From an 1886 Cinsault vineyard to a 19th-century field blend in Sonoma, these historic sites produce some of the state’s most distinctive and fascinating wines.
“This vine has been in the ground more than half the total period that the United States has existed,” says Morgan Twain-Peterson, MW, owner and winemaker of Bedrock Wine Co. He’s showing a 138-year-old, own-rooted Cabernet Sauvignon in Bedrock Vineyard, a few minutes’ drive from his tasting room in downtown Sonoma.
“This arm from here to here is nine generations of people pruning,” he says.
Bedrock is one of more than 200 California vineyards registered by the Historic Vineyard Society (HVS), a nonprofit cofounded in 2011 by Twain-Peterson to document and preserve active vineyards where at least one-third of plantings are a minimum of 50 years old. He likens their enduring character to that of America. Each has forged connections across generations…