News & Acclaim for Pruett Vineyard Wines

 
 
Scott Pruett, former race car driver

How This Legendary Racing Driver Became One of the Best Winemakers in the World in Just a Few Short Years

Inc. | April 2018
Scott Pruett wrapped up a five-decade career as one of the most celebrated drivers in sports car history. And he also produces award-winning wines at his family-owned vineyard... he's turned a wine business he (literally) started in his garage into Pruett Vineyard, a world-class winery that produces, among other award winning wines, what Wine Spectator declared the highest-rated Syrah in the country


Scott Pruett and his wife in the barrel room

Inside Motorsports Star Scott Pruett's New Life As a Full-Time Winemaker

People Magazine | March 2018
Scott Pruett is used to winning. Over the course of his 50-year career (he started racing go-karts at the age of 8), the motorsports champion has accumulated a record 60 victories in American races, according to the Associated Press. Now retired, Pruett is focusing on his success in a different arena: the wine business.


Scott Pruett in the vineyard

Scott Pruett Takes 'garage winery' to new heights

The Sacramento Bee | November 2017
Inside what used to be his garage in Auburn, legendary race car driver Scott Pruett opened a giant plastic bin full of fermenting grapes and took a deep breath. "Smell that?" he said. "...that's our Sierra Foothills dirt coming through. That's our unique bouquet, what makes our wine so special."


Bottle and glass of Pruett wine

Pruett vineyard Current release wines earn Top Scores From Wine Spectator

Wine Spectator | 2017
2015 Championship Cuvee - 94 Points
2015 Taylor's Reserve - 93 Points
2015 CSP Estate Syrah - 93 Points
2015 Lucky Lauren Red - 92 Points


Scott Pruett as a race car driver

Scott PRuett Drives Race cars - and makes wines

LA Times | April 2015
Scott Pruett is the defending champion in the TUDOR United SportsCar Series Race on Saturday in Long Beach. He's also a wine producer, and the wines from Pruett Vineyard have won scores in the high 90s from Wine Spectator. And he's only been making wine for a few years. 


Wine Spectator logo

Wine Spectator | May 2014
"Sierra Foothills has become an exciting hub of red wine production in the past few years, particularly for Rhône varieties such as Syrah and Grenache. About an hour's drive southeast from Sacramento, the region is known for having been at the center of California's Gold Rush, and it has some of the state's oldest grapevines, but it wasn't until recently that its potential has been tapped for serious wines... 

"...Another standout producer here is race car driver Scott Pruett, who grew up near Sacramento. He and his wife, Judy, are showcasing the area with terrific wines from a 3-acre vineyard of Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon on their property in Auburn, Calif. Their site, at about 1,000 feet of elevation, gets plenty of sunshine and airflow from the American River. The Pruett Syrahs are among the most aromatic and expressive examples not just from the Sierra Foothills, but from anywhere in California." 


Pruett wine bottles

Scott Pruett: The Fastest Champion/California Winemaker

Jetset | March 2013
It's a safe bet to say that Scott Pruett is the fastest California winemaker. Earlier this year, Scott Pruett won his 5th Rolex 24 At Daytona, making him one of the most accomplished champions of all time. When he's not racing, Scott is back at home in his vineyard in Auburn, California, making wine


Bottle of Pruett Lucky Lauren Red

Wine Spectator Awards Pruett Vineyard 93 Points

Wine Spectator | November 2012
Wine Spectator released reviews of 10 affordable California Rhônes and had this to say about Pruett Vineyard's 2010 Lucky Lauren: "Scott Pruett is used to being at the top of the leaderboard when it comes to motor sports, but this week he tops our list of California Rhône values. His focus is on Rhône-style wines from the Sierra Foothills, where he has a vineyard on an eastern slope of the northern Sierras. The Lucky Lauren Red is a terrific blend of Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon."  The Pruett Vineyard Lucky Lauren earned a score of 93, with the following tasting notes: "Displays a gorgeous range of rich, ripe fruit, with tiers of plum, blackberry, loamy earth, cedar and anise. Ends complete and focused, featuring a long, persistent finish. Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon. Drink now through 2022." 


Scott Pruett holding a bottle of wine in the vineyard

Race To The Finish

Guitar Aficionado | December 2011
"It's hard to imagine two pursuits more different from one another than sports car racing and winemaking. Racing involves instant decisions that can shave crucial milliseconds off a lap; winemaking requires years of patience while waiting for nature to take its course."