Our Story

When this land was purchased in 1989, we were unaware of the history or its potential future. Our Ridgetop, which we later learned was known during the Gold Rush as Russell Hill, was home to some 400 miners, many of whom left behind belongings for us to discover as we turn and dig the soils. The site is littered with gold mines, ventilation shafts, and hand-stacked rocks walls where creeks were diverted all in the search for gold. The unforgiving rocky hilltop is also home to the ancient Mokelumne River channel, which runs perpendicular through our main vineyards.

The winery itself sits just below 3000 feet elevation, within a box canyon facing due West. Facing West allows the delta breeze to cool our vineyards in the evening, as well as providing us protection from the frost in the early spring, which is important at our elevation. Winters will bring us up to two feet of snow!

Our unique Rhône-esque terroir and our passion for growing and making wine has given us an amazing opportunity to produce wonderful, limited quantity wines unlike any other wines in our region.

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