Sixteen 600
Sonoma, California, USA
If you ask him, Winery Sixteen 600’s winemaker Phil Coturri might quote a Levon Helm song and describe himself as a “poor old dirt farmer.” However, after over 40 years pioneering organic and biodynamic wine-growing in California, descriptions of him range from “famed organic viticulturalist” by the Hollywood Reporter to “the ubiquitous wizard of sustainable winemaking” by Sonoma Magazine. He was born with the cultural palate of Italian immigrants, weaned on the music and ethos of San Francisco in the 1960s and planted deep into the rocky hillsides of Sonoma Valley.
Sixteen 600 believes that the pursuit of premium wine begins with a vibrant, healthy vineyard ecosystem that allows vines to flourish and grapes to show the individuality of the terroir. In the decades since growing his first organic vineyard, Phil has proven that not only are organic farming practices better for the farmers and the environment, but they also produce better wine. The grapes used for Winery Sixteen 600 are all certified organic or biodynamic. No chemical fertilizers, pesticides or herbicides are ever applied. Dense cover crops and insectuaries promote biodiversity and enrich the rocky soils with vital nutrients. Part of Phil Coturri's success with his wine comes from his lean rocky soil. He does not believe in fertilizing the grapes with any type of bagged fertilizer, even organic ones. He feels it promotes fast growth which makes the plants more susceptible to insects and diseases and compromises the flavors of the wine. Instead of using fertilizers, Phil uses cover crops. Most of the grapes Phil tends are on steep hillsides that have been terraced. In new fields, Phil plants a mixture of plants to establish a permanent nitrogen-fixing cover, which also helps to minimize erosion. Yields are kept low, and vines are hand-worked and watered minimally. The result is a ripe, rich, vibrantly flavored, full-bodied wine that allows the varietals and the region to shine.
Phil was instrumental in the 2013 approval of Moon Mountain District American Viticultural Area (AVA). The AVA is basically a crater of dormant volcano, which sits above and to the east of Sonoma Valley. It's a rocky terrain with shallow soils and only about 1,500 acres of vines planted.
The unique logo and label artwork is done by famed psychedelic artist Stanley Mouse whose work adorns the covers of albums by the Grateful Dead, Journey, and Styx, as well as rock posters for Eric Clapton, The Beatles, Jimi Hendrix, 13th Floor Elevators and numerous others.
Meet Phil in a short YouTube video here.
Our Selections
Rossi Ranch Vineayrd Hommage Blanc Sonoma Valley 2022
Few places are more important to the Coturri Family than the Rossi Ranch. Phil first worked here in the 1970’s, beginning his career helping Valentine (Val) Rossi harvest his eponymous vineyard, which had first been planted in 1909.
It was the 1977 harvest when Arden, a young hippie from New Jersey, showed up looking for work. She picked grapes that day and met her future husband, another hippie farmer named Phil. It’s not surprising that Phil jumped at the opportunity to return in 2013, and the Rossi Ranch is now a key part of the Sixteen 600 lineup.
This vintage of Heritage Blanc is made from 80% Roussanne 15% Grenache Blanc 5% Clairette Blanc, all organically farmed on volcanic soils. The grapes are direct pressed and fermented with native yeasts and bottled after aging 8 months in neutral barrels.
Marsanne Simons Vineyard Moon Mountain District 2020
Phil Coturri was instrumental to the establishment of the Moon Mountain District AVA 2013. Moon Mountain, where we find Simons Vineyard, is one of Sonoma County’s wildest places, set along the Mayacamas Mountains’ western flank above Sonoma Valley, where vineyards effortlessly outnumber wineries. It borders Napa Valley’s Mount Veeder to the east. Moon Mountain elevation rises from 400 to 2,300 feet.
The Tablas-clone Marsanne was planted back in 2006 at a plot 600 feet above sea level. Grapes are harvested in late September and whole-bunch pressed. After barrel fermentation in neutral oak and partial malolactic fermentation, the wine continues to age in barrel for another eight months.
Lovely floral lift on the nose with touches of peach, lemongrass, green apple and honeysuckle. For a white Rhône varietal, the acid is prominent and bright yet maintains a subtle creaminess through finish. Yellow apple, baked pear and stone fruit and savory spice notes as the wine opens up. The vineyard’s volcanic basalt outcroppings seem to manifest on the finish, with a fine, filligreed minerality. A stunning Rhône white far from it’s ancestral home.
Zinfandel Sonoma Valley 2021
The 2021 Sonoma Valley Zinfandel is sourced from three certified organic vineyards, all farmed by Phil Coturri and Enterprise Vineyards. The vineyards offer a juxtaposition of Sonoma Mountain and Moon Mountain appellations including the Dos Limones Vineyard, the Buschera Vineyard and the Sixteen 600 Estate.
Classic, old school, Sonoma zinfandel—forward fruit balanced by acidity and structure. In the glass a vibrant ruby color leads to aromas of black cherry, white pepper, and baking spices. The rounded tannins evolve as the wine opens balanced by notable acidity. Well defined notes of brambly red fruit make up this succulent wine along with peppery spice notes. The overall flavor profile is very linear and has a subtle but lasting finish.
Certified organic from volcanic and rocky, alluvial soils and head trained vines. Fermented in open top stainless steel tanks with a three day cold soak and native yeast fermentation. Aged 22 months in neutral oak barrels
Cabernet Sauvignon Severson Vineyard Sonoma Valley 2018
The Vineyard: The tiny Severson Vineyard is one of the few Valley floor vineyards Phil Coturri farms. In fact, there are a few exceptional Cabernet vineyards in this part of the valley where the deep lush soils typical of this fertile area give way to a rocky, gravely alluvial fan, what Phil calls Sonoma’s Left Bank. The vineyard is located in the southwest end of the valley, an area without protection from the Sonoma or Mayacamas mountain ranges known for cool, windy nights but long, hot Summer days that allow the grapes to ripen.
The Vintage: The early spring bud break threatened calamity that never came. A benign, even benevolent growing season with a temperate summer and long cool fall coupled with large yields for extended hang time and ripe, balanced flavor development.
Tasting Notes: Well-drained soils kept the roots of the Cabernet dry and allowed the fruit to ripen in the weeks after mid-October rain. However, through the cooler October nights and shorter days, the ripe flavors kept an austerity that balances the wine. Almost two years in neutral oak barrels allowed for slow aging and helped mellow the tannins while retaining the singularity of the terroir. The wine is both rich and intense with a fleeting lightness across the finish. A bouquet of flinty, tobacco aroma gives way to flavors of dark fruit built on well-structured tannins and gravelly minerality.
Certified organic from rocky, alluvial soils. Fermented in open top stainless steel. Three day cold soak, native yeast fermentation and a 21 day maceration. Aged 22 months in neutral oak barrels. 14.5% Alc., 3.61 pH - 200cs made.
Cabernet Sauvignon Simons Vineyard Moon Mountain District 2016 (Library)
Phil Coturri was instrumental to the establishment of the Moon Mountain District as an American Viticultural Area (AVA) in 2013. Moon Mountain is one of Sonoma County’s wildest places, set along the Mayacamas Mountains’ western flank above Sonoma Valley, where vineyards effortlessly outnumber wineries. It borders Napa Valley’s Mount Veeder to the east. Moon Mountain elevation rises from 400 to 2,300 feet.
Nestled in a hidden bowl high in the Moon Mountain District, with cool mornings and shady afternoons, the Simons vineyard ripens incredibly slowly, and the wines can age even slower. 174 cases were made of this 100% Cabernet Sauvignon which saw two years in a combination of 25% new French and 75% in neutral oak. All native yeast fermentation. Aromas of red and black fruit, wet leather, sweet tobacco and river rocks. Flavors of blackberry compote, vanilla, carbon, and chocolate mousse. 14.4% alc.
Cabernet Sauvignon Simons Vineyard Moon Mountain District 2014 (Library)
2014 vintage produced only 100 of the Simons Cabernet Sauvignon. Like the 2016 this also saw two years in a combination of 25% new French and 75% in neutral oak. All native yeast fermentation. Aromas of blackberry pie, dark coffee, nougat and cigar box Flavors of chocolate, berry compote and crushed black rock. 15% alc.
Steel Plow Vineyard Hommage Sonoma Valley 2017 (Library)
At the north end of Sonoma Valley, the valley narrows and the cold wind and fog from the Santa Rosa Plain up the Valley from the San Francisco Bay. Here, the great-great granddaughter of John Deere, Damaris Deere Ford, planted a vineyard in 1988 and named it Steel Plow in homage to her metal forging ancestor. The Steel Plow Vineyard sits in the convergence of these two costal influences, basking in the cool air in the mornings but enjoying the sunshine first as the fog recedes to the south and north. These climatic forces combine with the rocky soils formed from the detritus of Sugar Loaf Mountain, which towers over the vineyard to the northeast, to create ideal growing conditions for Grenache and other Rhône Varietals.
70% Grenache and 30% Mourvedre, picked on October 7, 2017, two days before the fires. This cuvee was blended by the legendary Philippe Cambie. The wine saw an extended 10 day cold soak followed by 18 months in neutral oak. 15% alcohol. 215 cases produced. Aromas of fresh raspberries, bing cherries and cacao. Flavors of anisette, yellow plum and dark chocolate. WA:92
Steel Plow Vineyard Grenache Sonoma Valley 2016 (Library)
100% Grenache harvested from the same Steel Plow Vineyard described above. Native Yeast fermentation followed by aging in neutral oak for 18 months. 154 cases produced. Aromas of jammy black fruits, wild fennel and dried herbs. Crunchy red apple skins and black raspberries on the palate. 14.3% alcohol.
Syrah Rossi Ranch Sonoma Valley 2015 (Library)
Phil fell in love with the Grenache-based wines of Châteauneuf-du-Pape, France and decided to pay a visit in the late ’90s. During his trip, he saw how similar it was to Sonoma. It is warm, rocky, windy and had some marine and coastal influences, all aspects that Sonoma benefits from as well. This all culminated with wanting to plant, grow and drink more Grenache.
It was then an elegant collaboration project with Philippe Cambie and his protege Isabel Gassier began. Philippe was known as the consultant to the gods of the Rhône world. He visited the vineyards and decided he wanted to grow Grenache with Phil and Winery Sixteen 600. Grenache was planted in the Steel Plow and Rossi Ranch vineyards.
Few places are more important to the Coturri Family than the Rossi Ranch. Phil first worked here in the 1970’s, beginning his career helping Valentine (Val) Rossi harvest his eponymous vineyard, which had first been planted in 1909. This is even the place where Phil and his wife Arden met for the first time many years ago.
Everything we love about Rossi Ranch is in this wine: the red, rocky volcanic soils, the warm afternoons on the Sonoma Mountain benchland, the rolling hills and varying exposures – plays through with this wine. It is a brawny, spiced, textured expression of Syrah and has developed beautifully over the last decade. 14.2% alcohol. Native Yeast fermentation followed by neutral oak aging or 18 months – a mere 73 cases produced. Aromas of raspberry and wet cedar with savory herbs and black pepper. Notes of game, smoked meats, dried berries and tobacco.
Sixteen 600 Syrah Dos Limones Sonoma Mountain 2019
Dos Limones sits on a bench about a third of the way up Sonoma Mountain. The vineyard’s eastern exposure allows for early morning sun and the 500 foot elevation keeps it above the fog. Sonoma Mountain rises to the west providing early shade and cool evenings. The soil, known as Spreckles loam, is a fine mix of clay and gravel that limits the growth of the vigorous Syrah vines. Notably, this is the first vineyard Phil Coturri farmed organically, starting in 1979.
Certified organic vineyard at 500’ elevation with spreckles loam soils of clay and gravel. Fermented in open top stainless steel tanks. A three day cold soak followed by native yeast fermentation. Co-fermented with Viognier skins.