Winemaster Walter Schug’s personal pursuit of making great red wine goes back 35 years to when he was the founding winemaker for Joseph Phelps Vineyards in Napa Valley. In 1983 he left the label and founded Schug Carneros Estate Winery in Sonoma, Calif. Although it’s been 25 years since his departure at Phelps, his devotion to the Pinot Noirs, Cabernets, and Merlots that he created on Bordeaux varietals remains strong.

Founded in 1980, Schug Carneros Estate Winery is the showcase and life-long dream of one of California’s most celebrated winemakers. Walter Schug’s reputation blossomed during his tenure as Founding Winemaker for Joseph Phelps Vineyards in the 1970s, where he made California’s first proprietary Bordeaux-Style blend (Insignia) and legendary vineyard designated Cabernets (Bacchus and Eisele Vineyards).

The perfection of a well-placed vine
The winery’s location attributes to its wines’ rich flavors. Situated on a 50-acre site in the Carneros Appellation, south-west of the town of Sonoma, the vineyard’s of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay surround the winery, while other grapes are bought in from highly respected and experienced growers.

The Carneros District lies at the south end of both the Napa and Sonoma Valleys. An area of low hills and flatlands, the region is profoundly affected by cool marine air from the bay and Pacific Ocean. During the summer, a ceiling of fog hovers over the Carneros vineyards in the morning, burning off as the day goes on. Specifically on the Schug Estate, the fog is replaced at midday by summertime winds that come rushing through what is known as the Petaluma Gap, a break between two mountains which creates a kind of wind-tunnel across the vineyards. The wind stress causes the skin of the grapes to thicken, particularly the higher Pinot Noir plantings, a characteristic that adds pepper and spice nuances to the wine.

On an ecological level, the Schug team is very concerned with finding the most environmentally friendly and efficient way of growing the grapes. Cover crop is an important part of the yearly cycle. In Spring, carpets of mustard flowers, California poppies and wild grasses cover the ground between the vines. Not only does this transform the vineyards into a colorful patchwork, but the benefits also include prevention of soil erosion, nitrogen addition, soil structure improvement, weed suppression and creating a habitat for beneficial insects. In addition, it reduces the vineyard work load, fuel use, and the necessity for pesticides.

Sustainable winegrowing practices at Schug also extend to creating habitats for varying species of birds, particularly raptors and owls, which provide direct pest control to the vineyard. There are a variety of nesting boxes set up to encourage these larger birds that control the numbers of starlings, rodents and rabbits. Other nesting boxes are in place for the small birds that eat harmful insects on the vines.

Schug’s family approach
Drawing on his long experience in the production of fine wines in both Europe and California, Walter set up his own winery with his wife Gertrud in 1989 in the cool, marine climate of the Carneros Appellation. Here he could focus on the Pinot Noir and Chardonnay varietals that had always been close to his heart.

Today, each one of Walter and Gertrud’s three children has also helped out the winery at some point. Andrea used her experience as bank CPA to provide financial advice during the early years of operation; Claudia moved to Germany and set up Schuetz Weinimport where she brings in Schug wines and distributes them throughout Europe. After an initial career working for Hyatt Hotels, Axel Schug joined the winery at age 25 and took over the sales side of the business. Now the sales and marketing director, he is based in the Carneros offices, but regularly travels across the country to promote the family brand. Axel’s wife, Kristine Schug, is a chef who has worked at Domaine Carneros and at restaurants in Sonoma and Napa, before becoming the Winery Chef at Schug. She caters for special events and dinners at the winery, contributes to the newsletter and has created over one hundred recipes to pair with Schug wines.

In 1995 Sonoma-born winemaker Michael Cox came on board at Schug. Trained in Enology at UC Davis, Mike worked in several Californian wineries before he was lured from Napa Valley to Carneros, Sonoma, to work with Walter Schug as his assistant winemaker. One year later he was promoted to Winemaker and placed in charge of the day-to-day winemaking duties, where he remains today.

Both Schug and Cox have always been strong believers that the quality of the grapes on the vine is the key to making good wine. Outside of the estate, grapes are bought from growers with whom the winery has long-term contracts, thereby ensuring Schug’s control over quality and supply. Cox likes to work closely with growers and prefers small production vineyards that contribute unique qualities of clonal and soil varieties to his blends.

Together, Schug and Cox combine old-world understanding and tradition with modern winemaking techniques. The winery’s current releases include sparkling wine, Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Merlot, and Cabernet Sauvignon. By using only the finest grapes available, and maintaining the best winemaking values, these wines have gained acceptance worldwide as true contemporary classics.

Stop in Off the Vine today to see our selection of Schug wines.