the Land
The Sophie James vineyard estate is situated at the very top of Sonoma Mountain, above the Northern California towns of Petaluma and Glen Ellen, with 360-degree views of the San Francisco Bay Area. On a clear day, the Pacific Ocean, Mount Tamalpais, San Francisco, the bay, Mount Diablo, the Central Valley, Sonoma Valley, Mount St. Helena, and even the foothills of the Sierra Nevadas are all visible from the Mountaintop. The Sophie James estate vineyards sit on ancient land that is deeply-rooted in history.
The elders of the native Coast Miwok tribe considered this land sacred and named the mountain Oonapais (the sister mountain to Mount Tamalpais). The Eastern section of the property forms the mouth at the top of the Valley of the Moon, author Jack London's favorite place on Earth (after Yosemite).
the Vineyard
We’re passionate advocates of organic farming and take pride in partnering with knowledgeable farmers and top viticultural experts to create wines representative of our distinct Sonoma terroir and Mountaintop estate Pinot Noir vineyards.
The Sophie James estate vineyards are planted to five acres of Pinot Noir, rooted deep in the ancient volcanic and red loam clay soils. The vineyards are located on the very top of Sonoma Mountain, roughly 2,340 feet in elevation at the highest summit - 700 feet above the Bay Area fog line - and see cooler springtime temperatures than the regions below.
Bud break, the beginning of the vine’s lifecycle, starts much later than that of the vineyards on the valley floor. As the temperatures heat up in the summer, the ripening of the estate vines catch up with the vineyards below the fog, and harvest is typically only a few weeks behind the vineyards at lower elevations.
The vineyard’s distinct terroir, a combination of its soil, the Mountaintop’s high elevation, extreme climate and severe weather fluctuations (temperatures can range from triple digits in summer, to snowfall in winter) - coupled with organic farming, all contribute to the perfect storm for premium-quality fruit bearing the unique aromatic and flavor profiles of Northern California’s rare coastal mountaintop vineyards.
