About
The Ranch
The ranch has a continuous and evolving set of projects underway at all times. Visitors are encouraged to inquire in advance about topics of interest:
Grapes and Wine
Our pride lies in our exclusive Sonocaia estate vineyard, dedicated to cultivating Sagrantino grapes renowned for their exceptional quality. With meticulous care and craftsmanship, we transform these grapes into exquisite Sagrantino wines, offering a rich and indulgent experience for wine enthusiasts. Explore the distinctive flavors of our estate-grown Sagrantino wines, a testament to our passion for winemaking and the unique terroir of our vineyard in Sonoma, California.
Chickens and eggs
Our farm is home to a delightful assortment of laying hens, along with a proud rooster, ensuring a diverse flock. As a result, we frequently offer farm-fresh eggs that have been lovingly produced by our free-range hens, providing a truly authentic taste of our agricultural heritage.
Bees and Honey
During your visit, be sure to explore our diverse collection of hived bees sourced from wild swarms, Beekind, and Mann Lake. Keep an eye out for our exquisite estate honey, a delightful treat that showcases the unique flavors of our vineyard’s surroundings.
Olives and Oil
We take pride in the cultivation of our olive trees, both mature and new, which yield a fresh and vibrant estate olive oil. With great care and attention, we hand-harvest the olives at their peak, ensuring that every drop of our olive oil encapsulates the essence of the land. From drizzling over salads to enhancing the flavors of your favorite dishes, our estate olive oil is a testament to the quality and craftsmanship that define our family-run winery.
Rain Water Recapture
The ranch captures 100% of the rooftop rainwater, and a good deal of the water that falls on hardscape as well, and re-directs it into a series of irrigation tanks for use in all vineyard and farming activities.
Solar, electro-voltaics and passive energy
The roof of the guest house has a 9kV solar system which offsets almost all of the electricity needs of the ranch. And a series of passive solar collectors on the poolhouse roof heats the pool water for 9 months of the year without any electricity or gas usage.
Owl boxes
5 barn owl boxes are randomly located around the ranch. They are occupied or empty depending upon the season and habitat of the owls. Nesting season is typically March through August. These owls hunt at dusk and dawn, or all night when food supply scarce. And they do a greta job of keeping the rodent population under control.
Bat Boxes
To maintain a balanced ecosystem and control the insect population, we have strategically placed two bat boxes adjacent to the winery. These bat boxes prove particularly valuable during the early wet spring when insects in the seasonal wetlands are most active, ensuring a harmonious environment for both our winemaking process and the local wildlife.
Creek Restoration and Habitat
The ranch removed all fencing directly abutting the Arroyo Seco Creek, pulled a new fence with a 150 setback from the riparian corridor, and began building safe habitat for wild animals in the newly-created sanctuary. Visitors are welcome to walk the sanctuary. Just keep the gates closed at all times.
Compost
100% of kitchen, garden, and farming waste goes into our commercial-scale compost project. We routinely turn various sections of the compost with the grappler tractor component, assuring the entire lot is fully inverted each cycle. The result is nutrient-rich and fully-accessible compost which is spread into the vineyard, garden, and fruit orchard. The compost project reduces landfill, recycles waste, captures carbon, and provides improved pest protection to crops.
Fruit Orchard
Celebrating the rich history of Sonoma’s apples, Gravenstein apples take the lead in the orchard, followed by red delicious, and other fruit trees including fig, peach, cherry, and apricot. The orchard and bee hives are in the same location on the ranch assuring good pollination at flowering.