We started Drive as a home winemaking project in a vintage auto garage in Sonoma County, California. Through years of work in the vineyard, winery, and classroom; a hobby turned into a passion. We are humbled to take part in this journey with you.
Drive Wines was started by John Musto and Tom Young. Hobby winemakers who honed their craft in the vineyards, wineries, and classrooms of Sonoma County. Inspired by their surroundings, they've set out to craft single vineyard wines through passion and grit...
John Musto and Tom Young meet at Santa Rosa Junior College studying Viticulture and Enology. A mutual interest in winemaking drives them to buy a few hundred pounds of grapes for homewinemaking. John & Tom strike a deal with Peter Lewis, exchanging vineyard upkeep for the harvested grapes and production space at Triple Oak Vineyard in Fulton, CA.
Their new "winery", a vintage auto racing garage becomes a major source of inspiration and Drive Wines is born.Expanding their hobby into a business, Drive Wines harvests a small amount of Zinfandel from Puccioni Ranch in Dry Creek Valley. Drive Wines are crafted with the help of winemakers Chris Russi and Jackie van Sant Downes. Drive Wines expands, adding a Rosé of Zinfandel from Comstock Vineyard to their portfolio.
Chef Marc-Henri JEAN-BAPTISTE’s fine handmade pâtés, rillettes, ham and head cheese are hand crafted for all clients that want to find authentic European tasting products. Fully-cooked, ready to enjoy!
Every product is crafted using traditional European techniques and use only high-quality local meats. We as a company believed in using only products where we can derive the source and the manner in which it is grown. The respect of the product during fabrication is primordial.
Hand-made artisanal products, working with local farmers to source the best quality of meats, that are raised in a sustainable manner.
Animals raised without antibiotics or hormones. Great for charcuterie boards and wine pairings.
My passion for working with meat, and especially charcuterie, was born while working at Blackberry Farm in Walland, Tennessee. Tutelage there with Michael SULLIVAN taught me how to transform and sublimate pork products. This sparked a desire to produce artisanal charcuterie that has never left me.
I continued my training in haut cuisine kitchens with Daniel BOULUD in New York before crossing the Atlantic to join the crew of chef Alain DUCASSE in his most famous restaurant, Louis XV in Monaco. While holding on to my goal of creating my own charcuterie, I trained myself in all culinary positions in order to gain a fundamental understanding of the basics of cookery. My time there allowed to me to work with high quality seasonal ingredients to create refined Mediterranean cuisine for our clients.
It was with Gilles VEROT, in Paris, that I was finally able to master the subtleties of the production of charcuterie. As sous chef, I acquired the techniques to master this fine art of meat processing. My quest to learn more brought me to work in a high end butcher shop, Dierendonk in Belgium. While there I worked with his team to familiarize myself with the cutting of whole pigs, beef and lamb.
Idlewild has a relatively concise aim within a broad context: to produce wines of exceptional balance and beauty. It is a journey to pursue Italy’s Piedmont in the elevated hills of Mendocino County, and to find the sides of these varieties that are intriguing, delicious, and haunting.
Each wine is unique and treated as such, though the common thread is balancing depth and seriousness with vibrancy and joy. Emphasis is on the vineyard followed by minimalist winemaking techniques. While not dogmatic in practice, an honest and sustainable approach is fundamental in making wines of purity.
Idlewild has a few homes: a lonely rolling ridge line in Yorkville Highlands, a strip of bench-land in Mendocino county, a funky warehouse turned simple winery, and a Salumi & Wine Bar just off the plaza in Healdsburg, CA.
Wild Ruth Ranch sits in the elevated hills of the Yorkville Highlands in southwest Mendocino. The schist veined sandstone is planted to 15 year old Arneis, Cortese, Dolcetto, Barbera, and Nebbiolo.
Located in Central Mendocino County, Fox Hill Vineyard is managed by Wild Ruth. The rocky elevated slopes are planted to 20-30 year old Arneis, Cortese, Dolcetto, Barbera, and Nebbiolo.
Between Geyserville and Healdsburg sits our cooperative winery (Idlewild, Leo Steen, Ryme Cellars, & Ruth Lewandowski). The focus is on traditional equipment and the joy of sharing and working with friends.
Off the plaza in Healdsburg, you’ll find our Idlewild outpost. Schedule a tasting to learn more about our wines, or stop in for a glass and a plate of salumi: Make a Reservation
All of Jeff’s wines share a theme of fresh fruit reflective of the varietal flavors inherent in the grapes. Jeff selects grapes from vineyards that provide rich full flavors without loads of astringent tannins.
Personally, Jeff prefers his wines to have zest and vibrant flavors. “Once I release a new vintage I rarely return to the previous year’s wine. My father likes that; it means more of the older wines for him.”
Jeff produces wines from grapes grown throughout California. At last count he was planning to crush over twenty different varieties from nine different appellations for the 2013 vintage. Most of these wines are produced in very small limited quantities. However, there are four principle wines that the winery strives to have available throughout the year and they are: Petite Sirah, Zinfandel, Barbera, and Petit Verdot.
Jeff started his adventure in the wine industry in 1977 when he interned with Seagrams at their Paul Masson Sherry Cellars in Madera while studying enology at UC Davis. Upon graduating in 1980, he worked in the cellar at Montevina in Amador County’s Shenandoah Valley and was promoted to winemaker in 1982. After a three year stint at the Napa Valley Cooperative Winery from 1987 through 1990, Jeff became the winemaker for the J. Lohr winery in San Jose. It was during his tenure at J. Lohr that it became clear that he was going to have to make wine for himself.
In 1995 Jeff crushed ten tons of zinfandel from the Massoni Ranch in Amador’s Shenandoah Valley and on April First 1997 he released 700 cases of that Zinfandel under his own label. In 1996 and 1997 Jeff made his wine at the Sycamore Creek Winery in Morgan Hill and then from 1998 through the 2010 vintage at the McManis Family Vineyard Winery in Ripon. In 2006 he finally returned to Amador County having purchased a small five acre walnut orchard on Shenandoah Road. In the spring of 2008 Jeff and Margie opened their tasting room. Production facilities followed and Jeff was able to crush the majority of their production in Amador in 2011.
Since way back in 1989, winemaker Rick Moshin has been producing natural, terroir-driven, and delicious wines in the Russian River Valley. He sustainably farms his own prized Goldridge-soil Pinot Noir vineyards, and using the natural yeasts of his grapes — plus the help of a dedicated winemaking team — he gently makes small-lot, premium wines in our gravity-flow winery on Sonoma County’s famed Westside Road.
Celebrating our 30th anniversary in 2019, we're still family-owned and -operated, and our focus remains on hand-crafting some of the highest-quality wines in the Russian River Valley AVA. In addition to several styles of Pinot Noir, we make Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Zinfandel, Merlot, dessert wines, traditional-method sparkling wine, and a crowd-pleasing, award-winning Rosé of Pinot Noir.
Come visit our winery and vineyards, where you’re sure to be delighted by our gorgeous swath of California wine country, our friendly, knowledgeable staff,— and our beautiful wines, created purely for your enjoyment!
In the late 1970s, while teaching math at San Jose State University and working a side hustle at a home-brewing supply store, Rick was encouraged to try his hand at winemaking—and fell deeply, madly in love. His hunger for grapes soon inspired him to become a grape broker, earning access to extra fruit while forging relationships with vineyard owners throughout Northern California. This gig allowed him to be in the right place when a certain Pinot Noir vineyard—the first acreage in our estate—went up for sale in 1989.
A self-taught farmer who (along with friends and family) built our gravity-flow winery by hand, Rick enjoys experimenting with different varietals and winemaking methods. His heart will always belong to Pinot Noir, but as a passionate viticulturist and vintner, he remains ever-curious about the whole world of wine.
Kevin Evans is President of WEB Media Group, a niche media company specializing in the relocation / newcomer and lifestyle market. Currently, WEB Media Group produces 17 titles and 11 websites across 6 states, with three new branches in 2017. In 2002 he started with a single employee, single market concept that has grown to a national company employing 20 people.
Evans caught the publishing bug early in college, he served as Editor-in-Chief of his college newspaper, then worked for Auto Trader, traveling the country fixing problem publications and establishing new markets. After leaving Auto Trader, he served as Vice-President of New Business Development with the Los Angeles Times before moving to Austin and launching the Austin Relocation Guide. He has over 30 years of publishing experience.
The newest venture for Evans has been the Napa Valley Life Magazine. Kevin began managing the magazine and website two years ago and today is the President of Napa Valley Life Magazine.
For over 17 years, Napa Valley Life has been the premier lifestyle magazine dedicated to living and visiting the Napa Valley. We are dedicated in providing locals and visitors a magazine that captures the essence of living in the Napa Valley.
Published six times a year, Napa Valley Life defines and celebrates this special place we call home through sophisticated and informative feature and department articles solely dedicated on the Napa Valley. Within in each issue, we cover the Napa Valley lifestyle; from food and wine; homes and decor, entertaining, dining, gardening, health, events, insider information and destination guide information including a detailed winery map as well as local town maps.
The Napa Valley is noted as one of the most beautiful regions of California, rich in heritage and tradition. Known for its world-renowned fine wines, epicurean experiences, luxurious accommodations and breath taking vistas, the Valley shines as a premiere destination to live the good life. Napa Valley offers a variety of entertainment including fine art, theater, music and outdoor activities. Stay abreast and let NVL be your comprehensive guide to Napa Valley Events and things to do as well as learn about the people behind what makes this community so amazing.