Eaglepoint Ranch
A Sense of Place.
One of the most beautiful ranches and vineyards in Mendocino County straddles 1255 acres 1800 feet above Ukiah Valley. Casey Hartlip has been the caretaker of Eaglepoint Ranch up Mill Creek Road since the 1970s. He is one of the most respected grapegrowers in the business.
Hartlip, tall and lanky, affably manages the ranch with its… Read the rest
Drew Family Vineyards
A Lifestyle.
Walking through the apple orchard with Molly Drew on a balmy coastal day to see where the new vineyard will be planted, I was reminded of my own family’s arrival on the Mendocino coast in 1975. It felt reassuring (and a little nostalgic) to see the next generation of enterprising young people moving here to raise their families.… Read the rest
DnA Vineyards
When Dennis met Andrea.
He was a back-to-the-land hippie. She was destined for a life in medicine like her father, siblings, and relatives. He has a passion for growing things and a talented sense of taste. She has curiosity and an aptitude for business. He developed over the last forty years to become one of Mendocino County’s most renowned and… Read the rest
DeMuth Winery
High on a Mountaintop.
One of the best little wineries you probably never heard of sits 1600 feet on a south facing ridge above Anderson Valley. Part of the old Rickert sheep ranch belongs to Lyn and Chris Demuth (pronounced dee-mooth). The Demuths purchased 185 acres of the ranch in 1972. In 1985 they planted four acres in chardonnay grapes… Read the rest
Coro Mendocino
One Of A Kind Collaboration.
Eight years ago a group of Mendocino winemakers challenged themselves to create for the world a wine derived from Mendocino’s wine heritage, individual diversity and best grape varieties. These veteran winemakers with decades of experience created Coro Mendocino.
“Coro means chorus in Italian,” says third generation winemaker Greg Graziano of Graziano Family of Wines in… Read the rest
Cole Bailey Vineyards
A Class Act in Redwood Valley.
It might seem that a winery which uses a name spoofing the use of long pompous words isn’t serious. When you learn that one of the winery’s owners was the prototype for the character Otter in the movie classic Animal House you might think the winery is quirky.
While both the wine name and… Read the rest
Claudia Springs Winery
From Home Winemaker to Award Winning Pro.
A turkey ran beside the fence as I made my way up the gravel road to Claudia Springs Winery in Anderson Valley. It was trying to get over to its flock which was milling among the vines.
Claudia Klindt is not a turkey lover. And at the moment, Bob Klindt, whose lip was… Read the rest
Chase Vineyards
Enjoying the Fruit of their Labor.
Leroy and Mary Louise Chase represent many long time farmers, not only in Mendocino County but throughout California’s wine country. Grape growers who do it all themselves while working other jobs and raising kids, the Chases also give back regularly to the community. As we sit at the table in their comfortable home on… Read the rest
Cesar Toxqui
Multi-heritage Heirlooms.
Four years ago Cesar Toxqui, who was born in Mexico, and Ruth Andres Toxqui, from the Philippines, set in motion their dream to make small quantities of food friendly “Heirloom” wines and ultimately a destination in which to enjoy it all. They bottled their first wine, Cesar Toxqui Cellars Zinfandel in 2004.
Although he didn’t grow up with… Read the rest
Butow Vineyards
Passing it on.
Don and Judye Butow are in the twilight years of managing the vineyard which has been in the Butow family since 1946. Located on East Road in Redwood Valley, the vineyard is in the process of changing hands from one family’s legacy of hard work, community involvement and farming to another’s. Jose Castanon, who lives with his… Read the rest
Brutocao Cellars
Italian Style in Hopland.
The Brutocao family brings a sampling of the Italian lifestyle to Mendocino County. From the St. Mark’s Square (in Venice) lion on their wine label to their tasting room, restaurant and bocce courts, la dolce vita is what I found at Brutocao Cellars in Hopland.
Playing on a bocce team for the last few years at… Read the rest
Breggo Cellars
Tradition and Innovation.
“An advantage of being new,” says Douglas Stewart, winemaking proprietor of Breggo Cellars, “is you get to look at thirty years of winemaking history in Anderson Valley.”
Slim and energetic with reddish hair and a light sprinkling of freckles, Stewart, 40, is realizing a dream to be a farmer since his childhood in Sonoma. He and his… Read the rest
Bink Wines
“Dream Big, Act Now….”.
Two miles up the mountain northwest of Yorkville a magnificent Douglas fir tree shades a couple of lawn chairs. Hawk’s Butte rises behind. Seven acres of merlot and syrah vines green the golden hillside and encircle a pond below. The fir trees are nesting grounds for red tail hawks. This one is a granary tree. Thousands… Read the rest
Bells Echo
Sutton Family’s Big Adventure.
Like the homesteading Italians in the 1880s and the back-to-the-landers of the 1970s Lisa and Ron Sutton were drawn by the beauty of Mendocino County, the fresh air, acres to hike and bike and making a living from the land. Unlike their earlier counterparts, the Suttons were in search of a weekend place to spend quality… Read the rest
Baxter Winery
French Flavor from Mendocino Vines.
Two black and white magpies flit between the fence posts as I drive up the gravel driveway to Baxter Winery on Greenwood Ridge. The setting on this knoll is rustic and beautiful, with a stunning view of Signal Ridge and the last withering wisps of the lightning fires’ smoke along the horizon.
As I pull… Read the rest
Barra of Mendocino
Writing about Charlie and Martha Barra of Barra of Mendocino and Redwood Valley Cellars (and Vineyards) is seasoned with possibilities. Their contributions to the community are many, their stories plentiful, and their history in the Mendocino wine industry is long. “Very long,” as Charlie, with eyes twinkling under his cap, is quick to point out.
Sitting down with this energetic… Read the rest
Albertina Wine Cellars
In Synch with Nature.
The gate was open when I arrived at Zmarzly Family Vineyards, home of Albertina Wine Cellars, five miles up the mountain just west of Hopland. Inside the gate I noticed two deer munching grass and looking nonplussed as I drove past them. Knowing that deer are not welcome in vineyards, I felt compelled to mention their… Read the rest
Wine and Mushroooms
Going Wild.
As is true in other places of the world where wine and food grow together, Mendocino’s wine goes really well with local ingredients. That affinity includes wild mushrooms, something that the early Italian immigrants figured out pretty quickly.
“When I was six or seven years old, I went with my father to pick wild mushrooms all through the… Read the rest
Milovina Vineyards
Farmer Reality Check.
Surrounded by their manicured fish friendly farmed vineyards, a grove of mature and young olive trees, a compound of historic homes and farm buildings set against the western hills north of Hopland, the Milovina family shares some basic realities of their chosen livelihood. It doesn’t take long to dispel the myth that grape growing is a glamorous… Read the rest
Testa Ranch
Preserving a Name and Legacy.
A lovingly restored farmhouse and the first release of Testa Vineyards wines portray the five generations of the Testa family of Calpella as it segues into the future, Italian birthright firmly in place.
“We’re doing this to preserve our family heritage,” says Maria Testa Martinson, great-granddaughter of Gaetano and Maria Testa who established Testa Vineyards… Read the rest
