The creation of Sire Estate was nearly inevitable. As proprietor of Beau Wine Tours, Sire founder Thomas Buck was more than well acquainted with the Valley, where he has shuttled visitors since 1996. Wineries, estate vineyards, winemakers—Buck knew them all through his tour vocation, and thus, his venture into winemaking might be called evolutionary. An avid collector of California cult wines for more than 20 years, he initially desired to make wine for family, friends, and tour clients. “I just wanted to try my hand,” said Buck, a certified wine educator. “I wanted to see if I could make a decent wine.”
And he did. His understanding of the industry and close friendships with many vintners provided an inside track. With fruit from some of Napa’s most famed sites, such as the Houyi Vineyard on Pritchard Hill, and Julian Fayard as his winemaker, Buck produced his first vintage in 2012. It was more than he had hoped for. “Once I realized how good the fruit was, I knew this was more than a vanity project,” said Buck. “I needed to get serious about it, so I got a real team together.” He and Fayard originally intended to blend fruit from the many vineyards they sourced, but high fruit quality led them to create single vineyard and varietal bottlings. Thoroughbreds, if you will, the origin of the name Sire. “Each vintage of Sire is a purebred,” said Buck. “An uninhibited expression of the vineyard site’s terroir.”
Today, Buck sources from five different vineyards and his wines reflect what Mother Nature gives him year to year. He produces about 500 cases of Cabernet Sauvignon annually and is proud to have recently made his first Chardonnay, sourced from Sonoma Coast’s Ft. Ross/Seaview AVA. He sells primarily direct to consumer but also via high-end wine retailers such as ACME Fine Wines and V Wine Cellar. Sire can also be found on the wine lists at restaurants such as PRESS and The French Laundry. Still, the brand has flown mostly under the radar since its inaugural release. Sire is an “in-the-know” gem.
“Sire is a brand that exemplifies the Napa dream,” said Liz Murray, managing director at ACME Fine Wines. “Put all of the glitz and glamour aside, and Napa Valley is, at its core, an ag community fueled by relationships. Tom has spent decades fostering genuine friendships here that have led him to this point. Sire is the real deal, a brand built on deep connections and a lifetime of work committed to our valley. These are the kinds of brands that stand the test of time.”
