Our Vineyard Partners
We are constantly searching for great vineyards in the best possible appellations to produce all the varietals for August Briggs wines. From the warm red volcanic soils of Lake County’s Red Hills to the steep mountain vineyards of Napa Valley to the coolest areas of the Sonoma Coast, the grapes these vineyards produce are among the finest in California.
Luvisi 1908 Zinfandel vineyard - portraits of a 100-year-old vine throughout the growing season:
Frediani Vineyard - Calistoga, Napa Valley
Rocky loamy soils lie beneath this northern Napa Valley vineyard. Located outside of Calistoga on the Silverado Trail, just south of the winery, the Frediani family’s non-irrigated, old vines yield very small clusters of intense fruit. We source Petite Sirah, Zinfandel, Charbono and Pinot Meunier from this excellent family property.
Luvisi Vineyard - Calistoga, Napa Valley
Another of our great Calistoga neighbors, the Luvisi family provides us with some wonderful old vine Zinfandel, from a vineyard planted in 1908. These old vines do not produce great quantities of clusters, but the flavors are intense and full of character.
Corbett Vineyard - Spring Mountain, Napa Valley
This rocky, steeply terraced vineyard is just west of St. Helena on Spring Mountain, at an elevation approximately 1000 feet above sea level. We harvest Cabernet grapes from two blocks here; the highest elevation block on the property, which is dry farmed old vines, and a newer block slightly below it.
Page-Nord Vineyard - Yountville, Napa Valley
Rocks and loam comprise the alluvial soils of Page-Nord, located on the Napa Valley floor just south of Yountville. Well known for its high quality Syrah, we select fruit from 10 year-old vines in a two acre block planted to the Phelps clone and clone #174. Grapes from this site have the characteristics of cool climate Syrah, with spice, cherry, mineral and licorice notes.
Stagecoach and Haystack Vineyards - Atlas Peak, Napa Valley
These vineyards are both at high elevation on Atlas Peak in the southeast area of Napa, far above the valley. We have selected Cabernet from both of these vineyards in our Napa Cabernet for classic flavors and structure that comes from mountain grown grapes.
Sinskey Vineyard - Carneros
This organic vineyard is located near Cuttings Wharf on the Napa side of Carneros. The young vines are Dijon #115 clone, which are well-suited to the clay loam soils and level terrain.
Green Island Vineyard - Napa Valley
Green Island is in the far south of Napa Valley, very close to San Pablo Bay. Just outside of the Carneros appellation, the climate is similarly breezy, foggy and cool from the bay’s influence. We get clone 777 and other “Dijon” clones of Pinot Noir from this vineyard that provide classic Pinot flavors and texture.
Two Moon Vineyard - Dry Creek Valley
Far above Sonoma County’s Dry Creek Valley to the west is this mountain vineyard that gives us intense, small-berried Cabernet. This Cabernet is a bit more tannic and structured in its youth, with a unique mineral/ graphite character that adds to the complexity of this wine.
Lazy W Vineyard - Russian River Valley
This vineyard is planted to Clone 4 and Wente selection Chardonnay, with vines over twenty-five years old. The fruit ripens late in this cold climate vineyard, which is planted on rocky, alluvial soils along Westside road as the Russian River turns westward towards the coast, near Williams-Selyem and Rochioli properties.
Archer Vineyard - Russian River Valley
Just east of Windsor in the Russian River Valley on Eastside Road, this vineyard provides us with the Jackson clone of Pinot Noir. The vineyard is gently sloped for optimal sun exposure in this cool climate.
Dutton Vineyard - Green Valley
This vineyard lies just east of Sebastopol in the cool Green Valley of Sonoma County, renowned to be the coolest part of the Russian River Valley. The entire vineyard is approximately 15 acres, from which we select clone 113 and Pommard clones for our Russian River Pinot.
Cummings Vineyard - Russian River Valley
The Laguna area of the Russian River Valley, just west of Santa Rosa, has become known for its high quality Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. This is a gently rolling site in a moderate Russian River climate. Three terrific Dijon clones of Pinot Noir are grown here: 115, 667 and 777.
Hedin Vineyard - Russian River Valley
This tiny one and one-half acre block is planted on a hillside just off of Westside Road in the Russian River Valley. Planted to Davis clones of Pinot Noir, it produces fruit with ripe, lush flavors consistent with the warmer part of the valley.
Black Rock Ranch - Red Hills, Lake County
Black Rock Ranch is a unique place in the assortment of vineyards that we use for August Briggs wines. The Red Hills appellation of Lake County, just north of Napa County, is just to the south of Mt. Konocti and Clear Lake, which dominate the geography of the county. From volcanic eruptions eons ago, the soil in this area is very red from iron content, and it is also laced with obsidian, which is like black glass. In Black Rock ranch, the soils are almost non-existent, and the ground is really obsidian gravel with a bit of soil to hold it together. Very warm summer days, with cool nights, in this area are what Petite Sirah love in order to develop depth and complexity. The old-fashioned head trained vines help protect the developing clusters from too much sun.
Monte Rosso Vineyard - Sonoma Valley
This historic vineyard, first planted to grapes in the 1880s, is composed of volcanic deep red, rock-studded soil; Cabernet there is planted on terraces between 1200 and 1500 feet in elevation, far above the Sonoma Valley floor. The warm days and cool nights here combine with the beneficial southwest exposure to produce intense, concentrated fruit.
