Pop's Red Blend 2023, Pop's Wine Co

Pop's 2023 Red Blend gathers certified-organic, hand-picked mountain fruit from Sonoma County, with Zinfandel, Petite Sirah and Carignan joined by a splash of Viognier and a few supporting varieties. That broad cast is intentional: it recalls the mixed vineyards and practical field blends that shaped California wine before varietal labels became the rule. Winemaker Woody Hambrecht relies on native yeast and a minimal-intervention approach to keep the wine bright and fresh; it is also vegan. Brambly raspberry and blackberry lead into fresh fig, orange peel and restrained baking spice, with enough acidity to keep the generous fruit moving. This is not a brooding, high-octane red blend; it is juicy, food-friendly and happy with a modest chill. Pour it with smash burgers, pepperoni pizza, grilled sausages, barbecue chicken, meatballs or roasted eggplant.

About the Winery

Pop's Wine Co. is the collaboration of third-generation California winemaker Woody Hambrecht and wine-industry veteran Josh Lavis. The name honors Woody's grandfather, who planted vineyards throughout Sonoma County in the 1970s. Woody trained with Gary Farrell and Shane Finley at Kistler before taking on vineyard work of his own, and he has managed Grist Vineyard for more than a decade. The project turns that family history toward wines that feel contemporary: organically farmed, minimally handled and built for the table rather than the trophy case.

Grist Vineyard sits within Wine Creek Ranch, about five miles northwest of Healdsburg and roughly 1,000 feet up Bradford Mountain in the Dry Creek Valley AVA. The 200-acre ranch includes about 70 acres of vines, planted primarily to Zinfandel and Syrah with smaller blocks of Petite Sirah, Sauvignon Blanc and Viognier. Shallow, iron-rich red clay and volcanic soils provide drainage, while organic compost and diverse cover crops support soil life, beneficial insects and erosion control. Hambrecht uses native fermentations and a light cellar touch to translate that farming into bright, new-school versions of California heritage wines.