By: Virginie Boone

Between Mother Nature and economic realities, keeping a vineyard healthy and thriving has its challenges. All the more remarkable is to sustain it over time at the highest levels of quality. These grand cru-worthy vineyards have stood the test of time, been reborn or otherwise remain extraordinary tributes to time, place and good farming.

Bedrock Vineyard

In the heart of what Jack London fondly called Valley of the Moon, Bedrock is a 152-acre plot of grapes in Sonoma Valley owned and farmed these days by Morgan Twain Peterson, who founded Bedrock Wine Co. in 2007 after taking over the vineyard in 2005. It was originally founded in the 1850s by General “Fighting Joe” Hooker and General William Tecumseh Sherman, but was hit hard by phylloxera in the 1880s and went into decline. It was replanted in 1888 – among the first vines to be grown on phylloxera-resistant rootstock – by the father of publisher William Randolph Hearst, United States Senator George Hearst, who made his fortune in mining. Grapes went to the California Wine Association until Prohibition hit; they then went to Valley of the Moon Winery when it was owned by the Parducci family. By 1953 some 152 acres of it were called Madrone Ranch and owned by the Domenicis. Bedrock continues to make wine from Hearst’s century-old vines, which are mostly Zinfandel, with a myriad of other varieties like Mataro, Petite Sirah, Carignan, Grenache and other types of grapes, both red and white.

Donum Estate

Newly certified regenerative organic, Carneros-based Donum farms 200 acres atop rolling hills and was founded in 2001. The focus has always been Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, and the winery has developed its own clone as well as planted heirloom selections, splitting the vineyard into 25 distinct blocks and sub-blocks. Viticulturist Anne Moller-Racke looked after Donum from its founding, which had been part of Buena Vista Winery’s holdings at the time that were sold off. In 2011 Allan and Mei Warburg bought the property and added a significant amount of art, creating one of the world’s biggest private sculpture collections, with works from Richard Hudson, Louise Bourgeois, Ai Weiwei, Subodh Gupta and other major international talents dotted throughout the vines. Donum has also since added several more estate vineyards to its portfolio, including TFV near its estate, Churchview Vineyard near Bodega, Ten Oaks in Russian River Valley and Savoy in Mendocino’s Anderson Valley.

Hanzell Vineyards

One of California’s most historic estates, Hanzell dates back to the 1950s, set within the Mayacamas mountains just outside of the town of Sonoma in what is now the Moon Mountain District. Pinot Noir and Chardonnay are the primary grape varieties, originally planted in 1953. The first wines were made in 1957. Holistic farming practices began to be introduced to the 46 acres of vineyards in 2016, centered around the introduction of sheep, pigs, chickens and guard dogs – a Farm Series set of wines reflects the attention to biodiversity. Organic certification was granted in 2021, while 150 acres of wild and native grazing land are maintained around the vineyard.

Michael Mara Vineyard

A small, family-owned, organically farmed site between the town of Sonoma and the Sonoma Mountain range near Durell, Michael Mara was planted to Clone 4 Chardonnay, Syrah and a Zinfandel field blend by Steve Matthiasson and the Idell family in 2005-06, within both the Sonoma Valley and Sonoma Coast appellations. Flat, red-soiled and rocky, it’s a favorite of many small producers, from Matthiasson himself (who makes a California Claret-like Michael Mara Zin) to Broc Cellars, Iconic Wine, Maître de Chai and Ultramarine, the latter two of whom make a Blanc de Blancs, and of course, Idell Family Vineyards.

Pagani Ranch

The gnarled Zinfandel trunks so emblematic of times gone by make up the historic Pagani near Kenwood, along Highway 12 across from the Mayacamas. Planted by Angela and Felice Pagani in the 1880s and again in 1914, it remains in the family to this day, farmed by fourth-generation Dino Pagani Amantite, who continues to sustain the 30 acres of head-trained grapes for the likes of Ridge (who have made a Pagani Ranch wine since 1991), St. Francis, Robert Biale, Seghesio, Carlisle and Bedrock. Among the field blend can be found Lenoir, Petite Sirah, Grand Noir, Alicante and other varieties.