{"id":2583,"date":"2025-08-21T00:37:20","date_gmt":"2025-08-21T00:37:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.kenswineguide.com\/blog\/?p=2583"},"modified":"2025-08-21T00:37:20","modified_gmt":"2025-08-21T00:37:20","slug":"winemaker-interview-series-joel-peterson-of-once-future-june-2025","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.kenswineguide.com\/blog\/?p=2583","title":{"rendered":"Winemaker Interview Series &#8211; Joel Peterson of Once &#038; Future &#8211; June 2025"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.kenswineguide.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Joel-Peterson-Once-and-Future-Winemaker-Blog.gif\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-1935\" src=\"https:\/\/www.kenswineguide.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Joel-Peterson-Once-and-Future-Winemaker-Blog-155x300.gif\" alt=\"Joel Peterson\" width=\"155\" height=\"300\" \/><\/a>On Wednesday, June 11, 2025, we had the opportunity to interview <a href=\"https:\/\/www.onceandfuturewine.com\/about\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Joel Peterson<\/strong><\/a> once again. Joel is the winemaker and owner of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.onceandfuturewine.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Once &amp; Future Wines<\/strong><\/a>. We covered six 2023 Single Vineyard Zinfandels and one terrific value 2022 vintage red blend during the interview. We last interviewed Joel in July 2024 when we covered the previous vintages of many of these wines. You can read about those wines <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kenswineguide.com\/blog\/?p=2379\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>in this post<\/strong><\/a>. In the current interview, Joel shared some updates since our last chat.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Before we get to the wines, I thought I would share some tidbits that Joel shared in the interview.<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Vintage Updates<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><strong><span style=\"color: #000000; text-decoration: underline;\">2022 Vintage<\/span><\/strong><\/span>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Picked Early \u2013 We both agreed it was a very good vintage for Zin\u2019s<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><strong><span style=\"color: #000000; text-decoration: underline;\">2023 Vintage<\/span><\/strong><\/span>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Beautiful Vintage<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Average to plus tonnage.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">A slow down of the ripening season.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Picked earlier than usual.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">First vintage back at the Belloni Vineyard.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Will be the last vintage from the Dickerson Vineyard.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><strong><span style=\"color: #000000; text-decoration: underline;\">2024 Vintage<\/span><\/strong><\/span>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Difficult Vintage \u2013 Joel only made 6 wines.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Early heat spikes during veraison.<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Screws up color and enhances tannin.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Not as well-balanced. Tastes good but a bit astringent.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Joel has been working with Gallo to help revitalize the <span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><a style=\"color: #0000ff;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ravenswoodwinery.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Ravenswood brand<\/strong><\/a><\/span> they bought from him.<\/span><\/li>\n<li>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">His new work with Gallo is about promoting and saving Zinfandel.<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Gallo donates his salary to<span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"> <a style=\"color: #0000ff;\" href=\"https:\/\/zinfandel.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>ZAP<\/strong><\/a><\/span>.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">His title is &#8220;Brand Spirit Guide.&#8221;<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">He offers his input on a lot of things.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">They made 3,000 cases of Zinfandel from the 2023 vintage.<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">An AVA offering from the Dry Creek Valley.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Three Single Vineyard offerings were made from Monte Rosso, Teldeschi, &amp; MacMurray.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Michael Eddy-Cort is the Head Winemaker.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">They are releasing the wines in California, Texas, and New Jersey.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Joel has been doing a lot of work with his son at Bedrock Vineyard.<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Bedrock Vineyard is certified both Organic and recently Regenerative Organic. (It is 1 of about 20 in the world)<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Wine volume has dropped down to where it was before Covid.<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Ros\u00e9 sales are still strong.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Sauvignon Blanc sales and demand has dropped off.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Below is a summary of the wine offerings from Once &amp; Future that we covered with Joel. The links below are to our full reviews. If you are interested in ordering and trying these wines, you will find some of these wines via your favorite fine wine shop or on top quality wines lists. You can also find a few online. Your best bet is to call (855) 566-3946 or <span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><strong>e-mail<\/strong><\/span> (<span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><strong>info@onceandfuturewine.com<\/strong><\/span>) the winery for information.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.kenswineguide.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/Once-and-Future-Logo.gif\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-2138\" src=\"https:\/\/www.kenswineguide.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/Once-and-Future-Logo-300x64.gif\" alt=\"Once &amp; Future Logo\" width=\"300\" height=\"64\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">1. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kenswineguide.com\/wine_review\/Once-and-Future-2023-Dickerson-Vineyard-Zinfandel\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Once and Future 2023 Zinfandel &#8220;Dickerson Vineyard&#8221;<\/strong><\/a> (Napa Valley) $55 (<span style=\"color: #800000;\"><strong>KWGTP 92.5<\/strong><\/span>)<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">2. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kenswineguide.com\/wine_review\/Once-and-Future-2023-Bedrock-Vineyard-Zinfandel\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Once and Future 2023 Zinfandel &#8220;Bedrock Vineyard&#8221;<\/strong><\/a> (Sonoma Valley) $50 (<strong><span style=\"color: #800000;\">KWGTP 92<\/span><\/strong>)<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">3. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kenswineguide.com\/wine_review\/Once-and-Future-2023-Old-Hill-Ranch-Zinfandel\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Once and Future 2023 Zinfandel &#8220;Old Hill Ranch&#8221;<\/strong><\/a> (Sonoma Valley) $55 (<strong><span style=\"color: #800000;\">KWGTP 94<\/span><\/strong>)<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">4. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kenswineguide.com\/wine_review\/Once-and-Future-2023-Green-and-Red-Vineyard-Zinfandel\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Once and Future 2023 Zinfandel &#8220;Green &amp; Red Vineyard&#8221;<\/strong><\/a> (Napa Valley) $50 (<span style=\"color: #800000;\"><strong>KWGTP 95<\/strong><\/span>)<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">5. <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.kenswineguide.com\/wine_review\/Once-and-Future-2023-Belloni-Vineyard-Zinfandel\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Once and Future 2023 Zinfandel &#8220;Belloni Vineyard&#8221;<\/a> <\/strong>(RRV) $50 (<span style=\"color: #800000;\"><strong>KWGTP 93.5<\/strong><\/span>)<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">6. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kenswineguide.com\/wine_review\/Once-and-Future-2023-Teldeschi-Vineyard-Franks-Block-Zinfandel\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Once and Future 2023 Zinfandel &#8220;Teldeschi Vineyard Frank&#8217;s Block&#8221;<\/strong><\/a> (Dry Creek) $50 (<span style=\"color: #800000;\"><strong>KWGTP 95.5<\/strong><\/span>)<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">7. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kenswineguide.com\/wine_review\/Once-and-Future-2022-Vintners-Blend-Now\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Once and Future 2022 &#8220;North Coast Red Blend&#8221;<\/strong><\/a> $20 (<strong><span style=\"color: #800000;\">KWGTP 93<\/span><\/strong>)<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">You can find reviews of past and future Once and Future wines that we cover on the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kenswineguide.com\/wine.php?winery=2502\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Once and Future KWG winery page<\/strong><\/a> on our website. We hope you enjoy these terrific wines as much as we did. Cheers! \u2013 Ken<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>On Wednesday, June 11, 2025, we had the opportunity to interview Joel Peterson once again. Joel is the winemaker and owner of Once &amp; Future Wines. We covered six 2023 Single Vineyard Zinfandels and one terrific value 2022 vintage red blend during the interview. We last interviewed Joel in July 2024 when we covered the [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1936,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2068,2545,92,76,1617,11,2772,123,2547,1618,2557,181,296,1201,1187,102,2070,5,3034,126,8,6,240,1292,987,988,1288],"tags":[1634,1629,3041,1628,1636,3035,1633,2062,1620,3040,3037,2775,507,3036,1627,1621,959,3038,467,1469,518,1625,268,3039,1631,3043,1434,996,1624,523,3042],"class_list":["post-2583","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-bedrock-vineyard","category-belloni-vineyard","category-california","category-dry-creek-valley","category-joel-peterson","category-kens-wine-guide-tasting-panel","category-monte-rosso-vineyard","category-napa-valley","category-old-hill-ranch","category-once-future","category-organic-farming","category-organic-wine","category-ravenswood","category-red-blend","category-red-wine","category-russian-river-valley","category-sonoma-valley","category-us-red-blends","category-veraison","category-wine-ratings","category-wine-recommendations","category-wine-reviews","category-wine-tasting","category-winemaker","category-zap","category-zinfandel-advocates-producers","category-zoom-wine-tasting","tag-bedrock-vineyard","tag-belloni-vineyard","tag-brand-spirit-guide","tag-dickerson-vineyard","tag-dry-creek","tag-dry-creek-valley","tag-franks-block","tag-green-red-vineyard","tag-joel-peterson","tag-macmurray","tag-michael-eddy-cort","tag-monte-rosso","tag-napa-valley","tag-north-coast-red-blend","tag-old-hill-ranch","tag-once-future","tag-organic","tag-regenerative-organic","tag-rose","tag-russian-river-valley","tag-sauvignon-blanc","tag-single-vineyard","tag-sonoma-valley","tag-teldeschi","tag-teldeschi-vineyard","tag-veraison","tag-winemaker","tag-zap","tag-zin","tag-zinfandel","tag-zinfandel-advocates-and-producers"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kenswineguide.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2583","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kenswineguide.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kenswineguide.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kenswineguide.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kenswineguide.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2583"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.kenswineguide.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2583\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2586,"href":"https:\/\/www.kenswineguide.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2583\/revisions\/2586"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kenswineguide.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/1936"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kenswineguide.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2583"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kenswineguide.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2583"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kenswineguide.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2583"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}