Vineyards

Walk the vineyard rows along Westside Road on an autumn morning and the fog doesn’t lift all at once. One hillside clears. The next stays wrapped in mist for another hour. That difference changes how grapes ripen. It’s why two bottles from the same winery, same style, same varietal, can taste different from each other.

Another stunning release from the McDonald Mountain Vineyard located in the Sebastopol Hills neighborhood of Russian River Valley.

Vineyard Liaison Randy Czech takes us into the vineyards at the start of a new growing season, where winter rains are soaking the soils of Sonoma County and growers are racing to prune before the vines wake up from their winter dormancy.

Tucked into the fog-heavy Sebastopol Hills where the cool Pacific air arrives first and lingers longest, the McDonald Mountain Vineyard produces small, intensely concentrated clusters that yield Pinot Noir of remarkable acidity, exotic fruit, and a true sense of place.

Our winemaker has always been drawn to the full palette of what Sonoma County and California have to offer. From the wind-battered ridges of Fort Ross-Seaview to the cool river lands of Santa Maria Valley, this is a tour of the vineyards that expand our world beyond the Russian River.

Not all Russian River Valley Pinot Noir tastes the same, and that is exactly the point. We take you through the five distinct neighborhoods of the valley, from the savory Middle Reach to the lush, acid-driven Sebastopol Hills, and introduce the vineyards that define each one.

Widely regarded as one of the finest Chardonnay sites in all of California, the Ritchie Vineyard has been farmed with care and precision by Kent Ritchie for more than forty years. We explore what makes this Goldridge soil hillside so extraordinary and why its wines carry such rare purity.

Perched on the fog-swept foothills of Sonoma Mountain in the newly established Petaluma Gap AVA, Gap’s Crown has quickly become one of the most sought-after vineyard sites in the state, producing concentrated, structured Pinot Noir with layers of dark fruit, dried herbs, and earthy complexity.