Estate Vineyard

Very steep slopes characterize the 30 acres of vineyards surrounding the winery, which were planted by Greg Boeger from 1973 to the present.  The soil is shallow, composed of sedimentary shale, and the exposures face all compass points.  The elevation ranges from 2,100 to 2,300 feet.  This is on a 70 acre property that was the site of the original 1870’s vineyard of Giovanni Lombardo.  The main varieties in this vineyard are Barbera, Merlot, Zinfandel, Cabernet franc, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc and several others.

Ritchie Vineyard

This 1970 vineyard is one of the oldest plantings in El Dorado County.  It has 20 acres of head pruned Barbera grapes grown on a shallow, rocky soil at the 1,500 foot elevation near the town of El Dorado.  This site is comparable to the Piedmont region of Northern Italy, and so it is ideal for the Barbera.  Low yields and intense fruit characterize the grapes from this old vineyard.

  Photograph courtesy of Kurt Sowa

Fosatti Vineyard

Contiguous to the Estate Vineyard, this land was once part of the original ranch homesteaded in the 1850’s.  Justin Boeger spearheaded the conversion of 10 acres of the old pear orchard to vineyards in 1998, planting Zinfandel, Primitivo, Tempranillo, Cabernet and other varieties.  The Zinfandel was propagated from the old vines which survived from the 1800’s, and is the source of our “Old Clone” Zinfandel.  This is the vineyard at the entrance to the winery which is pictured on our home page.

Peek Vineyard

This 18 acre leased vineyard, planted by Greg Boeger in 1982, is situated in the agricultural area known as Apple Hill® at the 3,000 foot elevation.  The red, deep, fertile soil is of volcanic origin with gentle slopes and views of the snow capped Sierra Nevada Mountains.  Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc and White Riesling are planted on the cool East slope. The reds, Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir, Tempranillo, Cabernet franc and Merlot are planted on the warmer West slope.

Walker Vineyard

This vineyard is the source of the popular Walker Zinfandel. Located at 2100 ft. elevation on a decomposed granitic soil, the vines are over thirty years old and trained in the head pruned system. The vineyard is tended by Lloyd Walker who has produced stellar grapes since 1970.

Stonehouse Vineyard

We planted 10 acres of Barbera on a rocky ridge parallel to our estate vineyards at the 2,400 foot elevation.  It has volcanic soil and the land slopes gently southwestward for excellent air drainage.  The first harvest was 2008 and we have high expectations for the three clones of Barbera we selected for this site. This vineyard is named for the historic 1880’s field stone house that is a landmark on Mosquito Road near Placerville.

Pinot Grande Vineyard

High up in Camino, around 2,800 feet, is our newest vineyard.  It is named for the defunct old lumber mill up there, Pinot Grande (pronounced Pie-No), which featured a breathtakingly high cable that brought the logs across a steep gorge of the American River to the railroad on the other side.  We have planted five acres of Pinot Noir and Pinot Gris; and, maybe in the future, Pinot Blanc.  We have just harvested our first crop in 2008.