Erich began making wine as an amateur while teaching track and field at San Diego High in the early 1970s. During his summers off from teaching, Erich worked in the cellar for a few wineries, fueling his love for wine. In 1979, he was offered a cellar job at Chateau St. Jean after the winemaker tasted his wine in an amateur winemaking contest.  Erich soon retired from teaching and began working for Chateau St. Jean, Simi Winery, and eventually Belvedere before starting his winery.

In 1981, Erich opened Rabbit Ridge Winery and Vineyards in Healdsburg, named after his college track nickname, “The Rabbit”.  Rabbit Ridge continued growing and producing wine in Sonoma County until 2007, when the facility was sold and all operations were consolidated in Paso Robles on the Central Coast.

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Erich began purchasing vineyard acreage in 1996 after becoming enamored by the ideal grape growing climate and soils west of Highway 101 in the Templeton Gap of California.  This steep, hilly region with limestone soils and a maritime cooling influence keeps it 10 to 15 degrees cooler than in the town of Paso Robles to the east.  After moving to Paso Robles in 1996, Erich began planting over 300 acres of land with premium grapes. ​

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In 1998, Erich met his wife, Joanne James, a lifelong resident of St. Petersburg, Florida, while promoting Rabbit Ridge wines at one of Disney’s top restaurants. Joanne was interviewing with Rabbit Ridge’s wine distributor at the same time, and the two met.  Having graduated from Northeast High School and Eckerd College, Joanne was running her own catering business and working as a runway model in St. Petersburg, as well as having a fledgling interest in good wine.  Another common interest is that they are both Athletes. Erich was a record-setting long-distance runner and played basketball.  Joanne is in the Hall of Fame at her high school in track and field and broke state records in the high jump and 330 hurdles. Erich and Joanne were married in 1999 and maintained a residence in Florida until early 2011.  With Joanne’s daughter, Sarah Fleming, Garrett’s graduation from Canterbury School, and her move to college, the Russells moved to Paso Robles year-round. 

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In 2002, Erich and Joanne built a new winery in Paso Robles. The new winery crushed its first grapes with only the crush pad and upper tank room, as that was all that was complete.  The 55,000 square foot winery was permitted to produce up to 100,000 cases per year, but Erich wanted to stay small and only produced 10,000. Joanne joined Erich in the business, putting her marketing degree to work in an assortment of duties, including direct sales, wine club coordinator, government compliance, marketing, designing all of the wine labels, and occasionally pouring wine in the tasting room.  In her spare time, she published her cookbook in 2004, “A Cook's Tour of Rabbit Ridge Winery.”  In the true Italian flair and use of vineyard land, it was a natural step for Joanne and Erich to begin planting both olive trees and lavender.  Joanne and Erich produced extra virgin olive oil under their Passione Divina and Olive Diva labels. Their olive trees were oil-producing Italian varieties. Over the years, Joanne’s oil has won Best in Class, two gold medals, and a silver medal at the California Mid-State Fair. Joanne now imports evoo from Tuscany. 

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Three Rabbit Ridge wines have been named to the ‘Top 100 Wines of the World’ by Wine Spectator. Food and Wine Magazine named Rabbit Ridge Zinfandel as the ‘Best Red Wine Value of the Year’ in 1999. Additionally, Rabbit Ridge wines have been poured at the White House, and the Zinfandel has been one of the house wines at Disney World in Orlando, Florida. Erich's Chardonnay was also one of the house wines at the French Laundry Restaurant in Yountville, California.

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In November 2019, Joanne and Erich launched their new brand, Passione Divina. The first wines made under this brand were produced at their Rabbit Ridge winery in Paso Robles, CA. In October 2020, Erich and Joanne sold the winery but continued to work as employees for the new owners. The first wines created included a red blend simply named Passione Divina, a white blend named Bacio, a Super-Tuscan red blend named Dani, a Zinfandel, JoJo Chardonnay, and Rosato. Although Erich was assured he would still have the opportunity to make wine in the future at the Paso Robles facility, even while living in Florida, the company that acquired the winery eventually went bankrupt and subsequently abandoned the wine business altogether.

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It took nearly three years for the Russell’s to find the perfect winemaking partner with the same passion and dedication to making their wines. In 2023, the Russell’s teamed up with Al DeRose and started producing their new wines at DeRose Winery in Hollister, California. The two winemakers are combining their talents and skills to create some extraordinary wines. Collectively, Erich and Al boast nearly 100 harvests of experience.

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Erich has been a winemaker for over 40 years, and his brand, Rabbit Ridge, has sold over three million cases. Just like many famous chefs, winemaking takes skill, vision, organization, and the relentless pursuit of perfection. Al DeRose has the same qualities and, better yet, is 25 years younger.

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With a renewed enthusiasm for making wine alongside DeRose, Erich and Al decided to reintroduce the Rabbit Ridge label that Erich created in 1981. The label was last used by Erich in 2019, although it appears a few bottles were made under the new owners in 2022. Come June 2025, the first re-release of Rabbit Ridge and Russell wines will be en route to Denmark, with further releases anticipated in the fall. Additionally, we hope to have limited distribution in the US again within the next 6-12 months.

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Rabbit Ridge became so successful in the 90s that it became well known as one of the five best “R” wines alongside Ravenswood, Rafanelli, Rochioli, and Renwood. To this day, the Rabbit Ridge name is well known around the country. We are thrilled to bring back Erich’s legacy wine!

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Cheers, Joanne and Erich Russell

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