LAND
VINEYARDS
Great WINE comes from great JUICE which comes from great GRAPES that come from, great VINEYARDS that are tended by great FARMERS
You truly do need the best soil and the best souls growing your grapes. Soil and soul are two very important parts of making incredible wines. When picking the right dirt and people you want to be with the best family farmers. We are thrilled to have two of the very, very best family farmers in Sonoma grow grapes for us.
DUTTON RANCH
RUSSIAN RIVER VALEY
You can’t argue that the Duttons aren’t serious family farmers. This family has been farming in Sonoma since 1881. Their first vineyard plantings in 1967 helped to establish the Russian River and Green Valley AVAs as two of the world’s great appellations for growing Burgundian varieties – Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.
For 8 decades the family was known for the prunes, apples and pears they sold from a fruit stand in Santa Rosa. It took almost 90 years for them to start growing wine grapes. We have great-grandson Warren Dutton Jr. to thank for getting them out of prunes and into wine. His Chardonnay vineyard was one of the original Chardonnay vineyards in the Russian River region.
After almost 50 years of farming wine grapes, the Duttons run one of Sonoma County’s most acclaimed vineyard operations. Steve and Joe Dutton, the 5th generation of their family, boast the most widely recognized Chardonnay vineyard in California and one of the best sources for Pinot Noir. No arguing that the Duttons are one of the Best Family Farmers in Sonoma.
SANGIACOMO VINEYARDS
SONOMA CANEROS
Speaking of great family farmers, now we get to brag about another family farmrming in Sonoma, the Sangiacomos. They don’t go back quite as far as the Duttons, just 90 years to 1927, but they share the same number of years farming wine grapes. Both families made bold moves to convert orchards to vineyards, moves that deomonstrate that they are pioneers in Sonoma County.
Vittorio Sangiacomo purchased 52 acres of fruit trees in 1927 and farmed pears, cherries and prunes. Focused on production, he grew his land holdings and expanded his farming efforts. 40 years later, his sons, Ang & Buck, pulled out 600 acres of pear trees to plant a vineyard. In 1969 these brothers didn’t expect that they would become visionaries in wine grape farming in Carneros.
This family has farming in their blood. Now the 3rd generation carries on the Sangiacomo family motto “Respect the land and it will bear fruit.” They have established themselves as master viticulturists, renowned for the exceptional quality of their grapes
