Moon Mountain Vineyard in Sonoma, Sonoma County, United States | Wine | Winery | Wineries

Moon Mountain Vineyard, Sonoma, California, United States

Moon Mountain Vineyard is located high on the Sonoma Valley side of Mount Veeder, at nearly the 2,000-foot elevation. The steep, southern-facing slopes consist of soils called the Sonoma Volcanics, which are derived from rock, volcanic ash and lava. These soils, combined with the rigors of growing on the mountainside, push the vines to work harder, resulting in small, intensely flavoured fruit.

To balance these rugged conditions, we organically farm each row to gently enhance the complexity of the vineyard by creating a rich, healthy growing environment and produce grapes with pure flavours and a pronounced sense of place.

The terroir of Moon Mountain Vineyard - all of its environmental conditions from sun exposure, soils and slope to wind and rainfall - is considered to be nearly perfect for growing Cabernet Sauvignon and the other Bordeaux varietals that have been grown here since the late 1800s.

To further enhance our growing conditions, we have been organically farming this land since 1998. We began the move to organics, with the help of organic-vineyard consultant Phil Coturri, when we replanted following a 1996 wildfire that destroyed 60 percent of our vineyard. Moon Mountain Vineyard was certified organic by the California Certified Organic Farmers (CCOF) in January 2002, after completing an extensive review that included furnishing CCOF with historical records, system plans, maps, and soils and petiole analyses, followed by an inspection of the vineyards. Today we can say with conviction that our organic farming practices have resulted in better balanced soils and vines and more flavourful grapes.

As organic farmers we use no chemical herbicides or pesticides in our vineyards. All applications to the vineyards are done with natural materials. For example, because vines need nitrogen we plant nitrogen-rich legumes as a cover crop. We focus on feeding and enhancing the soils, because healthy soils are the key to healthy vines. Our soils are rich in organic material and active, living micro flora that slowly release nutrients to the roots of the vines, leading to better flavour development during hang-time. By creating a soil that is alive, organic farming enhances terroir.

Our estate is 286 acres, 73 of which are farmable. The large amount of land surrounding our vineyards further protects us from chemical drifts that may come from neighbouring farms.

At Moon Mountain Vineyard, we believe a healthier vine produces more flavourful fruit, much as a vine-ripened tomato is more flavourful than a hothouse-grown one, The combination of organic farming practices and mountainside growing conditions produces grapes that are intense in colour as well as flavour. The result of these efforts can be seen and tasted in our Wines and that is where it truly matters.

Our Sonoma County Wines are sustainably farmed - because not many vineyards in Sonoma adhere to the standards of organic farming and because we want to produce varietal Wines that are not currently made at the estate, we look for sustainably farmed vineyards to supply grapes for our Sonoma county Cabernet Sauvignon, Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay.