Owned by husband and wife team Sandy and Erin Robertson, Dogwood & Thistle Wine Company started as a passion project that allows us to work with small, family-owned vineyards to make wines that we love to drink and that we dream of sharing.
With Sandy having the winemaking expertise, having honed his craft for fifteen years, and Erin being a seasoned wine sales and marketing pro, Dogwood & Thistle melds what we have both learned in our wine industry careers and allows us to put our own spin on everything we do.
Dogwood & Thistle officially started in September, 2017 when we were living in Napa Valley and Sandy phoned Erin one day during harvest and said, “I’ve got a lead on one ton of spectacular Pinot Noir, and I think we should take it.”
From the second any visitor sets foot on the Testa vineyard, they know they are in a very special place. The Testa family has been farming this land in Comptche, California since 1912, and established their own winery in 2010. The business is currently run by the 4th 5th and 6th generations of the family, and is located right on 101 in Mendocino. They also grow Cabernet Sauvignon, Petite Sirah, Zinfandel, Barbera, Grenache and Charbono. The old vines are bush-style with thick trunks and shady canopies, and sit in dusty soil that is perfect for cultivating these grapes.
The wine opens with a perfumed nose of hedgerow fruits and definite notes of plum, earth, and cigar box. There is a medium body with bright, jammy fruit when the wine enters your mouth which unfolds into a nice weight on the palate, leading into darker, plummy fruit notes. There is a fresh, mouthwatering, zippy finish that leaves you wanting more.
