Vineyards

We believe that great wines can only be made from great vineyards. This belief guides our decisions when choosing to work with any vineyard. For every vineyard we work with, there are 20 other vineyards that didn’t make the grade. Location, soil, exposition, dedicated growers, plant material and sustainability are all important factors that affect our decision.

Once the vineyards are sourced, it is our job to maintain the health of the vines in a balanced and sustainable fashion. We believe that farming in balance with nature is the only way to allow the grapes to express themselves properly. Sustainable farming practices are key; vine-by-vine farming is essential, and a less-is-more approach to irrigation, soil amendments and applications empower the vines to exist on their own rather than through our engagement.

Our goal with the vineyards we have chosen to work with is simple. Harvest healthy grapes that are ripe, with balanced acids and sugars, which require no additions from us in the winery.

Our commitment to these vineyards is to learn from them every year, to make improvements in how we handle the fruit in order for it to express its uniqueness, and most importantly how we handle the growing vines, year after year, to enable them to do just that.

  • In far northern Mendocino County, Stuart Bewley has been growing some of California's most outstanding wine grapes since 1993. The extreme location and steep terrain has allowed them to choose the most beneficial growing condition for several different varietals. While most growers try to maximize the tonnage of grapes they produce, they strictly limit what a vine bears in order to concentrate the exquisite flavor in each grape.

    At elevations ranging from 1,700 to 2,700 feet, Bewley practices his patented brand of extremist viticulture on a patchwork of vineyards perched along the steep sandstone slopes of the Coast Range. The mountainous ranch is a decidedly challenging spot to cultivate grapes, but the results have been superb.

    Sustainable, Organic and regenerative farming. No till. Permanent cover crop and undervine cover crop. Fish Friendly.

  • An 11 acre property that is planted with 6 acres of Pinot Noir, 4 acres of Chardonnay, and 1 acre of Syrah. The estate is situated in hills of Chileno Valley that separate the town of Petaluma from Tomales Bay. Cool air currents and ocean mist draw out the maturation process while iron-rich clay loam contributes to the savory, sanguine characteristics of the fruit from this coastal site.

    Farmed with only organic products and following organic practices

  • At 2800’ elevation in the heart of Gold Country in the El Dorado Appellation of the Sierra Foothills, these Gamay Noir vines are planted on a rugged landscape bracketed by snow-capped peaks and featuring decomposed granite soils reminiscent of those found in Beaujolais France, where Gamay is from. Sunny, warm days tempered by crisp cool nights, this fruit goes into our light & bright Alpine Peaks Gamay Noir.

  • Grafted to Trousseau Noir, Gamay, Mondeuse, Poulsard and Pineau d’Aunis in 2016, this site in the Mayacamas Range has just begun producing fruit and 2018 is the first vintage bottled. Situated on a steep hillside and biodynamically farmed, this site promises to be an exciting addition to our line-up and a landmark achievement in Sonoma County wine-growing.

  • Tempered by the cooling influences of the Golden Gate Gap, The Bench Vineyard is managed with no-tillage and planted with permanent cover crops that include a grass blend of ryegrass, fescue and brome, and 2 percent wildflowers. Planted to Mediterranean varieties to match the warm & wet climate, this site is farmed using sustainable & biodynamic practices.

  • Steve and Glenda Castelli own and farm this 9-acre vineyard with their daughter and son-in-law, Sheri & Rob Knight. This site in the Russian River Valley was planted to Pinot Noir, Syrah, and Grenache in 1997.⁠

    Dramatic bright orange, rock-filled, Haire Clay-covered slopes give the wine produced from this site a distinct density and power. The north- to northeast-facing slopes provide cool to this otherwise warm location and heady aromas of incense and pepper to the wine. We have farmed and taken all of this fruit since 2001.

  • Tucked away in the Russian River Valley, we stumbled upon this small parcel of Trousseau Gris (a rising star after years of relative anonymity) in 2009 and haven’t looked back. Originally misidentified as Gray Riesling (popular in the 70s & 80s), this is the only standing plot of Trousseau Gris currently remaining in California. Picked in multiple batches during harvest, the fruit arrives any array of colors from green to purple to orange.

  • Situated in the cool and wind-blown Petaluma Wind Gap, this site was planted in 1990 by Jim & Joan Griffin. Currently owned by John & Alix Flynn, this site is certified sustainable and farmed using organic methods. Read an interview with John here.

    Coarse alluvial soils composed of sand and gravel sit atop dense Adobe Clay. Situated on a south-west facing hillside with a clear view to the San Pablo Bay, this wind buffeted slope generates tiny berried Syrah clusters that dictate the character of the wine produced from this site — savory, intense and rustic. We have worked with this block of grapes since the 2002 harvest.

  • A high, hilltop vineyard on the west side of Dry Creek outside the town of Healdsburg, Las Cimas sits at 1000’ at its highest point. A Russian River Valley site that stretches into The Sonoma Coast AVA, featuring steep slopes and fractured franciscan soils. Originally planted to Cabernet and budded over using our preferred selections of Gamay Noir in 2018.

  • Bright red iron rich decomposed granitic soils at 1400’ within Amador County, just outside of the town of Plymouth. Old Zin Vines budded over to Chenin Blanc in 2019. The days may be hot, but the evenings bring cool breezes blowing down from the Sierra Nevada. This nighttime drop in temperature creates a balanced and acidic tension in the grapes.

  • Adjacent to Nellessen but planted on a north facing hill, Majik could not be more distinct from its neighbor with highly vigorous vines producing peppery, umami characteristics in the fruit. Just under 1.0 acre of Syrah was planted in sandy Goldridge, which we’ve tended by hand since our contract with the owners began. Formerly owned by Mary-Ann & Jim Kerschner (MaJiK) and recently sold to new owners in 2017.

  • 100% of this fruit is used in the Sonoma Hillsides blend. A high elevation Syrah planting close to Majik & Nellessen, this site features one acre of Syrah amongst five acres of Pinot Noir, planted in Goldridge Soils. Long warm days and very cool nights give this coastal planting some of the most fascinating green olive tapenade and chartreuse aromas of herbs and spices.

  • Just to the west of downtown Sebastopol with an eastern exposition, this site is a key addition to our line-up. Planted in sandy Goldridge (sand and red clay) loam in 2000, farmed with organic products and utilizing many biodynamic practices, the Syrah from this vineyard is outrageous in its aromatic intensity. We also source Viognier from this site which goes into a carbonic and co-fermented red/white blend in select vintages.

  • Owners Paul & Lynn O’Neill purchased the vineyard in 2005 from Kathryn Walker, the ten acres of Walker Vine Hill vineyard are situated in a unique micro-climate that traps cool coastal influences to allow the fruit to ripen slowly in the warm AVA of the Russian River Valley. Rooted in iconic Goldridge soil, this site is a touchstone for cool-climate Syrah. 100% of this fruit is used in the Sonoma Hillsides blend.

A vineyard on a hillside with rows of grapevines, some workers, and a tractor, surrounded by trees and mountains under a cloudy sky.
Close-up of a grapevine with a bunch of dark purple grapes hanging from the vine in a vineyard during daytime.
A bunch of dark purple grapes hanging from a vine surrounded by green grapevine leaves.
Person harvesting dark purple grapes from a vine with green and reddish leaves, collecting them in a white container in a vineyard.
Older man harvesting or sorting dark grapes in a white container outdoors.
Stacked white plastic crates with the word "ARMAGH" spray painted on each in green. The crates are weathered and appear to be used for storage or transport.