Stewart’s farming background goes back to growing up in Amador County working with prunes, walnuts, and grapes. In the early 1990s, he planted Sangiovese on his parents’ land, later experimenting with Syrah. Then, in 2001—after “catching the Pinot Noir bug”—he began planting what would become his own Northern Marin vineyard: about 8.5 acres, largely Pinot, positioned between Tomales Bay and the San Francisco Bay. He made his early vintages in other facilities starting in 2004, before building out his own modest production space on Treasure Island and bringing winemaking fully under his own roof beginning with the 2013 vintage. The scale stays small by design, because for Kendric, the point isn’t growth—it’s doing the work, carefully, year after year, and letting the vineyard speak without a lot of fuss.
Syrah Petaluma Gap 2023, Kendric Vineyards
- Regular
- $30.00
- Sale
- $30.00
- Regular
- Unit Price
- per
Kendric Vineyards 2023 Petaluma Gap Syrah is the kind of bottle that makes you pause mid-sip and go, “wait… what is that?” On the nose it’s all black berries and fresh-cracked pepper—then suddenly you’re standing inside a salumeria: wood-paneled walls, cool air, and a halo of hanging salami, prosciutto, and sausage funk in the best possible way. On the palate it’s juicy but firmly dry, with lift and snap rather than jam—pure Syrah energy, just dialed in and honest.
One of the reasons it feels so layered: Stewart co-ferments with a little twist, adding the pressed skins from his Sangiovese to the Syrah fermenter for extra depth and nuance. It doesn’t turn the wine into something else—it just builds more shadow, more savor, more “come back for another sip.” If you like Syrah with brightness, structure, and a little cured-meat swagger, this one’s your move.
About the Winery
Kendric Vineyards is exactly the kind of small, vigneron-run operation Doctorbird loves to champion: humble, hands-on, and rooted in real farming. Led by Stewart Johnson—grower, winemaker, and the opposite of “photo-op” participation—Kendric is built around the idea that great wine starts with dirt-under-the-fingernails stewardship. We’ve met Stewart, and he’s the real deal: thoughtful, unflashy, and as invested in caring for the land as he is in what ends up in the glass.
The lineup is intentionally small and personal, drawn from Stewart’s Northern Marin vineyard (right at the Sonoma border) and family-held sites in Amador County’s Shenandoah Valley. Kendric produces several bottlings of Pinot Noir, still and sparkling Rosé, plus Syrah, Chardonnay, and Viognier from the Marin vineyard, alongside a Sangiovese from Stewart’s mother Kathleen Johnson’s vineyard in Shenandoah Valley—land they manage together. That family thread runs through the whole story: the winery is named for Stewart’s late father, Kendric Johnson, both as a tribute and as a kind of ongoing accountability to high standards; and Stewart is quick to credit his wife, Eileen Burke, for the steady support that made the long road from planting to bottle possible.
