Once part of the Nicholas Carriger Estate (Nicholas Carriger was a good friend of General Vallejo and an early settler of Sonoma County after striking it rich in the Gold Rush), Saitone Ranch is the oldest of the old-vine vineyards remaining in the Piner-Olivet area. Still owned by the Saitone family today, we know from records that vines were in the ground and growing as early as 1895. Several blocks of Carignane, Zinfandel, Alicante Bouschet, and Chasselas Doré comprise the bulk of the remaining 17 acres of largely dry-farmed old vines. Interplanted Muscadelle, French Colombard, Muscat of Hamburg, Aramon, Petit Bouschet, Criolla Mediana, and Grand Noir also make an appearance. Like Papera Ranch just down the road, picking is generally quite late for this vineyard, often towards the end of October.
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Saitone Ranch, which lies next to Papera Ranch in the Piner-Olivet area of the Russian River Valley, was planted in 1896. As one would expect it has a smidge of Petite Sirah, Alicante, and other mixed-blacks in it. Perhaps due to vine age and perhaps due to farming the Saitone is a step up in breadth and intensity from neighboring Papera.
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N.B. The Piner-Olivet area of Sonoma County is roughly defined by the intersection of Piner and Olivet Roads.

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