Canihan Wines

Specialties

The Canihan vineyards are ideally located in Sonoma, on the border of the Sonoma Coast and Carneros Appellations. The vineyards receive the cool evening breezes and frequent fog from the San Francisco Bay that provide perfect grape growing conditions.

Organic vineyard management practices, dry-​farming, cane-​pruning, hand-​harvesting only at complete ripeness, fermentation with naturally occurring native yeast, and no fining or filtering result in flavorful wines expressive of our terroir. Our commitment to elegant and flavorful wine is also evident by our low yields, which never exceed two tons per acre. We allow each vintage to display its own unique characteristics and patiently let the wines develop in the barrel without intervention.

The 2004 Syrah, our first wine, was judged by 47 judges over three days and awarded «Best of Show Red Wine» from over 4,300 wines at the prestigious 2007 San Francisco International Wine Competition.

History

Established in 2004.

In 1998 we planted our Estate Vineyard in Sonoma, which resulted in our first commercial vintage in 2004. Since our first vintage (2004) Syrah was awarded the top honor «Best in Show– Red Wine» from more than 4,300 wines in the prestigious San Francisco International Wine Competition, our wines sell-​out quickly.

Meet the Manager

Bill C.

Manager

Bill Canihan is a second-​generation native San Franciscan.

Bill developed a passion for wine at a young age, as his Swiss-​born grandfather worked in vineyards as a child near Zurich. Bill’s appreciation for wine developed as he attended blind tastings held by various tasting groups.

As a consumer, Bill’s favorite wines were Pinot Noirs, cool-​climate Syrah and Cabernet Franc.

Bill spent the first 20 years of his professional career as a mortgage broker specializing in commercial real estate. After helping small businesses survive and grow, Bill was ready to follow his passion for exceptional wine.