Bryn and Jeffrey Sherwood of Ellsworth Wines found their way to the California wine world from the Washington, DC suburbs of Maryland. They relocated to the West Coast to pursue their passions for wine and farming, eventually settling in Penn Valley, where their 1.5-acre home vineyard and winery are located. In addition to working their own vineyard, Bryn and Jeffrey have built relationships with landowners throughout Nevada County, exchanging labor for fruit. These partnerships allow them to farm vineyards of varying sizes, varieties, and terroirs.

Ellsworth Wines reflects their shared vision of participating in the vineyard ecosystem, doing their part not only to grow quality grapes and make delicious wines, but also to respect the land and vines while promoting biodiversity and soil health. Their vines are located in the northernmost reaches of Gold Country in the Sierra Foothills, at elevations of around 1,500 feet. The region’s dry, hot growing season is balanced by their no-till, dry-farmed practices, which allow the iron-rich clay soils to retain winter rainfall for vine access year-round.

Their goal in every vineyard is to leave it better than they found it, a process that requires rehabilitation and thoughtful farming. They do not use fertilizers, herbicides, or pesticides, whether synthetic or organic. All vineyard work is done by hand, including pruning, low-dose elemental sulfur applications, canopy management, and harvest. In the cellar, fermentations are carried out with native yeasts, without commercial winemaking products, and the wines are aged in used French oak barrels and stainless steel before bottling.