IL CUORE (eel-quarry) means "The Heart" in Italian. The name is a tribute to the Italian immigrants who first planted the North Coast of California to vine in the late nineteenth century. Our wines are produced from choice grapes grown in Mendocino County. The success of wine grapes here has long been attributed to complex soils, warm daytime temperatures and cool nights. A hallmark of the IL CUORE style is the gentle use of oak to allow the natural fruit qualities of our grapes to become the focal point of the wines. Our main goal is to produce wines of quality and character at a price suitable for daily consumption. Our hope is that IL CUORE wines will be consumed with good food as part of a healthy and passionate lifestyle.

Our first wine was a few hundred cases of 1989 IL CUORE Cabernet Sauvignon. We often asked why wine has been slow to become accepted in this country as a daily part of a healthy lifestyle as it is in Europe. We think that fruit is what is missing in wine for many people. The elements of wood, earth, flint and chalk that are often found in wine are not for everyone! We saw an opportunity to produce wines that emphasize the soft, fresh flavors of grapes grown in California's best North Coast vineyards. We minimize oak aging to bring out the natural flavors of cherries, berries and plums in our reds and the crisp apple and ripe pear flavors of our Chardonnay! It is also our belief that one shouldn't have to pay a special occasion price to get a bottle of well made, interesting wine.