An evening with Failla Winery - Milwaukee

There’s a particular kind of California that rarely makes headlines—a quieter, windswept version of the state where ripeness is never a given, the Pacific sets the pace and patience matters more than power. Failla, under Ehren Jordan, has long worked in that space. These are not wines of volume or density, but detail: fog that lingers into late morning, acidity that holds even at full ripeness and careful winemaking choices that keep site at the center.

This seminar is less about a single grape or region and more about a philosophy that traces a line from the outer Sonoma Coast to Anderson Valley, up into Oregon and even into the evolution of California Zinfandel over time. What ties these wines together is not sameness, but a shared commitment to tension, transparency and a restrained profile.

We begin at elevation in Fort Ross-Seaview, where Chardonnay leans into edge and energy rather than weight. The ocean influence shows in the wine’s shape, lifted, linear and persistent. From that same site, Pinot Noir shifts register but not intent, red fruit instead of citrus, silk instead of steel, with the same cool-toned clarity and mineral cadence. It’s an instructive pairing, showing how variety bends to place.

From there, we pivot to Chenin Blanc in Santa Ynez, a grape with deep roots and a still-evolving identity in California. Here it reads textural yet vibrant, capable of generosity and restraint, and a reminder of what happens when ripeness is not the only goal.

The Pinot Noirs that follow offer a moving map of the West Coast. Willamette Valley brings less maritime influence and more soil-driven structure, with a deeper fruit register and savory frame. Sonoma Coast feels more open, brighter in fruit, softer in structure, still anchored by freshness. Anderson Valley tightens the lens again, with darker tones, firmer structure and real ageability.

Taken together, these Pinots are less about ranking and more about contrast, how climate, latitude and exposure shape flavor, texture and pacing. “Cool climate” isn’t a single idea. It’s a spectrum.

We close with a library-release Zinfandel from Russian River Valley. It may look like an outlier, but it completes the story. With time, Zinfandel moves away from youthful exuberance toward dried fruit, spice, earth and softened structure, closer in spirit to the restraint running through the earlier wines.

This is a seminar about paying attention, how site, grape and time interact when the goal is precision rather than flash, and how the West Coast can look in the glass when detail leads.

Wines to be tasted:

2024 Failla “Estate Vineyard” Chardonnay, Fort Ross-Seaview
$75

2024 Failla “Jurassic Park” Chenin Blanc, Santa Ynez Valley
$52.50

2024 Failla “Estate Vineyard” Pinot Noir, Fort Ross-Seaview
$94.50

2023 Failla “Patton Valley” Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley
$52.50

2023 Failla “Lola” Pinot Noir, Sonoma Coast
$60

2023 Failla “Savoy Vineyard” Pinot Noir, Anderson Valley
$75

2016 Day “Estate Vineyard” Zinfandel, Russian River Valley – Library Vintage
$63

All prices listed reflect regular retail. Significant discounts will be offered on all wines tasted. Due to the highly allocated nature of some selections, wines may change without notice.