About Us:
The remote 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 frugal 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 flavored 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 flavors and a pronounced sense of place.
History:
Commercial winegrowing on Sonoma's Mayacamas
Mountains, home to Moon Mountain Vineyard, began in 1857 when Agoston Haraszthy--often
called the father of the California wine industry--bought 560 acres stretching from the
Sonoma Valley floor high up the mountain range. In 1886, Samuel Goldstein built a winery
and grew grapes on the mountain at what is now Monte Rosso Vineyard, just below where we
are today. Winegrowing in this region died out in the early twentieth century, largely due
to an outbreak of Phylloxera, but in 1938 the Louis Martini family of Napa Valley revived
the area when they purchased the Goldstein Ranch Vineyard and renamed it Monte Rosso
Vineyard, after its red volcanic soils.
Various individuals owned the Moon Mountain property until 1972 when a vineyard management
company bought it and named it Glen Ellen Vineyard, after the small town that sits in the
valley below. During the 1970s Glen Ellen Vineyard sold Cabernet Sauvignon to Chateau St.
Jean, Ridge and Kistler. The grapes were so sought after that Chateau St. Jean and Ridge
featured Glen Ellen Vineyard on their labels, making their Cabernets some of the first
vineyard-designate wines in Sonoma.
Glen Ellen Vineyard was acquired by a group of investors who planned to divide it into
five different parcels and sell the grapes. However they eventually decided to build a
winery and make their own wine. They had an architect design the unique twin-turreted
winery we have today, hired a winemaker and dug out fifteen thousand cubic meters of
volcanic rock to create wine cellars for barrel aging.
With debts mounting, the investors approached Chalone Wine Group (CWG) about buying the
property. In 1981 Glen Ellen Vineyard became part of CWG, and in 1982 it was renamed
Carmenet, an archaic French term used to describe the Bordeaux grape varietals.
Purchasing Glen Ellen Vineyard ran contrary to CWG's original business plan. This winery
was best suited to growing and producing Bordeaux varietals, while the company's goal at
that time was to focus on Burgundian varietals. Yet CWG cofounders Dick Graff and Phil
Woodward had the vision to understand that this location, soil composition, climate and
slope would ultimately produce some of the finest Cabernet Sauvignon in Sonoma County.
As Carmenet grew, it produced wines under a Carmenet label, Carmenet Moon Mountain label
and Carmenet Dynamite. To eliminate consumer confusion, in 2001 Carmenet was split into
three distinct brands: Moon Mountain Vineyard, Dynamite Vineyards and Carmenet Vineyards.
This separation increased visibility for all three brands in the marketplace. When CWG
subsequently analyzed its entire portfolio, it became clear that focusing on Moon Mountain
Vineyard and Dynamite Vineyards was the best way to achieve its future goals. Thus, in
2002 the company sold the Carmenet brand name.
CWG retains ownership of the estate winery and vineyard where Carmenet began and has
renamed it Moon Mountain Vineyard. The company also continues to own Dynamite Vineyards.
On February 8,2005 all of the wineries of CWG, including Moon Mountain Vineyard, were
acquired by Diageo, the world's leading premium drinks business with an outstanding
collection of beverage alcohol brands in the spirits, wine and beer categories.
The Vineyard:
Moon Mountain Vineyard's terroir - 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. The whole certification process took
a little over three months but we believe it was worth it. Today we can say with
conviction that our organic farming practices have resulted in better balanced soils and
vines and more flavorful 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 microflora that slowly release nutrients to
the roots of the vines, leading to better flavor 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 neighboring
farms.
At Moon Mountain Vineyard, we believe a healthier vine produces more flavorful fruit, much
as a vine-ripened tomato is more flavorful than a hothouse-grown one, The combination of
organic farming practices and mountainside growing conditions produces grapes that are
intense in color as well as flavor. The result of these efforts can be seen and tasted in
our wines and that is where it truly matters.
Moon Mountain Vineyard
1700 Moon Mountain Drive, Sonoma, CA 95476
Part of the Diageo Chateau & Estate Wines Family