VinePair Podcast Taking the Temperature of Sonoma
Mar 5, 2026
Noah Dorrance, winemaker and proprietor of Reeve and BloodRoot and founder of The Ramble festival, is a Next Wave Award recipient known for single-vineyard California Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. He discusses Sonoma’s current industry climate. Short takes cover changes since 2008, why there are too many wineries, shared-services models to help small brands, and how to rekindle interest in wine.
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From Midwestern Wine Fan To CrushPad Launchpad
- Noah Dorrance began in wine at 18 in Springfield, Missouri, then worked at CrushPad in San Francisco which let people make and remotely monitor their own barrels.
- Banshee launched from buying 20 barrels during the 2008 downturn, giving them a low-cost launchpad and rapid growth to commercial success.
How Banshee Grew Fast And Sold
- Noah tells how Banshee started with friends at CrushPad and sold to Foley Family Wines after rapid scaling.
- They scraped funds to buy Pinot barrels in 2008, quit day jobs within a year, and sold labels about a decade later in 2017.
Downturn Lets Some Brands Buy Better Fruit
- Noah observes wine consumption and demographics have shifted downwards over the past decade, pressuring small producers.
- He sees opportunity: lower demand lets smaller brands upgrade fruit sources and raise quality at accessible price points like Bloodroot.