We’re used to hearing about vineyard pests like insects, sometimes even wild boar. But between the vines at Robert Sinskey Vineyard’s Carneros site in California trot bobcats and mountain lions. And Robert has a novel nature-based solution to deter the lions from taking his sheep, in the shape of a pair of central Asian shepherd dogs.
As with everything that Robert Sinskey does, the solution is always to work with nature to achieve balance, rather than to reach for a quick fix which will only create other problems further down the line. As he says, such apex predators are a sign of a healthy ecosystem.
“We’ve always been contrarians” Robert and Maria Sinskey, London, April, 2025
It would be so easy for a vintner with vines in Napa Valley (Carneros is an oddity of an AVA, straddling both Napa and Sonoma) to plant Cabernet Sauvignon, sit back and watch the dollars roll in. But this is not the mentality for husband-and-wife Robert and Maria Sinskey, who have ploughed what must have been a lonely furrow at times for the past 35 years and more.
Organic since the early days of the vineyard, they persist in growing the varieties that they feel suit their terroir, including Riesling, Gewurztraminer, Pinots Gris and Blanc. They think that Cabernet Franc does particularly well on what Robert calls Napa’s “right bank”.
“We’ve always been contrarians” he says. But he feels there is a recognition now, even amongst Napa growers, that Cabernet Sauvignon has been planted in areas where it really shouldn’t be, “but because it’s such a high prestige grape and commands the highest prices, they feel compelled to plant it.”
Robert and Maria are most definitely walking the talk. Three years ago, they sold their winery and bought what they call their wilding farm, also in Carneros. They still have their vines, but in addition have sheep, goats, llamas, oxen, quail and plenty of forest to look after. Maria, a trained chef, runs butchery and cheesemaking courses. It probably won’t surprise you to know that Robert also makes cider from the farm’s apple orchard.
The longer-term goal is to increase the amount of livestock and to use the farm’s widening range of produce to stock a food-and-wine-matching-focused tasting room.
Tasting a selection of Robert’s wines, his commitment to originality (you could say charming stubbornness) interlaced with Maria’s culinary insights, shines through.
Abraxas 2019
Named after an Egyptian Gnostic god, who embodies the notions of both good and evil in a single entity, this “vin de terroir” is a blend of Riesling, Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris and Gewurztraminer. The idea is to take the good and the bad of each variety and to create something with character. From a single vineyard, the varieties are planted side by side in blocks, but not co-fermented. The nose on this vintage (the exact blend changes each year) is all Riesling, but the palate has body, zippy lime acidity with a touch of pithy bitterness and a definite saline tang. Eminently food friendly it is, says Maria, a “shape shifter with food.”
ORGIA 2019
This is a 100% Pinot Gris orange or “ramato” style of wine. It’s also the current release – Robert acknowledges that if he wants people to experience his wines with some age, he has to do some of the ageing for them.
I sense a little ambivalence about the world of orange wines from Robert’s comments about wanting to capture the texture, but not to lose the aromatics and to produce something that is well-crafted and not just something funky and kombucha-like. After years of experimenting, he has alighted on a wine where 50% of the blend spends two weeks on the skins and the rest is whole cluster pressed.
Aromas of tangerine and stone fruit give way to a palate that is, yes, textured, with savoury and grapefruit citrus flavours providing highlights.
Pinot Noir 2018
There are as many as six different Pinot Noir cuvées under the Robert Sinskey Vineyards label, but not all are made every year. Robert also acknowledges that it is getting harder to grow this cooler climate variety in Carneros – luckily they have propagated stocks from heirloom clones (such as Martini) which he believes ripen later and hold onto their acidity more successfully than French clones.
He is also experimenting with semi-carbonic maceration to capture the brightness of the fruit. It will come as no surprise that they are tending to move away from French oak, towards something more sustainable and local – including amphorae.
The wine is harmonious, perfumed and silky, with flavours of rose petal black tea and spiced red cherry.
Cabernet Franc 2018
From the Vandal vineyard near the northern boundary of the Los Carneros AVA, in the foothills of Mount Veeder comes this Cabernet Franc which is, says Robert, “one of most exciting varieties in Carneros.”
The site’s red, volcanic soils are good for Cabernet Franc and Merlot, facilitating long hang time without over-ripeness, which would result in high alcohol levels. They are able to do nearly 100% native yeast ferments for their wines.
The wine itself is not at all over-ripe, but finely textured and structured. There is finely defined red fruit and some green bell pepper, leading to a dry, elegant finish.
Stag’s Leap District 2017
This is the last ever vintage of this Cabernet Sauvignon wine, as fire destroyed the vines just a week after the 2017 harvest. The Sinskeys did embark on a re-planting programme, but in the meantime they had sold the winery and vineyard before any wine was made. So, like looking at starlight in the night sky, this is a peek back in time within the Sinskey universe.
This “old Napa Cab” style wine is remarkably youthful and closed when first poured. It’s an age-worthy style which shows notes of black olive and other savoury elements, alongside lively cassis, noted freshness and fine, velvety tannins and a grainy texture. As with many wines with a long future ahead of them, it needs time in the glass to start expressing itself.
Robert sums up his wines as having “Old World soul, New World precision,” to which I would add that they feel intentional but natural – wines which express not just their place, but the intentions of those who make them.
Robert Sinskey Vineyard wines are available in the UK exclusively via Pol Roger Portfolio.
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