talk/winemaker
A Toast to Walnut Creek EXPERT VITICULTURE AND CRAFTMANSHIP FIND BALANCE IN SHADOWBROOK WINES
L 14
BY FRAN MILLER
ong before it was known for its walnut trees, Walnut Creek was known for its grapes. A preeminent growing region in the late 1800’s, grapes thrived in the temperate climate and rich soil prior to Prohibition’s decimation of local farmers’ most profitable industry. “I like to say we were Napa before Napa,” says Shadowbrook Winemaster Tim Jochner. “Walnut Creek’s Mediterranean climate is like the Rutherford region and best-suited for Bordeaux varietals. We produce very fruit-forward wines, with plenty of tannin ➤
walnut creek / fall 2019
