Our Story
Orentano wine is truly about family: past, present and future. In the year of 2000, Ron Buoncristiani acted on intuition and established R. Buoncristiani Vineyard, LLC, seven acres of rolling hills in the esteemed Russian River Valley. The first year was spent researching and planning for its particular microclimate. The following year, six of the seven acres were planted with Pinot Noir, and now picturesque well-groomed rows of vines grow. The clones are a blend of 115 and 777. The yield of the vines is tailored to 3 tons per acre.
In a single bottle of Orentano Pinot Noir a story is told of generational heritage, family and the love of wine making. Attention to detail is in the hand harvested sustainable farming for high quality fruit. This process begins with enriching our soil by planting cover legumes and wild flowers that naturally enhance the soil with essential elements. This fine balance of organic farming that ensures our vines have the proper nutrients is one delicate piece to the intricate process. Two cordons of the grapevine extend from each trunk. The canopy management is done sparingly to allow for appropriate sunlight and ventilation. Our drip system irrigation is based upon the moisture content of the soil and only increased to develop the flavors in the berries to ensure they are precisely on target for harvest. Hang-time of the clusters is dependent upon the minerals and nutrients, which ultimately add flavors to our unique wine. We produce our wine in the traditional Burgundy Style with minimal manipulation. Wine making is truly an art form for our entirely estate fruit, micro-boutique production from our vineyard. The juice is contained in 100% French Oak Barrels for greater than a year and aged in the bottle two years before being released.
Orentano is a hand crafted, full bodied boutique estate, vineyard wine that is distinct and well structured, with a concentration of fruit forward, hints of black cherry and licorice with a slight pepper finish. The aroma of the wine is blackberry and black cherry, and the color is that of deep ruby garnet. The juice is gently and naturally processed, hand punched down three times a day throughout open top fermentation. It is elegant on the palate, yet still has a rich body and great mouth-feel. It is very food-friendly, which will complement nearly every unique pairing.
