Yorkville Cellars

It was in the mid-eighties when after reading a Sunset magazine article about Mendocino County that we discovered this special place: a highland valley where the waters of the Russian and Navarro Rivers start and part, and where the giant coastal redwoods and valley oaks come together.

After our first visit to the area, we started looking for a property the following week. A number of them had small vineyards. We fell in love with the three ancient oaks on this property and were intuitively convinced that such a place would foster complex and richly favored grapes. So we secured a 110-acre ranch in the town of Yorkville (Pop. 317 – the sign said “Pop. 25” then…). There were already a few acres of neglected Sauvignon Blanc. With the help and dedication of our vineyard manager and the application of the latest organic practices, we restored those vines to fine, healthy plants. So the excellent quality of the small amount of fruit that these vines yielded became very encouraging. Over a few years, the vineyards were expanded to 30 acres and the first Yorkville Cellars estate wines were bottled in 1994.