Failla
Failla works cool Sonoma Coast sites with a focus on Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, producing wines that favor restraint and site expression over weight. Single-vineyard bottlings anchor the range alongside a small production Trousseau.
History
Failla was founded by Ehren Jordan, a winemaker who spent years working in Burgundy and built his reputation at Turley Wine Cellars before turning his full attention to his own project. The label took its name from his wife, Anne-Marie Failla, and the two ran the operation together through its formative years. The focus from the outset was the far Sonoma Coast, particularly the windswept western reaches that were still being mapped as serious winegrowing territory when Jordan began sourcing fruit there. Over time the project expanded from a négociant model drawing on contracted vineyards to include estate plantings of its own, giving the range a more grounded identity. Failla remains a relatively small producer by Sonoma standards, with an emphasis on single-vineyard wines that make direct arguments for specific sites.
Vineyards
The wines span several distinct areas within greater Sonoma, from the cold fog belt near the coast to warmer inland pockets in the Russian River Valley. The estate vineyard sits in the hills of the Sonoma Coast proper, where marine influence is strong, growing seasons are long, and temperatures rarely spike. Occidental Ridge, one of the flagged single-vineyard Pinots, draws from high-elevation, wind-exposed ground in the western hills above Occidental, a zone that regularly produces some of the most structurally taut fruit in the appellation. Pearlstad and Stella represent additional distinct sites in the portfolio. The Olivet Ranch Chardonnay comes from Russian River Valley ground, warmer and more sheltered than the coastal sites. Farming practices across the portfolio tend toward sustainable methods, though specific certifications by site are not uniformly documented in public records.
Winemaking
Jordan's winemaking approach across both the Pinot Noir and Chardonnay ranges leans toward lower alcohols, moderate extraction, and wines built for the table rather than the tasting room. Whole-cluster inclusion is used selectively in the Pinot Noirs, varying by vintage and site. Oak is present but not dominant; the wines tend to show more primary fruit and soil character than barrel influence. The Chardonnays follow a similar logic, fermented in barrel with restrained new oak, aiming for tension and length over richness. The Trousseau, sourced from Russian River Valley, is an outlier in the range and reflects a broader curiosity about varieties that perform well in cool conditions but sit outside the California mainstream. It is typically made in a lighter, more translucent style consistent with how the grape behaves in its Jura homeland.
Wines
2022 Pinot Noir Olivet Ranch
2022 Pinot Noir Savoy Vineyard
2022 Chardonnay Olivet Ranch
2022 Pinot Noir Reuling Vineyard
2022 Syrah Estate Vineyard MXM
2022 Pinot Noir Wendling Vineyard
2022 Pinot Noir Occidental Ridge Vineyard
2022 Pinot Noir Mindego Ridge Vineyard
2022 Pinot Noir Estate Vineyard
2022 Chardonnay Platt Vineyard
2022 Chardonnay Olivet Ranch The Big Egg
2022 Pinot Noir Watertrough
2021 Chardonnay Olivet Ranch
2021 Chenin Blanc Olivet Ranch
2021 Chardonnay Sonoma Coast
2021 Pinot Noir Hirsch Vineyard
2021 Pinot Noir Peay Vineyard
2021 Pinot Noir Stella
2021 Pinot Noir Keefer Ranch
2021 Chardonnay Haynes Vineyard
2021 Pinot Noir Mindego Ridge Vineyard
2021 Pinot Noir Vivien
2021 Pinot Noir Pearlessence Vineyard
2021 Pinot Noir Platt Vineyard
2021 Pinot Noir Savoy Vineyard
2021 Chardonnay Platt Vineyard
2021 Chardonnay Estate Vineyard
2021 Pinot Noir Occidental Ridge Vineyard
2021 Pinot Noir Wendling Vineyard
2021 Pinot Noir Ferrington Vineyard
2019 Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast
2019 Pinot Noir Keefer Ranch
2019 Pinot Noir Olivet Ranch
2019 Pinot Noir Savoy Vineyard
2019 Pinot Noir Platt Vineyard
2019 Chardonnay Olivet Ranch
2019 Syrah Hudson Vineyard
2019 Pinot Noir Pearlessence Vineyard
2019 Chardonnay Platt Vineyard
2019 Pinot Noir Hirsch Vineyard
2019 Syrah Estate Vineyard
2019 Chardonnay Haynes Vineyard
2019 Pinot Noir Mindego Ridge Vineyard
2019 Pinot Noir Estate Vineyard
2018 Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast
2018 Pinot Noir Reuling Vineyard
2018 Chardonnay Sonoma Coast
2018 Pinot Noir Keefer Ranch
2018 Chardonnay Keefer Ranch
2018 Chardonnay Hudson Vineyard
2018 Chardonnay Olivet Ranch
2018 Chardonnay Estate Vineyard
2018 Syrah Estate Vineyard
2018 Pinot Noir Mindego Ridge Vineyard
2018 Chardonnay Haynes Vineyard
2018 Syrah Hudson Vineyard
2018 Syrah Estate Vineyard MXM
2018 Pinot Noir Pearlessence Vineyard
2018 Pinot Noir Hirsch Vineyard
2018 Pinot Noir Platt Vineyard
2018 Pinot Noir Occidental Ridge Vineyard
2017 Chardonnay Reuling Vineyard
2017 Pinot Noir Olivet Ranch
2017 Pinot Noir Peay Vineyard
2017 Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast
2017 Chardonnay Haynes Vineyard
2017 Chardonnay Hudson Vineyard
2017 Chardonnay Keefer Ranch
2017 Pinot Noir Estate Vineyard
2017 Chardonnay Platt Vineyard
2017 Pinot Noir Hirsch Vineyard
2017 Pinot Noir Platt Vineyard
2017 Pinot Noir Keefer Ranch
2017 Syrah Hudson Vineyard
2017 Pinot Noir Vivien
2017 Pinot Noir Reuling Vineyard
2017 Pinot Noir Watertrough
2017 Syrah Estate Vineyard
2017 Pinot Noir Occidental Ridge Vineyard
2016 Pinot Noir Lola
2016 Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast
2016 Syrah Hudson Vineyard
2016 Pinot Noir Keefer Ranch
2016 Chardonnay Olivet Ranch
2016 Pinot Noir Occidental Ridge Vineyard
2016 Chardonnay Estate Vineyard
2016 Chardonnay Keefer Ranch
2016 Pinot Noir Vivien
2016 Pinot Noir Pearlessence Vineyard
2016 Chardonnay Haynes Vineyard
2016 Chardonnay Hudson Vineyard
2016 Pinot Noir Estate Vineyard
2016 Pinot Noir Hirsch Vineyard
2016 Chardonnay Platt Vineyard
2016 Pinot Noir Platt Vineyard
2016 Syrah Estate Vineyard