B.Wise Estate moon mountain district
I was drawn to Moon Mountain after spending time in Italy, and I was looking for something that reminded me of that. This property is tucked right up against the historic Monte Rosso Vineyard and when I started drinking those wines, I realized, there’s a reason why these old Italians planted these vineyards a hundred plus years ago. This is a special place. This confirmed my instincts, knowing great wine could be made here.
The B. Wise Estate is perched on Moon Mountain in Sonoma County. Framed by stands of oak woodland, our vineyards look out over the entire Sonoma Valley, with a view down to San Pablo Bay in the south.
The Moon Mountain District has historically delivered respected Cabernets and has been planted to grapes since 1886. This ridge of the Mayacamas Mountains, bordering Mount Veeder to the east, lifts our vineyards up into the light, out of the fog.
Our west-facing slopes receive afternoon heat tempered by Pacific breezes—not too hot, not too cold. Our iron-rich, volcanic soils produce wines with tension, vibrancy, and a rare minerality.
“At B. Wise Vineyards, the really beautiful part about that vineyard location is being at the southern end of the valley, up on a plateau. Beautiful red soils all through that area. That type of ground is hard to replicate, not only in the state, but in the rest of the world.” — Garrett Buckland, Viticulturist
Ever since we planted the estate, back in the early 2000s, we’ve been honing our selection of rootstocks and clones to best express our site. We’ve been working with viticulturist Phil Coturri, whose pioneering work on organic farming has had a huge impact on fine wine and has helped us better understand our mix of soils and geology on Moon Mountain.
