The Lineage…..

Lineage Estate was a dream started when I was a young boy and my dad and uncle would organize family trips to the Dry Creek and the Russian River Valley. Immersed in family, beautiful countryside, food and world class wine it was a family tradition that made indelible impressions on me. 

As I grew older and started drinking wine on my own I focused my attention to the Russian River and its wonderful and unique Pinot Noir. My fascination and passion for Pinot led to meeting Kirk and Denise Hubbard who owned and operated WesMar winery. They also had a long storied relationship with the area having grown up in the wine industry learning from some of the most famous wineries in the Russian River Valley. 

Over our 20 year relationship I watched as Kirk and Denise built out and started the development of their beautiful 10 acre estate in the middle of some of the most beautiful and scenic areas of the Russian River Valley. With a nice east facing hillside and rich Goldridge soil the property was perfect for planting Pinot Noir. The first two acres of Pinot were planted in 2012 with small lots of Pommard and Martini clone which played against the masculinity and femininity of my favorite grape. 

In 2021, during the depths of the pandemic here in California, Kirk and Denise invited me to their house with news to share that they were selling the winery and their estate and wanted to see if I was interested. My pulse quickened but my wife knew this was a dream of mine and we took the leap. Kirk and Denise lovingly showed me how to make their ubiquitous version of Pinot Noir the last couple of years and it is with a proud look to the future that I took the baton from them to continue to the project they started. Additionally,  to honor my family traditions in the wine industry  my dad, brothers, aunts, uncles, wife and three children are all partners in Lineage Estates. 

My best friend Jason Morganstein is the co winemaker with me and shares the same passion and search for the perfect glass of Pinot Noir as I do.  We have been all over the world tasting, researching, making wine, and experimenting with our palette to bring forth the finest small lot expressions of wine from our property.  We have realized the unique and exciting possibilities of having very small lot production from a single estate similar to the timeless world renowned chateaus of Burgundy.  Our commitment is to stay small, know our customers! and focus on the highest quality farming practices with minimal intervention into the wine making process that shows up in your glass. 

We are planting Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, and three other clonal expressions of Pinot Noir in 2023 with an inaugural release of our Estate Rose of Pinot Noir coming in 2024. 

Looking forward to sharing and developing memories with you over a glass of wine. 

Enjoy and Cheers! 

Tom