines.html, https://www.ravenswoodwinery.com/our-circle.html, https://www.ravenswoodwinery.com/ContactUs, https://www.gallo.com/press/2025-03-04-ravenswood-declares-new-vision-for-the-future. Secondary sources: Wine Spectator (March 3, 2025), WineMaker Magazine, San Francisco Chronicle (March 1-2, 2016 and January 5-6, 2021), Wine Business (headline reference). Last verified 2026-09-14. Where the producer's site and a secondary source disagree, the producer's site governs; where two secondary sources conflict on a fact the producer's site does not state, see conflicts.json for resolution. Spot something off? Submit a correction: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdM0MsYoQFCpXb4qbSPVM2TBRuC2624pOhrffs7IGhpfGCCQA/viewform