Estate Vineyards
All of our wines are 100% estate grown, produced, bottled, and cultivated in vineyards surrounding our home and winery in the Livermore Valley – one of California’s most historic and distinctive winegrowing regions. Just 40 miles east of San Francisco, Livermore has been producing acclaimed wines since the 1880s. Our estate vineyards are centered around Crane Ridge, one of the valley’s highest-elevation and most prestigious sub-AVAs, where rocky soils, cool breezes, and sweeping exposures shape wines of true character and finesse.
Welcome to Crane Ridge
Crane Ridge
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Rooted in Livermore Valley
Livermore’s terroir is especially suited to Sauvignon Blanc and Cabernet Franc. With striking similarities to France’s Loire Valley, it’s no surprise these varietals thrive here. As noted in the World Atlas of Wine, Livermore’s “windswept, dry gravels” produce “perhaps the most individual style” of Sauvignon Blanc in the state.
We’ve championed the rare “Musqué” clone of Sauvignon Blanc, creating vibrant, aromatic wines. And our clonal work with Cabernet Franc has proven how beautifully it expresses Livermore’s gravel soils.
Beyond these signatures, we also grow Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and a mix of exciting, lesser-known varietals – Albariño, Primitivo, Grüner Veltliner, and more. Across every block, we farm with intention, letting the site guide the wine.
With its sunny days, foggy mornings, breezy afternoons, and cool nights, Livermore offers the perfect balance of ripeness, acidity, and complexity. In the cellar, Julian Halasz – a multigenerational winemaker from Hungary – brings a European touch focused on nuance, elegance, and food-friendly structure. The result: wines that reflect our true-to-terroir philosophy and the soul of this special place.
Explore Our Estate Vineyards
Crown Block, Crane Ridge
The original 10 acre vineyard block. Originally planted to a heritage clone of Merlot, Crown Block has since diversified to include Clone 337 Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot, and Albariño. Our Crown Block vineyard sits at the crown of the hills below Crane Ridge, with vines running north to south and draining in all four directions of the compass. The lower yield and higher concentrated berries allow for full development of sugar, which adds complexity and backbone, especially to the Bordeaux reds. The soil base beneath the vines is a rocky, clay bench, creating a unique terroir giving the wine an undertone of earthy structure. The north-easternmost stretch of Crown Block is sometimes affectionately called “Firepit Block,” as it sits next to the flagstone firepit that has inspired some of our most popular wines (and memorable parties, as longtime Firepit Society members may recall!)
Stone Patch Block, Crane Ridge
This block of Cabernet Franc vines lies along a fault line and is known for the quartz-rich boulders that mysteriously percolate up through the soil. Until recently, Malbec was planted in this vineyard too. No matter how often stones are cleared within the vine rows from the Stone Patch, they miraculously reappear each spring, churned up from the adjacent Greenville Fault. These tectonic soils tend to produce dynamic wines.
Deep End Vineyard,
Crane Ridge
Our newest planting on a Southwest facing slope, adjacent to Crown Block and Stone Patch Block. This is one of the highest altitude spots of Crane Ridge, with great sun exposure, producing wines that are Rhone-ish and Mediterranean in style. Look forward to the Grenache Noir, Viognier and Primitivo that will hail from these new vineyards.
Triska Vineyard,
Crane Ridge
Triska Vineyard is the coolest site in Crane Ridge. It occurs on a north-facing slope, and experiences near constant breezes and a thick blanket of coastal fog in the morning. The vineyard slopes down into an arroyo, across from which sits a hazelnut orchard. The arroyo traps fog and cooling breezes, and you can see that budbreak and fruitset are delayed the further down the slope you walk. Very “Loire-like,” this is the perfect microclimate for Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay Grüner Veltliner, and Pinot Noir.
DeMayo Block, Triska Vineyard,
Crane Ridge
DeMayo Block is a tiny vineyard block inside of Triska Vineyard, at the warmer crest of Triska’s slope. This is the “crown jewel” microclimate for Chardonnay. Our DeMayo Chardonnay has earned acclaim as an opulent, tropical Chardonnay since 2008. This wine has been the house wine for the Four Seasons, and was featured by Michele Obama at the 50th First Lady’s Luncheon.
Lemmons Vineyard, Crane Ridge
Lemmons Vineyard is found on a south-facing slope of an arroyo that is bathed in morning fog, and graced with daily Pacific winds. It sits on the opposite side of the hazelnut orchard, across from Triska Vineyard, and is the northernmost vineyard of Crane Ridge. Only a tiny bit warmer than Triska Vineyard, it an especially incredible location for Cabernet Franc. Award-winning blocks of Sauvignon Blanc and Grüner Veltliner are also planted here, which are also made into incredible sparkling expressions of these varietals.
East Hill, Lone Hill Vineyard, Tesla Road
The Clone 30 Cabernet Sauvignon produced from the eastern side of Lone Hill consistently has a structured, nuanced quality. The block’s location on the East side means that it receives a little less of the afternoon sun and temperatures, but the main distinguishing factor probably lies in the soil itself. The relatively impoverished soil of the East Hill, due to a small landslide at the time of planting, causes the vines to struggle each year to receive nutrients. Struggling vines tend to produce complex wines that require more cellar time to open up.
West Hill, Lone Hill Vineyard, Tesla Road
The vines on the west side of Lone Hill are more exposed to the afternoon sun, ensuring that all the fruit is amply ripened. This is perfect for the Clone 30 Cabernet Sauvignon exclusively planted here. Interestingly, the fruit on the west side contains more pyrazines than any other Cab grown on the estate. Pyrazines are what make a ‘sauvignon “savage,” creating peppery and spicy notes.
Bing’s Barn Vineyard, Tesla Road
Sitting at the base of Lone Hill, this site is planted to sun-loving Clone 30 Cabernet Sauvignon and Petite Sirah. This allows for the creation of our signature “field blend Cabernet Sauvignon,” a Livermore Valley tradition of blending a small amount of Petite Sirah into the Cab to achieve an inky-dark and charismatic style. Bing’s Barn also includes two acres of Cabernet Franc, one acre of Malbec, and one acre of Sauvignon Blanc, a signature Livermore mix.
Peppertree Vineyard, Tesla Road
Fans of Old World wines will recognize a distinctive feature of Peppertree Vineyard: its head pruned. These Grenache Noir vines are grown and hand-pruned and tended in the Mediterranean style, as individual bushes. The name of the vineyard comes from the ancient Peppertree on the other side of the building.
