Battaglini Winery & Vineyard

The Olivet Road section of Santa Rosa has become one of my favorite areas for wine tasting. There is so much diversity in a small strip of road. One could blink and miss a winery sign subtly marking a driveway. Such is the case with Battaglini Estate Winery. There amongst the houses and barns is a tasting room.
I was first introduced to Battaglini Estate Winery in February while attending Wine Road’s barrel tasting event. This appointment only winery opened up the nearby wine production facilities to better accommodate the crowds of people that participate every year. I did not have the pleasure of meeting Giuseppe Battaglini, the owner and winemaker, that visit but I fell in love with his Zinfandel and later returned to share that love with some friends. We were greeted by Joe, as his friends refer to him, and promptly taken to the vineyards for a tour and history lesson.
Battaglini’s historical vines date back to 1885 when Bartholomew Lagomarsino first planted Zinfandel and Petite Sirah however Joe did not make his first wine until 1994. Battaglini produces Zinfandel, Petite Sirah, Rosato, and Chardonnay. All are high quality, low production wines.
I came home with a handful of bottles including the 2002 Reserve Chardonnay, a smooth and creamy wine with an apricot flavor. And we saved the 2003 Proprietor’s Reserve Zinfandel for our anniversary. It is a jammy Zin with hints of pepper and it won Double Gold at the San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition, Gold at the 2005 Sonoma County Harvest Fair, Bronze at the 2005 California State Fair, Double Gold at the 2005 Pittsburg Seafood Festival.

Really cool family owned winery– the owner, Joe, did our tasting. He was a really sweet man who obviously took a lot of pride in his wine. We had to call him twice earlier in the day to change our appointment time and he was very accommodating and didn’t make us feel bad at all. This is a must-​stop for anyone in the area!

Joe really knew his stuff. The family has a tradition of wine production for generations. This is a great place to learn about wine from a pro and enjoy high quality wine that you will not find in stores.

Amazing Zinfandels. The owners are great to talk to. Italians from Lucca and very nice. A must stop.

This weekend, I finally took the wife up to Sonoma for a much-​needed long weekend, and introduced her to Battaglini. I’ve been coming here since my son turned 21, almost ten years ago. We’ve made it a tradition — a «guys’ weekend» that we’ve observed almost every year. We thoroughly enjoy the relaxed atmosphere and the craft that is evident in the wines that Joe pours. I almost never leave without three or four bottles (I especially like his Chardonnays and Zins). Needless to say, when we come back up in April, my son and I will again make a stop at Battaglini.

Charming property where it’s most likely a family member will host you to taste by appointment. I got to try a few of the wines at a tasting in Vegas before moving up to the area and found them to be distinctive with a real sense of place. Upon tasting with Joe, I was shocked at the youthful vibrance of the wines. We tasted chardonnays with ten years on them and they were delicious and still fresh. Same with the zinfandels. That is a sign of solid winemaking from quality fruit. Definitely a must-​visit if in the area but an appointment is needed.

Such a nice visit. Winemaker, Joe Battaglini, was our host. Though we stopped by shortly before closing, he was charming and didn’t make us feel we were imposing. We liked that he poured «older» wines that showed the benefit of age. I’m a white wine drinker and enjoyed the Chardonnays AND the reds as well. This winery had the charm of a small, family business versus the impersonal feel of a conglomerate. We would definitely return.

If it weren’t for a motorcyclist riding my bumper I wouldn’t have pulled over and noticed Battaglini. The owner immediately welcomed us into the tiny tasting room and began unraveling some of the history behind the wine and of his Italian roots. As the 2003 Chardonnay is heavy on the oak, it was inevitable that I took home at least two bottles. Also, although it was out of my ordinary price bracket, I couldn’t leave without the 2009 Proprietor’s Reserve. Before departing he signed our bottles with a flourish and a hearty grin.

We pulled in here on a Sunday afternoon. Mr Battaglini was walking out of the house when we pulled up to open up the little wine bar filled with awards and fantastic wines.
It felt like a trip to Italy just talking to the man.
We walked away with a couple cases of the zin and surprisingly the chardonnay. I would definitely recommend.

The friendly vinter was in his yard when we drove up. He invited us right into the tasting room and I was thrilled with the Syrah and the Zinfandel. In fact, I was so thrilled I splurged on a $ 40+ bottle of his 2009 Special Zin (the one with the picture of his Dad on it).

You taste the wine when it is poured by a guy born in Italy! Lots of character, the zin with his dad on the bottle is awesome!

Battaglini is like a trip to Italy. A charming Italian couple makes this place a trip across the pond to the couple’s original home in Italy.

Really nice place — quiet, serene, beautiful scenery. The owner, Mr. Battaglini, greeted us when we arrived and served us wine tastings himself and he was super nice. I love personal service and great wine knowledge to go with it! We tried at least 8 different wines (I don’t remember exactly) and I think he said that the tastings normally cost about $ 10 but is complimentary with the purchase of a bottle of wine. We bought 2. :)

What an incredibly cool place. We arrived on late on a Sunday, about 30 minutes before they were set to close. The owner, Joe, greeted us warmly and when we asked about food, pointed out several places where we could get something to eat; he invited us to come back, which we did, and he gave us a quick tasting, chatted with us about wine and Italy, then opened up a bottle of wine for us and let us sit and have a picnic well after he was supposed to have closed up.
The wine was fantastic (bought two bottles to take home) but it’s the setting and Joe that makes this place special. Bring some food, buy some wine and have fun.

What I like about this winery is that it has a ma and pa feeling when you go into the tasting room. I called to make an appointment for a tasting. When I got to the parking lot owner and vintner Joe Battaglini greets me with a wine glass and walked me to his shack where his wines are kept. Joe makes his wines the old Italian way where his award winning wines from whites to reds are meant to age for 10 – 15 years. I had a Chardonnay that was vintage 2001 along with Zinfandel vintage 2002 that both tasted great. Left with a few bottles of Zin. I will definitely be back with my friends and family next time.

As a primer to my review, Battaglini stands out as one of the most memorable wine tasting experiences I have had.
I stopped by Battaglini during a Russian River Valley wine adventure on a whim and am glad I did. It was one of my last stops during the wine tasting day and was the most memorable. Driving up to the winery (after finding it after several u-​turns), it looked closed. My car was the only one in the parking area and I thought that I had pulled into someone’s house on accident. After double checking the address I realized I was in the right spot. As I opened my car door, a gentleman, who I later discovered was Joe Battaglini, walked out of his house, down his porch and said with a warm smile on his face,“Hi. Are you here for wine tasting?”
So I followed him to the tasting room, which was a barn with a padlock on the door, and went to taste some very wonderful Italian style wines. Joe was very friendly and poured a lot of different vintages. The highlight was a 1999 Reserve Zinfandel that Joe decided to let me try. I fell in drunk love and bought a bottle right then and there. 10 mins later (after waiting for his computer to boot up and like 10 more tastings), I walked out of the barn into bright sunlight a happy, and slightly buzzed, boy.

I love the tiny wood sign as your driving along Piner. As William said… Don’t blink or you will miss it. There is a sign to knock on their door, which really brings to the fact its a small winery.
Joe Battaglini is from Lucca Italy and ended up in Russian River Valley. He grows old vine Zinfandel and ages his wine in barrels for extended aging. All the wines we tried were 1999 to 2003. Its amazing to try these wines… he really brings a different style to Zinfandel.
You taste in his shack and Joe is friendly. He has a lot of great stories. Defiantly worth a visit!

Words escape me as I try to explain why exactly this is the little tasting shed after my own heart.
In the end, I really loved the wine. I was sold on the ’99 Zin the moment I tasted it, and not 24 hours later was digging into the bottle (and yes there was a significant amount of sexy sediment).
Come for a truly personal, quirky experience. Not to be missed if you are in Santa Rosa!

Casual and homey, this is a no frills tasting room which is basically a small storage-​like barn in the owner’s backyard. As apparent by the family name, he makes Italian style wines. I thought the wines were just ok but not memorable. After having tried so many different varietals I’ve realized that I just don’t appreciate Italian wines much. Maybe just my palate but they don’t seem to have much complexity to it or memorable characteristics. They all generally taste like basic table wine. That said there was one from the tasting that stood out and we ended up purchasing and he signs the bottles too which is cool.
Purchased Wine = The Proprietor Reserve 03 Zin.

Phenomenal! The folks at Harvest Moon sent us here after learning how much we love our zinfandel and thank goodness they did! We had a great time chatting with the owner about Italy and wine. Joined their wine club and very seriously considering the trip to Italia with them! Absolutely amazing wine for such a reasonable price. Beautiful, modest grounds and a lovely, cozy tasting room.
So glad I have an excuse to go back six times per year! wooHOO!