OUR THUMBPRINT
One of the first questions we hear is, “How’d you come up with the thumbprint?”
Scott Lindstrom-Dake, winemaker and founder of thumbprint cellars, majored in Fine Arts in College. One summer he studied Art History in Florence, Italy, and upon returning inspired, Scott decided to start making wine. His first vintage was tasty and he and Erica drank most of their creation! The holiday came around and as college students, the couple decided to give away some of their prized wine to friends and family. Erica gave Scott a gold ink pen to sign some bottles. It malfunctioned and spewed gold ink onto a bottle. Scott used his thumb to wipe up the dripping gold ink and inadvertently placed it on one of the other bottles. Soon, they were all adorned with one of Scott’s gold thumbprints. A passion and new wine brand were born.
A Brand is Born
That “thumbprint wine” was a hit and more was requested by everyone. Following the first release in 1995, each successive thumbprint vintage brought more demand. Scott’s first commercial vintage in 2000 sold out in fewer than six months following its release. The couple opened the Original Lounge in Downtown Healdsburg, a wine club was started, and thumbprint cellars became wildly popular.
thumbprint cellars continues to leave its mark on Sonoma County’s Wine Industry. Our grapes are sourced from local growers from Sonoma County’s Dry Creek, Knights, Alexander and Russian River Valleys. Each wine is a “snapshot” of the vineyard and vintage, telling a story about that special place and time. Scott crafts his wines into 13 single-vineyard designated varietals and 5 “infamous” blends, for a total annual production of fewer than 5,000 cases. He personally assures his thumbprint on each bottle represents the wines unique identity and artisan quality expected of a fine wine.
