Doug Stewart pours wines from his two Anderson Valley labels at Lichen Estate in Boonville.
Sharing a similarly sophisticated winemaking sensibility but not the same grape sources, Doug Stewart’s Breggo Cellars and Lichen Estate produce some of Anderson Valley’s most exciting wines.
Breggo and Lichen owner Doug Stewart.
Stewart founded Breggo – the name means “sheep” in the local Boonville dialect – in 2005 and began planting a vineyard in 2008. During the era’s economic downturn, he sold the brand but not the land, now Lichen’s estate vineyard. In 2023, Stewart leaped at the chance to repurchase the Breggo name, in the process reacquiring some of the older vintages. The Breggo wines are now poured at Lichen Estate, along with that label’s wines.
After considerable research, Stewart planted his vines closer together than most in California.
During a 2024 visit, I sampled Breggo 2022s. A Gewürztraminer and Chardonnays from the Ferrington and Savoy vineyards stood out, along with a seductive Pinot Noir with fleeting earthiness.
Breggo was Doug Stewart’s original label.
Lichen Estate, with tightly spaced vines à la Burgundy, focuses on Pinot Gris and Pinot Noir in sparkling and still wines noteworthy for their tension, elegance, and freshness on the palate. The estate Pinot Gris and Blanc de Gris were two favorites among the whites. I also found the 2017 Grand Cuvée Rosé, a 100% Pinot Noir sparkler, and the 2021 Estate Pinot captivating. The tannic, complex Solera Pinot Noir, Volume 10, has no date because it incorporates wine from every vintage since 2011.
Lichen Estate makes sparkling and still wines.
Why go:exciting wines; Breggo Chardonnays and Anderson Valley Pinot; Lichen Pinot Gris and Pinot Noir (sparkling and still).
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