History
The ranch entered its current life in 2016, when its vines were grafted to a suite of alpine and Loire varieties for Pax, with a first vintage bottled in 2018. It has since become the county's reference point for these grapes, with Pax bottling Bearg Ranch Trousseau Noir, Gamay Noir, Mondeuse and a Pineau d'Aunis.
The Site
A steep hillside parcel on Alpine Road in the Mayacamas Range within the Fountaingrove District, farmed biodynamically above the northeastern edge of Santa Rosa.
Vines and Blocks
Trousseau Noir, Gamay, Mondeuse, Poulsard and Pineau d'Aunis on the 2016 grafts.
The Wines
The Bearg Ranch bottlings are Sonoma's clearest look at the light-red mountain tradition: pale, peppery, chillable wines with real tannic sinew, made in tiny lots and sold mostly through Pax's library.