Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/913027
The first time I drove through the Carneros region, I felt a lump swell in my throat as I observed the land- scape. Once green and bountiful, parts of it were now scorched brown after being charred by the recent fires. I was heading to Sonoma to meet Sam Coturri, Co-Owner of Winery Sixteen 600, for a tour of the Moon Mountain AVA. I really wasn't sure what to expect, but what I saw surprised me. The Moon Mountain AVA was, in a word, beautiful. Coturri was kind enough to drive us around the winding roads— showing us firsthand that while some areas on the mountains had burned, the vineyards and landscape remained largely unscathed. In fact, the vineyards that line Sonoma Valley proved to be critical firebreaks by acting as natural barriers. It was locals and volunteers, Coturri explained, who assisted firefighters by drawing on their knowledge of backroads to save the area. Katie Bundschu of Gundlach Bundschu reported that the Patrick Fire burned her parents' 100-year-old home at the south - ern end of the property, in addition to an old bar and workshop. But it was the heroic efforts of Bundschu and her family, along with those of fellow employees and residents, that saved the prop- erty after a group of them created firebreaks along Arrowhead Mountain. Echoing Coturri's statement, Bundschu explained that as growers helped growers and winemakers helped winemakers, they collectively proved how a community can work together to save the things they value most. Unfortunately, not everything could be salvaged. Hall Wines President Mike Reynolds reported that Walt Ranch was dam - aged by the Atlas Fire in Napa; some of Hall's partner vineyards in Mt. Veeder and Calistoga were also affected. A Gallo spokes- person reported only cosmetic damage to the William Hill Estate Winery, with minimal fire and heat damage around the perimeter of the Stagecoach and Monte Rosso vineyards. But the community of Napa was deeply saddened by the loss of Signorello Estate, along with its administrative offices—another { SOMMjournal.com } 117 THE AFTERMATH OF THE WINE COUNTRY FIRES by Melissa Marrapese, PhD photos by Alexander Rubin Words of wisdom from Gundlach Bundschu.