Vineyards

       Welcome to our Russian River Valley estate vineyard. We planted this vineyard in 1999-2000 with the goal of producing world-class Chardonnay fruit and thus, world class wines. Winemaking truly begins in the vineyard. It begins before planting when a decision has to be made regarding the proper clone of fruit paired with the proper rootstock. To aid in this selection, trenches are dug throughout the proposed vineyard, and soil samples are sent to a laboratory for thorough analysis. These results will be used to assess the vigor and indicate if a drought resistant rootstock is preferable to a moisture loving rootstock. All of these decisions influence the final glorious product, wine.

      Each of our vines is touched by hand a minimum of 7 times during the year, this enables us to keep close observation for potential problems. Richard Foppoli has a degree in Biology which helps him fully understand the dynamics involved in having the proper balance with nature. Rather than having man-made controls, we encourage birds of prey to do my work; we have a number of old trees that serve as a sort of sanctuary for these animals. There are hawks, falcons, and owls in abundance to control the natural pest population as well as fox’s, coyotes and raccoons. Proper sustainability is key to proper stewardship of the land. We also employ a small herd of cattle to keep weed growth/ fire hazards in control as well as naturally fertilizing the vineyard and producing the cutest calves around.   

Call ahead and make an appointment for a private vineyard tour and understand why our wines are so special and meet the Foppoli Family.