Bonterra Vineyards

At Bonterra, we passionately believe that organic grapes make better wine. Bonterra has been producing wine from 100% organically grown grapes since 1993. All of our grapes are grown using certified organic practices, such as composting, cover crops, and biodiversity. These organic practices produce grapes that offer a quality of fruit and vibrancy of taste that allows us to create wines that express the purity and intensity of each varietal’s unique character. You can taste our natural commitment to producing the wines of great taste and excitement in every sip of Bonterra, which is why we believe our wines are among the very best you’ll experience.

Mendocino County is heaven on earth for grapes. Hot, dry summers, rich soils, and a diversity of plants and wildlife also make it an ideal place to grow organically. And we’re not the only ones who think so. Twenty-five percent of grapes grown in Mendocino County is farmed organically, versus around three percent in California wine growing overall. We’ve been growing organically since 1987 and now farm 915 acres, all within a 30-mile radius of our home, McNab Ranch.

All those things that make our grapes so happy—cover crops and biodiversity and the like—also make our vineyards downright eye candy. Compared to conventional vineyards, which are monocrops (i.e., just grapes), you’ll find olive trees, a huge variety of poppies, and strands of lavender wafting in the breeze.

McNab Ranch

McNab Ranch’s 378 acres are nestled into a box canyon, with steep hills and rolling valleys in between. It’s a place where grapes love to grow, and there’s so much diversity within the canyon that each block, each row, each section of vines has its own sense of terroir. And its own sense of what, specifically, it needs to thrive.

Butler Ranch

If you look up from McNab Ranch, you’ll just barely see a block from Butler Ranch climbing the foothills at 1,500 to 2,200 feet. Every block at Butler Ranch was built from scratch by vineyard director Dave Koball and lead winemaker Bob Blue to showcase the distinct varietals that paired best with the qualities of each area (these vineyards were also designed as certified Biodynamic® from the outset).

The inspiring elevation is just the beginning of Butler Ranch’s special story. Formally a you-pick cherry farm, it was known as the locals’ paradise and a place that drew people from hundreds of miles around for a day to pick, swim, fish and picnic. Agriculture that cannot survive on the valley floor thrives here because of the more temperate climate which the locals enjoyed as a respite from the 100° plus days on the valley floor. Of the more than 700 acres that we own, only about 90 are planted. That leaves plenty of breathing room for natural biodiversity including porcupines, deer, pigs and even the occasional bear. This makes Butler Ranch one of our most unique and impressive vineyards.

The Heron's Reach

The Heron's Reach vineyard gets its name from its long-time residents: 20 plus blue heron who stop by every year for nesting. The tall trees are perfect for the support and safety of their nests, while the tranquil stretch of river attracts them to this idyllic spot. And the river brings something else to the vines. Hot Mendocino days are tempered by the cool, coastal fog snaking up the river at night, which makes a perfect home for our white Burgundy and Rhone varietals. It’s a great example of nature and vines coexisting beautifully.

Ever tasted an heirloom tomato picked fresh off the vine? Then you know you don’t need to do much to embellish its natural beauty. That pretty much sums up our approach to winemaking. Talk to Bob and Jeff, our winemakers, about making wine and they’ll inevitably lead the conversation back to grapes. They are fervent believers that the healthier the vines, the better and more flavorful the fruit, which naturally leads to superior wine. “It’s the basics of organic,” says Jeff. “You start with the best quality fruit, and then you don’t do much to it … the hardest part is showing restraint.”

In fact, Bob and Jeff work quite closely with the viticulture team in the vineyard. They can control how fruit forward a wine is partially through sun exposure, for example, simply by controlling the canopy (how many leafy branches are left on the vine to shade the fruit) and shoot position (where those leafy branches come out of the vine). In this way, Bob and Jeff work with Dave, their right hand in the vineyards to constantly hone the palate they have to work with in order to grow, vinify and blend wines that they believe are the truest expression of the varietal.

Bob Blue is a pioneer in the organic wine arena and the founding winemaker for Bonterra, with deep roots in Mendocino’s vineyards. Ironic, given that he grew up in a family of tee‐totalers in Lake County, California. His first taste of wine, in fact, happened on another continent. Bob joined the Army after high school and his world was opened when traveling through Germany as a GI. The first sip of wine, a slightly sweet Riesling paired with a roast chicken, had Bob hooked. When he saw a TV program on the winemaking program at the University of California at Davis, Bob knew he’d found his calling.

After graduating from UC-Davis, Bob joined Mendocino County’s McDowell Valley Vineyards and progressed through the lab and cellar. He moved on to become winemaker at the custom crush San Martin Winery where he worked closely with growers and other winemakers, honing what would become a key trait in Bob’s approach: collaboration. In l988 Bob joined what he now calls “Fetzer University,” where he apprenticed and was mentored by legendary California winemakers Paul Dolan and Dennis Martin. He traveled to Bordeaux and Burgundy, and on to Australia and the Rhone, broadening his knowledge and sense of style. As General Manager of Fetzer’s Hopland Winery, he continued to influence winemaking and was made Red Varietal winemaker before being named winemaker for Bonterra.

Bob’s first vintage with Bonterra—indeed the first Bonterra vintage, essentially a field blend from the organic vineyards in Mendocino County—was in 1990 and was released in 1992 under the Fetzer Organic label. Two years later, Bonterra debuted under its own name. Today, Bonterra is the leading California wine made with organic grapes and Bob Blue is arguably the most recognized winemaker in the organic community. He favors “Heritage Organic” vineyards, and strives to craft wines that are well balanced, with deeply concentrated flavors and layers of texture and complexity.

Much like the man himself.