Oleandri is a collection of wines crafted with fruit from signature California vineyards. Each vineyard’s soil-type, topography and micro-climate is particularly well-suited to the varietals sourced from it. In Napa Valley, the vineyards produce structured and balanced Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc wines that share region’s exclusive heritage. In the Pacific-influenced Santa Rita Hills section of Santa Barbara County, the vineyards produce Burgundian varietals that benefit from the region’s consistently cooler climate.
OUR STORY
VISION
Our wines provide the purest expression of each vineyard’s climate, soil and topography. We intervene only minimally in the evolution from vine to bottle but take great care to start with excellent fruit, allow judicious French oak influence and meticulously blend for structure and length. Nature is powerful and complex: we bring it to you with wines that reflect signature time and place from the heart of California’s premier winemaking regions.
TEAM
Fred D’Amato
Founder & Proprietor
Fred’s winemaking philosophy is rooted in Oleandri’s founding and evolution: capture the essence of fruit from California’s best vineyards and guide each vintage to reflect signature time and place.
Fred is a veteran of Napa and Sonoma Valley harvests, and received his technical winemaking education through the University of California Davis program in Viticulture & Enology. Fred’s introduction to winemaking began very early when grandfather Giovanni Vella bottled California reds and grandfather Onofrio D’Amato made the case for Italian reds and whites in the 1970’s. Fred is thrilled to work with winemaker and craftsman, Patrick Saboe, and the elite Oleandri team dedicated to year-round winemaking.
Living the dream with wife, Jennifer, and kids, Samson and Sophie, Fred is forever grateful for the Vella and D’Amato families’ winemaking legacies.
Patrick Saboe
Winemaker
In 1996, Patrick Saboe was reshaping the Charleston, SC restaurant scene at nationally acclaimed Slightly North of Broad, when a honeymoon to California’s wine country changed his life. What began as an excuse to celebrate nuptials became a journey in pursuit of the perfect fermentation. Toward this end, Patrick traded kitchen tools for winemaking textbooks by enrolling in the Viticulture & Enology program at University of California Davis.
While attending Davis, Patrick worked at Robert Sinskey Vineyards and assisted Dr. Andy Walker in the Pierce’s Disease Resistance Rootstock Breeding Program. Upon graduation, he became Harvest Enologist for Hanna Winery before becoming the Assistant Winemaker at Keller Estate. Here, Patrick gained valuable experience working closely with renowned winemaker, Michael McNeill (Hanzell), to produce multiple award-winning wines.
Patrick’s winemaking philosophy is simple: exceptional wines are made from exceptional fruit with exceptional care. We love working with Patrick because his philosophy on winemaking matches our own, and he brings all of skill and experience to bear on each bottle.
When he’s not crafting exceptional wine, Patrick spends time with his wife Dawn and three children Maddy, Claire and Jackson.
SUSTAINABILITY
Our Napa winery has an uncompromising commitment to reducing its environmental footprint. Facilities are designed and maintained to minimize waste, pollution and visual impacts upon natural terrain. In the vineyard, water usage is minimized and farming practices are geared to promote strong underground water flow free of pollutants. From each new planting to the bottle on your table, great lengths were taken to preserve the beauty and bounty of our California sites.