Mirrasou Vineyards has one of the longest and most complete histories of any winery within California. Pierre Pellier immigrated from France in 1854 right around the Gold Rush, but instead of seeking his fortune in the Sierra Nevada’s like almost everyone else coming to California at the time, he chose to settle in the Santa Clara Valley and plant the grape cuttings which he had hand carried from France. His daughter married a neighboring winemaker named Mirrasou (thus the name) and 6 generations later, Mirrasou vineyards is still a great choice for a wine gift because production has stayed consistent over each and every generation.
The winery is now part of the Gallo empire, producing around a hundred thousand cases of wine per year with virtually all of the fruit coming from prime vineyard sites in and around Monterrey county. The results are quality wine at a surprisingly low price point. That probably shouldn’t be surprising since the winery has been doing it for generations and that type of value oriented approach is what has made Gallo a household name. At the end of the day, delivering great value should be concern #1 for any winery, it would allow them to do well in good times and bad times, much like today!