van der Kamp Vineyard

At 1,500 feet elevation on the north facing bench of Sonoma Mountain, van der Kamp vineyard has some of the oldest Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier vineyards with plantings dating back to 1952. Its thin topsoil combined with loam, volcanic material and decomposed river bed leads to a more structured wine and a very unique terroir. It is farmed using environmentally sustainable practices.

Ulysses van der Kamp walks the vineyard daily and embraces his father’s belief that “the best fertilizer for a vineyard is the shadow of the farmer”. These dramatically sloping vineyards are farmed organically, with a focus on environmental sustainability and the unique needs of each individual vine.

• Grape Varietal: Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier

• Appellation: Sonoma Mountain

Manchester Ridge Vineyard

Manchester Ridge Vineyard hovers above the fog line at the edge of the rugged Mendocino coast above Point Arena at 2,000 feet elevation. No other vineyard endures what nature throws at it in the way of wind, rain, temperature, and weathered soil. And yet Manchester Ridge’s extremes allow its chardonnay fruit to hang longer, nurturing ripeness and complexity without giving up acidity and freshness. Greg La Follette has coaxed award-winning wines from this vineyard for over a decade.

• Grape Varietals: Pinot Noir and Chardonnay

• Appellation: Mendocino Ridge

Bien Nacido Vineyard

The vineyard was planted in 1973. Bob and Steve Miller called it Bien Nacido,
meaning well born in Spanish, because of the passion and commitment they shared in bringing it to life. Bien Nacido is located in the Santa Maria Valley, one of the coolest wine growing climates in California. The terroir is a combination of rocky soils, cool climate and ocean influence. The vineyard is located at the eastern opening of a transverse (east to west) mountain range, funneling in a steady wash of cool marine air. The soil structure is diverse, made up primarily of sandy loam, chalk, gravelly loam and marine loam.

• Grape Varietal: Chardonnay

• Appellation: Santa Maria Valley

Oppenlander Vineyard

Nestled amongst the redwoods in the rural village of Comptche, California which means "Valley Among The Hills" Oppenlander Vineyard grows in peaceful solitude. Bill and Norman Shandel tend to a 20 acre vineyard cooled by ocean breezes that is often one of the last to fully ripen in Mendocino County. The vineyard namesake is for their Great Grandfather Charles Oppenlander. The elements of a long cool growing season combined with a unique clay loam soil lead to a wine with formidable structure, brambly fruit, and crisp oceanic acidity.

• Grape Varietal: Pinot Noir

• Appellation: Mendocino County

Betty Ann Vineyard

The Betty Ann Vineyard is located in the Santa Rosa Plains neighborhood of the Russian River Valley AVA. Originally planted by William Guptil in the early 1900s and now owned by Clark and Bonny Lystra, the French Colombard vines are some of the oldest in Sonoma County at over 100 years old. The vines are head-trained and pruned with no irrigation or cover crop.

• Grape Varietal: French Colombard

• Appellation: Russian River Valley, Sonoma County

Wes Cameron Ranch

Wes Cameron Ranch is one of Sonoma County’s historic vineyards, dating back to the mid-1800s when the land was purchased by Alonzo Meacham. It is now owned by Alonzo’s great, great grandchildren, Laurie Cornelssen and Butch Cameron. The Colombard vines were planted in the early 1960s and continue to thrive to this day.

• Grape Varietals: French Colombard

• Appellation: Russian River Valley, Sonoma County

Bechthold Vineyard

Captivating, ethereal and smooth are some of the adjectives that one often expresses when tasting wine made from the old vine Cinsault grapes of Bechthold Vineyard. Planted in 1886 by German immigrant, Joseph Spenker, it holds the distinction of being the world’s oldest planting of Cinsault. The 25 acres of organic Cinsault are ungrafted, head-trained and dry-farmed.

• Grape Varietal: Cinsaut

• Appellation: Mokelumne River, Lodi, San Joaquin County

Jessie’s Grove “Royal Tee” Vineyard

The 5-acre Royal Tee vineyard at Jessie’s Grove near the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta town of Lodi has endured for 128 years. Originally planted in the midst of 320 loamy, oak-studded acres by pioneer Joseph Spenker and named for his daughter Jessie, the property is now farmed by Greg Burns, Spenker’s great great grandson. The gnarly vines, resembling stunted oaks, are comprised of 86 percent head-trained Zinfandel, with a field blend of Black Prince, Flame Tokay and Mission grapes. The last jewels in the treasure chest are ancient Carignan vines.

• Grape Varietals: Zinfandel, Carignan, Black Prince, Flame Tokay and MIssion

• Appellation: Mokelumne River, Lodi, San Joaquin County