summer dreams

Jayson Woodbridge's Summer Dreams is a celebration of a season and a regionRobb Report | Mike Desimone and Jeff Jenssen

2025-03-31

THIS CULT NAPA WINEMAKER’S NEWEST PROJECTS SHOWS OFF LIGHTER WINES FROM SONOMA COAST.

Jayson Woodbridge’s Summer Dreams is a celebration of a season and a region.

Amidst the persistent wave of Napa Cabernet Sauvignon brands vying for the title of Next Big Thing, our palates were relieved to discover Hundred Acre founder Jayson Woodbridge has shifted hears with the release of Summer Dreams. His new Sonoma project features Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Sauvignon Blanc sourced from some of Sonoma Coast’s most renowned vineyards. Summer Dreams is an exciting departure from what one expects from Woodbridge, especially considering that six-packs of white, red, and rosé are in the same price range as a single bottle of Hundred Acre Cabernet, which currently fetch between $475 and $750. From its first vintage in 2000, Hundred Acre turned heads with its award-winning estate grown Cabernet Sauvignon, which has earned an astounding number of perfect 100-point-scores over the years. While that brand is still going strong it’s nice to see Woodbridge and his wife and business partner Helen successfully veer in another direction.
Woodbridge calls the project “a love letter to summers past,” where the wine embodies the essence of the season. And the bottles are named for specific memories such as strolling on Los Angeles’s famed beachfront walk (Walking on Venice Beach Sauvignon Blanc), reading Hemingway’s first novel (The Sun Also Rises Chardonnay), or enjoying that beautiful part of the evening when the sun has just gone down (Twilight Pinot Noir).
“We have always loved the Sonoma Coast, the land, the forest, and the collision with the wonderful Pacific Ocean environments,” Woodbridge says. While just a year ago we may have said that Russian River Valley is the best spot in Sonoma for both Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, we have noticed a lot of incredible wine coming out of the Sonoma Coast AVA, which, as its name suggests, is much closer to the ocean. “The cooling winds from the Pacific and the wonderful marine soils create beautiful fruit if farmed with utmost attention,” Woodbridge says. “The vineyards sit above the fog, so, when the fog rolls in, the cooler climate and elevation make the fruit mature at a perfect rate.”

The top tier includes four distinct Pinot Noirs called Golden Hour, Super Chill, Halley’s Comet, and the aforementioned Twilight. All are labeled with the Sonoma Coast AVA and the winemaking regimen is the same (whole berries are destemmed and fermented in a mix of new and used French oak, and then matured in a combination of 100 percent new French oak, with 20 percent in larger wood tanks), but they are from distinct vineyard sites with different clonal selection. Woodbridge works alongside winemaker Ashley Holland, who overseen the white wines but has input into vineyard management and the Pinots as well. “Ashley and I discuss the vineyards and decide which ones we like best,” Woodbridge says. “We collaborate on the winemaking protocols and everything that goes into creating Summer Dreams.”
There are subtle differences among them, but if we had to choose a favorite it would be Summer Dreams 2021 Golden Hour Pinot Noir. Ruby red to the eye, it offers a bouquet of blackberry, white chocolate, holiday baking spices, and a hint of fresh marjoram. It is silky smooth on the palate, with plush tannins and well-integrated acidity that wrap around flavors of black cherry, red currant, clove, nutmeg, and a lingering note of orange zest. Summer Dreams’ lighter style of wine may find a different audience than Woodbridge’s Hundred Acre and Fortunate Son. While his other brands call out for a juicy, well-marbled slab of flame-kissed steak, the softer Summer Dreams wines call for more delicate fare like salads, seafood, and grilled chicken. As spring kicks into gear and we start and we’re not eating as much of the heavier foods that call for high tannin, heavy red wines, these bottles are perfect for the prelude to summer.

Mike DeSimone and Jeff Jenssen

Mike DeSimone and Jeff Jenssen, also known as the World Wine Guys, are wine, spirits, food, and travel writers, educators, and hosts. They have been featured guests on the Today Show, The Martha Stewart Show, Better TV, and the CBS, FOX, and NBC networks. They also write Robb Report's weekly newsletter The Oeno Files.

Related Articles

Hundred Acre, Fortunate Son, and Summer Dreams Wine Bottles

2024-12-19

Mission Accomplished: An Annual Update from The Wine Independent

The Wine Independent | Lisa Perrotti-Brown

Having written an extensive article last year about Jayson & Helen Woodbridge’s three wine projects—Hundred Acre, Fortunate Son, and Summer Dreams—this feature by Lisa Perrotti-Brown is an annual update on the new 2021, 2022, and 2023 releases.

When I create something, the wine tells me what to do. I don’t tell the wine what to do.

2023-11-30

Map Maker: Summer Dreams, Fortunate Son and Hundred Acre New Releases

The Wine Independent | Lisa Perrotti-Brown

“I’m a direct descendent of Jacques Cartier, the cartographer,” Jayson Woodbridge tells me, seemingly apropos of nothing. But nothing is random or out of context with Jayson. For example, he describes Cartier as a cartographer, not an explorer—the profession by which Cartier is better known. With Jayson, every casually offered piece of shared information is specific and purposeful, whether you get it or not.

2024-02-07

Producer Profile: Hundred Acre

Decanter | Jonathan Cristaldi

In a rare in-depth interview granted to Decanter, we meet the dauntless Jayson Woodbridge. The founder of Hundred Acre is a controversial figure in the Napa Valley, yet the wine community can't ignore the fact that his wines are celebrated by pundits the world over.

2021-12-16

Recent Releases from Hundred Acre, Fortunate Son and Summer Dreams

The Wine Advocate | Lisa Perrotti-Brown

At the end of this year, I caught up with Jayson and Helen Woodbridge at their house nestled within the Few and Far Between vineyard in Calistoga.

Our Collection

discover the style and spirit of Sonoma Coast wines

Pinot Noir

Golden Hour

Luxurious and velvety, the dark fruit profile is a riper and fuller expression of Pinot Noir from the California coast.

Pinot Noir

Halley's Comet

Shimmering with notes of ripe berries and bright tannins worthy of a pair of Elton John’s star-shaped sunglasses.

Pinot Noir

Stargazing

Vibrant and exceedingly versatile with a light, clean finish.

Pinot Noir

Super Chill

The soft, floral nose opens to ripe red fruit and cranberries that express this unique time on the Sonoma coast.

Pinot Noir

Twilight

A truly elegant expression of the Sonoma Coast that entices with scents of saline and crushed oyster shells after a beach cookout.

Bottle of Summer Dreams Twilight

Chardonnay

The Sun Also Rises

Expressions of Meyer lemon crème, caramelized pineapple, and baked Gravenstein apples wrapped in brioche.

Sauvignon Blanc

Walking On Venice Beach

Infused with levity, brightness, and energy from the picture-perfect 2023 growing season

Rosé

Martian Pink

Inspired by Bandol and Provence, this wine shines as an unequivocally California rosé. A mailing list EXCLUSIVE.

Summer is a state of mind