There’s no hustle or bustle at Lynmar Estate. Set just a few miles from downtown Sebastopol, the Russian River Valley winery has a knack for whisking visitors away from everyday life with natural beauty and warm hospitality.
The story
San Francisco native Lynn Fritz spent his childhood summers on the Russian River. In 1980, as the founder of a global logistics company, he bought Quail Hill Vineyard near Sebastopol as a family retreat.
The Russian River Valley property came with 30 acres of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay vineyards, which officially made Fritz a grape grower. Winemakers Merry Edwards, then working at Matanzas Creek, and Tony Soter, at Etude, were among his early clients.
Fritz had no intention of starting a winery of his own, but perhaps the story of the estate’s original owner had a subtle influence: Gold Rush prospector Lewis Meyer made the first wine at the site in the 1880s. With the help of winemaker Daniel Moore, Lynmar Estate produced its inaugural vintage in 1994.
Fritz and his wife, Anisya, made Quail Hill Vineyard their permanent home in 2008, and together they now run the day-to-day operations of the winery and tasting room. Over the years, Quail Hill’s Pinot Noir and Chardonnay plantings have expanded to 44 acres, all certified organic. The winery produces about 10,000 cases a year…