History of the Brand
While the history of Failla (pronounced FAY-la) is short it is not without its complexities. Founded as Failla Jordan in 1998, it took its name from the husband-and-wife team of winemaker Ehren Jordan and fellow debtor Anne-Marie Failla. That year we planted our Estate vineyard on the Sonoma Coast and began buying fruit for our first releases, the very Rhône-style ‘98 Alban Vineyard Viognier and ‘98 Que Syrah Syrah.
However, after three vintages under the Failla Jordan label, the must hit the fan and we got into a legal dust-up with Jordan Vineyards and Winery. When the smoke cleared, we had agreed to cease using Ehren’s last name to avoid trampling tender trademark toes and, putting our best foot (and better half) forward, we continued with simply "Failla". Many folks have asked us why we didn’t just pick a fanciful name in the first place instead of playing roulette with our own surnames. Well, we never found ruins of missions, limestone kilns, stone walls or barns on our property, just several old trailers. Existing plants on the ranch include such wine-incompatible flora as agave (shot of tequila anyone?) and bay trees (boiled crabs anyone?). And geographic features on our local topo maps sport monikers such as Brain Ridge, Gualala River, and Hell Hole.
We debuted as "Failla" with a new Chuck House-designed label in the fall of 2002. Our original label, designed by Anne-Marie's sister Marybeth, has been archived and our first three vintages (stragglers safely socked away in our personal cellar) will join either the pantheon of collectors' items or the fraternity of the oddities bin.
The House that Pinot Built
We may have become comfortable with our new identity, but not with the idea that there is only one right way of doing something. Ehren loves to experiment with his favorite varietals, coaxing out their various incarnations from different climates (cool, cooler and coolest), soil types and rootstock. After cutting his teeth on Pinot Noir in 1999 with fruit from Keefer Ranch, in the Green Valley sub-appellation of the Russian River Valley, Ehren seized the opportunity in 2001 to produce Pinot from Oregon's Willamette Valley, courtesy of the Goldschmidt Vineyard. Though we were thrilled with the results, the complex logistics of living in California but overseeing and transporting fruit from Oregon proved overwhelming and forced us to accept defeat while celebrating a successful vintage.
Turning his attention back to the Golden State for inspiration, Ehren spent several years ferreting out enough unique, cool-climate Pinot Noir sources to galvanize his urge to tinker for years to come. Our portfolio currently includes Pinots from the Hirsch Vineyard on the Sonoma Coast (added in 2001) as well as our original Keefer Ranch. The 2005 vintage heralds the arrival of Pinots from Occidental Ridge on the Sonoma Coast, and Rancho Santa Rosa in the Santa Rita Hills north of Santa Barbara. 2006 welcomes Appian Way Pinot Noir from the Russian River Valley, as well as Peay Vineyards and Estate Pinot from the Sonoma Coast.
Speaking of our Estate vineyards, in 1998 we bought another parcel contiguous to our first, and in 2002 planted it with five acres of rootstock before grafting six selections of long-coveted Pinot Noir scion material the following year. Ehren's viticultural training in France has infused his farming and winemaking choices so that our ten acres of estate vineyards today produce Rhône-style Syrah, Chablis-like Chardonnay and Burgundian Pinot Noir.
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