40 Under 40 Tastemaker
Sam Bilbro, 35,
Healdsburg,
CA
Founder, Idlewild Wines
A taste of Italy
The youngest son of Chris Bilbro, the founder of Marietta Cellars, shares a property with winemaking brother Scot (Marietta Cellars), where their respective kids can roam. Sam’s creation, Idlewild Wines, makes hard-to-find, Piedmontese-style wines like Nebbiolo, Dolcetto, Cortese, Arneis and Barbera. He sources grapes from old vineyard sites across Sonoma and Mendocino. Unusually fresh and focused, the wines offer nuanced deliciousness that perfects a fine line between “gulpability” (his word) and seriousness.
