William Harrison Vineyards

Antonio Perelli-Minetti was one of the early California Wine pioneers, emigrating from Italy in 1902 to start a family winery in Healdsburg. Grandson William worked in many areas of the family’s burgeoning business, eventually launching a mobile bottling service on which many small wineries depend.

William also grew grapes in Napa Valley, and in 1993 he started William Harrison Vineyards. The focus here is on rich, high-quality Bordeaux-style wines made from grapes grown on his 10-acre Rutherford vineyard. The Rutherford region is comprised of soils from three alluvial fans that are primarily gravelly, sandy and loamy; these fans were created from shattered, well-bedded sandstone found on the hills above the valley.

His vineyard is planted to Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Petite Verdot, Malbec and Merlot. His Rutherford Red is comprised of 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 16% Cabernet Franc and 4% Merlot. Only 95 cases were produced. The wines are long-lived, big and bold. William also makes Chardonnay, with the fruit coming from the cooler Carneros district.

The rustic winery building is set back from the road; it was constructed in 1985 using white limestone (quarried from the hill across from the vineyards) and rough-hewn wood. The architecture of the building is Old California, reminiscent of an old Western saloon. The ambiance is intimate and down-to-earth. (At one end of the room is a nine-foot stuffed Alaskan brown bear and a pair of toothy Russian boars.) William Harrison wines are sold only through the tasting room and the wine club.