In 1938, Michele met Lucille Del Carlo at a Fourth of July picnic. Lucille was born on her family’s grape ranch in West Dry Creek, where her parents, Albert and Gemma Del Carlo, operated a bonded winery. The Del Carlo’s roots go back to an area of Italy near the Teldeschis. Michele and Lucille were married in 1941, and Michele joined the Navy.

After World War II, they looked for a place to call their own, and bought a ranch on Dry Creek Road. The ranch property has a long history in the wine business. A steam-powered winery was located here in 1889, and we have many photos and artifacts from that time.

The Home Ranch totals 50 acres, with 26 acres planted to grapes. Some of our Zinfandel vines are more than a century old, and are still producing great fruit. We use these classic grapes in our Del Carlo Old Vine Zinfandel. We also grow Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Petite Sirah, Sangiovese, Grenache and Dolcetto grapes.

Ray Teldeschi has lived on the ranch his entire life. He’s grown grapes and worked beside his dad since he was a child. Ray follows his father’s sustainable growing practices and allows the soil and weather to guide him in producing the fruit.

Nowadays, Ray Teldeschi Vineyards grapes are in high demand, but decades ago, Ray and Michele would sometimes deliver boxes of grapes to San Francisco, to Italian families who made wine at home. In 1950, Michele was excited to buy a new red GMC flatbed truck to make those deliveries. The truck, affectionately known as “Old Red,” is still in use today, still delivering grapes to local wineries.

As the premium wine industry grows, winemakers are increasingly turning back to the classic wines, and the fruit grown on the Home Ranch is made into many of your favorite hearty red wines.

Ray and his wife Lori and Ray’s son Marc founded Del Carlo Winery in 2005, the latest chapter in a four-generation story of good wine, respect for the land, and hard work.