Wenyon Winery was founded by Arnie and Desiree’ Wenyon; Arnie served in the U.S. Navy from 1981 to 1987 where he studied advanced electronics and earned the rank of Electronics Technician First Class (ET1). His first job out of the Navy was in 1988 in the financial industry where he met his wife Desiree’. He eventually became an ATM Division Vice President before leaving the company he worked for and together with Desiree’ they started ISSi Implementation Solutions, Services Inc., in 2001. ISSi is a nationwide turn-key ATM implementation company, offering a diversity of services around installing, maintaining and securing ATM machines across the U.S.
He and his wife Desiree settled in Orange County and began to nurture a passion for wine. They converted a bomb shelter in their home to a wine cellar and throughout the course of their careers, they would often travel to wine regions around the world. During one such trip to France, they fell in love with Cahors and the Malbecs being produced in that region.
The family would often visit Napa Valley but would drive either Highway 29 or the Silverado Trail. But during one of their trips, they found themselves driving up the middle of the southern part of the valley on Big Ranch Road. They spotted two for sale signs posted along this road. Arnie called the first one he spotted but while it had been on the market only a week, it had already sold. So he called the second listing; it to had just been recently listed and was going to be hosting its first open house. However, the family was attending a wedding in Lake Tahoe the day of the open house, so they Arnie arranged to see the property and its home via facetime with the agent. They liked what they saw and soon made an offer prior to the open house; it was accepted.
As Arnie told us, rather than trying to be one of Napa Valley’s top limited production producers of Cabernet Sauvignon, of which this is already a highly crowded space, they decided to focus on Malbec, the variety they fell in love with in France. The family purchased the property and house in 2018 and planted approximately 3 acres of Malbec a year later. The land was fallow at the time but had previously been planted Chardonnay vines. While researching Malbec in Napa Valley they discovered that only 2% of Napa Valley is planted to this variety. But, of all the sub appellations within Napa Valley, perhaps the Oak Knoll District is best suited for growing the widest diversity of grape varieties. Malbec does very well here, as expressed by its balance and brightness; several other Oak Knoll District neighbors also grow this variety including Fortunati, Frisinger and Trefethen. As its demand and notoriety increases, perhaps more producers in Napa Valley will start to grow and produce wines from Malbec. An article published on September 28, 2022 in Napa Valley Life is titled, Malbec: Napa’s Best Kept Secret.
Garvey Brothers Vineyard Management oversees the vineyard. The first grapes from this vineyard were harvested in 2021, their inaugural vintage. The wines are made by winemaker Eric Lyman at nearby Judd’s Hill. While they use some of their estate grapes for their own wines, they sell more than 50% of their production. AXR was their first winery to buy their grapes.
After the purchase of this property, Arnie told his real estate agent to keep an eye open for other nearby properties that might be coming on the market. In 2023 they purchased another property less than a mile from their home located near the intersection of Big Ranch Road and Salvador Ave. This 5+ acre property had never been planted to grapes; instead, it was home to more than 100 walnut trees. The trees have been removed and in spring of 2025 this site will be planted to Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc.
Their daughter Hannah and son Seth are increasingly involved in all aspects of the growing Wenyon Winery brands expansion.
Select Wines
The 2023 Wenyon Winery Rosé of Malbec is 100% varietal. This wine is medium pink in color; the fruity and diverse bouquet offers aromas of raspberry, watermelon, strawberry, rose petals, hibiscus, orange zest, ruby grapefruit, mint and a minerally/wet rock character. Equally as minerally on the palate, there are flavors of grapefruit, raspberry, watermelon jolly rancher candy, lime and guava. Thoroughly refreshing, this vibrant beauty is perfectly saddled between fruit, acidity and texture. Its mouth feel is almost saline, with a briny and supple texture, gliding across the palate as smoothly as Michelle Kwan skating across the ice. The finish lingers with a tart and tangy character, a mouthwatering attribute that immediatley invites another sip. Drinking this wine made us quickly want to pair it with a variety of seafood. We could go several directions with this, either with raw oysters and a mignonette sauce or Dungeness crab on a spring salad lightly drizzled in olive oil, lemon juice, sea salt and pepper.
The 2022 Wenyon Winery Rosé of Malbec is 100% varietal. This wine is medium copper in color; the delicate bouquet offers aromas of raspberry, wild strawberry, orange peel and dried rose petals. Crisp, and bright across the palate its minerally character is complemented with flavors of kumquat, orange peel zest, lime, pomelo and a lingering note of tarragon. Richly flavored. It is vivacious, refreshing, bright and mouth watering – everything one wants in a well made dry rosé. An integral part of this wine’s character is its fleshy mouth feel – sporting a rounded and supple, but not heavy texture. The quote on the back of this bottle reads, “Each day brings a new opportunity to bloom where you are planted”. The grapes for this wine are always harvested at a lower brix; in the cellar it is fermented and aged in stainless steel vessels and neutral oak barrels.
The 2023 Wenyon Winery Bloom Blanc is 100% varietal Sauvignon Blanc. Pale gold in color; the first aroma we noted, consistent in both vintages we tried was of pineapple. Other scents include orange blossom, star jasmine, mandarin orange, pineapple guava, maracuyá and lime. On the palate there are flavors of grapefruit, pomelo, white nectarine, comise pear, pineapple guava, lime, lemon meringue and a lingering note of mint and lemongrass. The palate offers some lighter herbal characteristics reminding you this is Sauvignon Blanc but is in no way green or grassy. Its bright acidity is balanced nicely by a fleshy and supple texture. This bottling shows a bit more texture than the 2022 vintage. The finish persists with a mouth watering freshness. Crisp. This wine would be the ideal complement with a variety spicy Asian dishes or simply a diversity of sashimi and sushi.
The 2022 Wenyon Winery Bloom Blanc is 100% varietal Sauvignon Blanc. Like the 2023 bottling, the grapes for this wine are from Calistoga. It is medium gold in color; the initial aromas show pineapple, Piña Colada, papaya and light note of lemongrass. This is a crisp and balanced bottling without any overt greenness or grassy characters. On the palate there are flavors of lime, pineapple, green apple, gooseberry and pineapple guava. The lightly rounded mouth feel is complemented with a bright and mouth watering finish. It is perfectly ripe, yet agreeably balanced between wines from this variety which often are green or grassy or those that are overly tropical. The quote provided from the family on the back of this bottle reads, “Inspiration stems from everywhere. You just need to find it and allow it to bloom”.
The 2022 Wenyon Super Bloom Red Wine Blend, Napa Valley is 85% Malbec, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Petit Verdot. This wine is deep ruby; the bouquet is focused on its fruit rather than any overt influence from its time in oak. On the bouquet there are aromas of red plum, blueberry, currant, suede/leather, violets and as it evolves a note of cardamom and nutmeg. On the palate there are flavors of raspberry, red cherry and red plum. We love the texture on this bottling; it is rounded and creamy. The tannins are seamlessly integrated on the finish. This wine is comfortable to drink in its youth. The quote on the back of this bottle reads, “A flower does not think of competing with the flower next to it, It just blooms.” ~ Zen Shin. And the name super bloom refers to a collaboration and a complement of different terroirs and diversity of grapes. A bouquet of grapes from throughout Napa Valley, if you will. And Orange County is not too far from the super blooms when they occur in Southern California.
The 2022 Wenyon Malbec The Radical is 100% varietal Malbec. This wine is deep ruby; the bouquet is immediately floral including dried rose petals and violets with a hint of sage, sweet tobacco spice and dark cocoa powder. On the palate there are flavors of raspberry, red plum, currant and cherry. The tannins are supple and rounded. This is an approachable wine right out of the gate; for reference we tasted it two years post vintage. It features no herbaceous characteristics and is a fully ripe but is not an over ripe expression of the variety. This wine was aged for 22 months in 85% new French oak barrels. “Be unconventional. Be bold. Be radical. Napa Valley, It’s the Wild West …. Audentes fortuna iuvat”. This is another quote from the family and along with the name, ‘the radical’ refers to the artistic expression one has in Napa Valley including being able to plant and grow a diversity of grapes and not being tied to specific blending varieties and viticulture practices. And for reference, the slightly different spelling of radical as, radicle, refers to the first part of a seedling (the embryo) to emerge from the seed following germination.
—-
Wine is an inherently fun beverage when consumed in moderation. The most successful labels are the ones that express this ‘feeling’; they are colorful, catchy, buoyant, easy to identify with and make you feel happy. The labels for the Wenyon wines perfectly express these attributes. With Hannah’s creative guidance, the labels were designed by southern California based art director, designer and illustrator, Carly Jo Reeves.
Total annual production is around 300 cases a year and growing slowly. The wines have primarily been sold to friends and family; their first local retail outlet was at Backroom Wines in the city of Napa. And sometimes they will pour their wines at specific events including tastings hosted by the Oak Knoll District Growers of which Wenyon Winery is a member. For more information, to join their wine club, appropriately called The Radicals, or to purchase wine, visit: www.wenyonwinery.com
Super Blooms, California
Leave a Reply