Tag: farm

Tucked away in the hills of Santa Ynez Valley, Pence Ranch is a small artisanal winery dedicated to producing world-class wines that highlight the unique complexity of Santa Barbara terroir.

Proprietor Blair Pence founded the winery out of his longtime passion for Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, particularly those produced in Burgundy, France. He traveled there often to learn how the region’s renowned wines are created, and then began searching for a suitable site to cultivate cool climate grapes of his own. In 2004, he finally found the perfect property: a 200-acre ranch on the western edge of Santa Barbara County.

The story of Ancient Oak Cellars is about families working together. It begins on Siebert Ranch in the Russian River Valley, where Ken Moholt and Siebert’s grandfather, Henry Siebert, started planting grapevines about 20 years ago. When Ken and his wife Melissa acquired the land, they decided that instead of selling the grapes, they would farm the vineyard and make their own wine. In 2006, they founded their winery with a few hundred cases of Russian River Valley Pinot Noir made from Siebert Ranch grapes.

Long before grapevines were planted on the hilltop at Buttonwood Farm Winery & Vineyard, it was home to horses, goats, and chickens; trees bearing fruit, nuts, and olives; and gardens filled with vegetables, herbs, and flowers. And long before the words "sustainable" and "organic" were part of the common vernacular, they were ardently practiced here.

The farm has been operating since the 1800s. Buttonwood Farm—named after the buttonwood, a sycamore tree native to the area—was purchased by Betty Williams in 1968.

Tucked in a quiet spot, just two miles south of the flag pole in downtown Los Olivos, California, Beckmen Vineyards has spent the last two decades earning its reputation as one of the nation’s premier producers of Rhône varietals.

The winery was founded in 1994 by Tom Beckmen and his son Steve. Tom, who grew up on a farm outside of Chicago, began searching for promising vineyard property in the early 1990s. He purchased an existing small winery on 40 acres and established Beckmen Vineyards. Two years later, Tom and Steve purchased another parcel: an amazing unplanted 365-acre Santa Ynez Valley ranch.

Michael McCay, owner of McCay Cellars, says he has a simple goal: to make wine with a sense of presence and character that expresses the trueness of the vineyard. Unlike many of his colleagues in Lodi who are multigenerational farmers, Michael is a relative newcomer. He has only farmed there for 35 years. He came to Lodi in the early 1980s, planted a vineyard, started making wine in 1994, and launched the McCay Cellars label in 2007.

Winegrape growing is nothing new to LangeTwins Winery and Vineyards. As part of a generational farm family dating back to the 1870s, twin brothers Randall and Brad Lange grew up with the family passion for farming. With determination, they have made their ranch a benchmark vineyard property within the Lodi, California appellation.

The LangeTwins family is generational because of its focus on sustainable farming. More than three decades ago, the twins made improvements in and around the vineyards that benefited the entire ecosystem. Today, the family continues to show considerable initiative both at its vineyard locations and the winery.

Located in the eastern part of the acclaimed Yakima Valley AVA, in Prosser, Washington, Kestrel Vintners has built a solid reputation by fully anticipating its customers’ desires. Like its excellent wines, the winery’s success story begins in the vineyard. Kestrel View Estate Vineyard is home to the oldest continually producing Chardonnay block in the state of Washington, as well as Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot plantings dating back to 1972, and many more varieties.