Cream of the Crop: Journeyman Wines

Kowalski's is proud to introduce a limited-edition 2022 Journeyman Chardonnay, barreled, blended and bottled exclusively for Kowalski's by legendary Sonoma County winemaker Peter Seghesio.

Peter Seghesio's family winemaking history dates back to the 1890s on both his mother's and father's side. His paternal grandfather, Edoardo Seghesio, planted his first Zinfandel vineyard in California's Alexander Valley in 1896. This began a century of grape growing and winemaking at the Seghesio Family Vineyard & Winery, which Peter directed from 1993 until 2011 when it was passed on to the Crimson Wine Group.

Peter's maternal great-grandfather, Francesco Passalacqua, came to America from Italy in 1865, working as a cook in the gold fields during the California gold rush. In 1896, he took his earnings and bought land in southern Alexander Valley for 10 gold coins. This 140-acre property bordered the Russian River on the north side of Fitch Mountain and was originally part of Rancho Sotoyome, a land grant given to Captain Henry Fitch as part of a marriage dowery by Governor Vallejo in 1841. This historic property (pictured at right) was continuously farmed by the Passalacqua family since 1896. It was named San Lorenzo, after Francesco's Italian birthplace. As part of the Mayacamas Mountain Range, its well-drained volcanic and clay loam-based soils are ideally suited for growing grapes.

Today, most of the grapes grown at San Lorenzo are sold to other wineries, such as Silver Oak, Aperture, Sonoma-Cutrer, Ridge and Seghesio Family Vineyards. Peter and his wife of 30 years keep just the cream of the crop from their old-vine and hillside lots to make small-production wines under the Journeyman and San Lorenzo labels. San Lorenzo is produced from 100% estate-grown grapes, while Journeyman includes fruit sourced from the Martinelli family just down the road. Only 1,500 cases of these proprietary wines are produced each year from their state-of-the-art winery located on the estate. All are sold out of their tasting room at their old-world butcher shop in Healdsburg, via their mailing list or directly to private buyers such as Kowalski's.

Look for 2022 Journeyman Chardonnay and 2023 Journeyman Rosé in our Wine & Spirits shops now. Special bottlings of 2022 Journeyman Pinot Noir and 2022 San Lorenzo Rock Garden Zinfandel will also be arriving this fall.

Also look for Peter Seghesio's handcrafted salumi, sold under the Kowalski's Signature Salami label in the Specialty Cheese Department. They are slow-cured and made in small batches with heritage-breed pork and top-quality ingredients. Try all four varieties, brought together by time-honored Italian family recipes:

• Sonoma Bianco (Chardonnay, rosemary and sage)
• Sonoma Rosso (Pinot Noir and juniper)
• Parmigiano & Porcini (Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese and porcini mushrooms)
• Finocchiona (Chardonnay and fennel)
• Calabrian (Zinfandel and Calabrian chiles)

 Look for them in the Specialty Cheese Department. Selection and availability vary by market.