Bucklin

Founded in 1851, Old Hill Ranch is possibly the oldest vineyard in Sonoma. In 1981 it was purchased by Otto Teller, the stepfather of current winemaker Will Bucklin, and resurrected from a state of disrepair having become overrun with old cars, blackberry bushes and old bathroom fixtures. After several years of work the vineyard was back on track and in 1984 they began selling the grapes to Ravenswood for their acclaimed Old Hill Zinfandel. In 1998 the four Bucklin siblings decided to start their own winery so, after having interned at Lafite-Rothschild, worked at Hardy and Sons in Australia, Navarro winery in Mendocino, and being the winemaker at King Estate winery in Oregon, Will Bucklin returned to take over tending the vineyard and winemaking responsibilities at Old Hill Ranch.

The 24 acre Old Hill vineyard is a classic California field blend composed mostly of Zinfandel, about 77%, and the remaining third being a mix of Grenache, Alicante Bouchet, and a least a dozen other varieties (Tannat, Trousseau, Colombard, Lenoir, etc…). The vineyard is both dry farmed and certified organic with yields that rarely exceed one and a quarter tons per acre.

The wines are aged in French oak, 40% new. After barrel aging for 19 months, the unfiltered wines are bottled by hand. Total production is around 2000 cases.

Here is a link to Will Bucklin’s blog: buckzin.wordpress.com

And a link to an interesting MAP of vineyard plantings.