Our Story

Some days you just want to run away.  I imagined I would go to someplace rural, and sunny, maybe a place with some grape vines, lots of flowers and beautiful old trees.  A vine-covered pergola would be nice, a few honeybee hives, lots of birds.  I didn’t imagine mama sheep with their lambs or lovely chickens laying eggs for my breakfast.  Would be nice though.

Sometime, dreams do come true.  It did for me because of the Siebert Ranch, a 31-acre piece of heaven on the edge of Santa Rosa California. My husband’s grandparents owned the ranch and lived there for many years, raising sheep, tending a big garden, welcoming family when they came to visit.  Well into his 80’s, Henry Siebert began to plant grapes. “But they will take 3 to 5 years to mature and produce for you,”  his consultant-friend said. “I can hardly wait,” said Henry.

My husband Ken planted one of the five blocks of pinot noir grapes that now fill 15 acres of the place.  He knows the vines intimately, having pruned, tended, harvested and worried about them for quite awhile now.  Arnulfo helps him, working very hard and worrying over the grapes too.

My husband in his youth and our children today know the ranch and all its magic:  playing, riding horses, building, exploring around the big Ancient Oak - which lies at the center of our ranch - or the Magic Oak - which presides on the highest hill - planting seeds, reading in the hammock, and just messing around with cousins and friends who come to visit.

My part has been to learn wine.  Even though I was trained as a cellular neuroscientist and was working on a Ph.D. dissertation when called to the farm, I did not find wine easy!  Wine is truly a great mystery: one part earth, one part perspiration, one part science and a fourth part inspiration.  I am in love with the glorious finished products of the grape-growers here in Sonoma County.  Running away isn’t in the plan now - I’m home!