The winery is located in the town of Sonoma in California's
Sonoma County (
North Coast region). It was founded in 1976, when microbiologist Joel Peterson began to produce wines on a small scale. He was particularly interested in the viticulture methods of the French Burgundy and Bordeaux. Peterson experimented with
spontaneous fermentation, long storage on the mash and ageing in French barriques, which is still the basis of many wines today. He preferred the variety
Zinfandel, which is very popular in California. The harvest of the first wine from Zinfandel took place in the 200th year of US independence during a thunderstorm with raven cries, which resulted in the name and the significant logo with three ravens as a ring on the bottle label. Today the winery is owned by the US-multis
Constellation Brands (Centerra Wine Company), Joel Peterson holds the position of Senior Vice President.
It mainly produces red wines from the varieties Cabernet Sauvignon, Carignan (Mazuelo), Barbera, Petite Sirah (Durif), Malbec (Cot), Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, Merlot, Shiraz and Zinfandel. Among the few white wine varieties are Chardonnay and Moscato (Muscat Blanc). The grapes are supplied by over one hundred North California contract winemakers from various AVA areas of Sonoma County such as
Alexander Valley, Dry Creek Valley,
Russian River Valley and Sonoma Valley, but also from other wine regions such as
Lodi,
Mendocino County and
Napa Valley. The winegrowers are advised and supported in the management of the
vineyards, such as
pruning, care and artificial
irrigation, as well as in the grape harvest. The wines are produced in the Icon, Single Vineyards Designates, County Series and Vintners Blend lines.