Open: Year Round
About Us:
Kelley & Young is a very small winery started in 2007 by husband and wife team Kathleen Kelley and Jim Young as an outlet for Kathleen's passion for food and Jim's passion for wine creating the perfect marriage.
This year, Kelley & Young will produce about 1,500 cases, our largest amount to date. We make 5 main wines: a barrel aged Sauvignon Blanc; Kathleen Rose, a light Bordeaux blend rosé; Nuits de Young, a dark Bordeaux blend rosé, a native yeast fermented Zinfandel that is aged in French oak for 20 months and a native yeast fermented Malbec that is also aged in French Oak for 20 months. We also make a Late Harvest Sauvignon or a Late Harvest Riesling when conditions are right to encourage Botrytis.
We source our grapes from the family's certified sustainable, Robert Young Vineyards; 320 acres of vineyard in Alexander Valley, Sonoma County, that have been farmed by Youngs since 1851. Jim is the Vineyard Manager for Robert Young as well as the CEO, and selects just the perfect places in the vineyard to source our grapes. He's also able to grow those grapes just the way he likes so that the wines truly represent the terroir of the ranch.
The 450 acre ranch is nestled up against the Mayacama Mountain range to the north and east and has an expansive view of Alexander Valley and the coastal hills to the west and south. Robert Young Vineyards grows 12 varietals: Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Malbec, Melon, Merlot, Petit Verdot, Pinot Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc, Viognier, Riesling, and Zinfandel. About 95% of the grapes grown at Robert Young Vineyards are sold to large wineries, ie Chateau St. Jean, Clos du Bois, Duckhorn, and Simi. About 8% of the grapes are processed by the family winery and just a little more than 1.5% are purchased by Kelley & Young. Because we enjoy and respect the wonderful wines made at the Robert Young Estate Winery; primarily Chardonnay and Scion, a Bordeaux blend, Kelley & Young does not make those wines, instead we focus on the other varietals grown at Robert Young Vineyards.