Bonny Doon Vineyard kicked off its adventure with a daring—if somewhat misguided—attempt to bring Burgundy vibes to California. But Randall Grahm soon discovered that the real magic lay in crafting distinctive and original wines using Rhône varieties right in the beautiful Central Coast. A delightful lesson learned (albeit by chance) was that blended wines absolutely flourish in a warm, Mediterranean climate. Who knew?

Fast forward to 1986, when Bonny Doon released its inaugural vintage of Le Cigare Volant (the 1984 vintage)—a playful homage to Châteauneuf-du-Pape. This wine quickly became the winery’s flagship starship brand, launching Bonny Doon into the hearts of wine lovers everywhere.

From that point, Bonny Doon Vineyard embarked on a wild ride of innovation! It led the charge in popularizing Rhône grapes across California and was the first to introduce cryo-extraction techniques for its whimsical “Vins de Glacière.” They also pioneered microbullage, embraced screwcaps for premium wines, and kicked off a true transparency revolution with ingredient labeling. Talk about a creative whirlwind that jazzed up the California wine scene—though it did come with a bit of a focus challenge!

As Bonny Doon grew, it became a home for fan-favorite brands like Big House, Cardinal Zin, and Pacific Rim, rocketing up to the 28th largest winery in the United States. But Randall had an epiphany—his beloved winery had drifted away from its original mission of making soulful, standout wines. While he relished those effortless restaurant reservations, he knew it was time for a change.

So, he bravely decided to part ways with the larger brands (Big House and Cardinal Zin in 2006, followed by Pacific Rim in 2010). With a fresh perspective, Bonny Doon Vineyard set out to create the unique and expressive wines that had always been its true passion. Wine lovers can now continue to enjoy this exciting evolution and savor the incredible wines that flow from this legendary vineyard.

At Rhys Vineyards we aspire to make great Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Syrah from some of California’s most unique and expressive vineyards. This pursuit has led us to search the state for exciting rocky soils that exist within the mountainous, cool, Coastal climate zone.  Over the last 15 years, we have developed seven estate vineyards, six in the Santa Cruz Mountains and one in Anderson Valley, each capable of producing uniquely compelling, distinctive, soil-driven wine.

Burrell School's origins date back to 1854 when Lyman J. Burrell settled the rough wilderness that is now home to Burrell Winery & Vineyard. Carrying on the more than 130 year old tradition at the School, David and Anne Moulton began development of the Estate Vineyard in 1973. At 1,600 foot elevation, the site faces the southwest. Soils are a complex mixture or loam and shale due to the close proximity of the San Andreas Fault. Nearby Monterey Bay brings warm days and cool nights The result is a unique microclimate, perfect for long, slow ripening of the grapes in the vineyard.

Big Basin Vineyards was founded in 1998 on an historic site in the Santa Cruz Mountains next to Big Basin Redwoods State Park. The old ranch property was first settled in the late 1800s. Wine grape cultivation had been started by French immigrants by the early 1900s and continued until 1965 when the property was sold by Justin Lacau, who had named the property "Frenchy's Ranch", to a timber company. By the 1990s, all that remained of the vineyards were redwood stakes and scattered vines hidden by brush and poison oak bushes. The mission has been to restore this historic vineyard site using modern, organic viticultural methods. The winery building was completed in December 2003 on the same site as the original 1890s house/winery structure which burned down in the 1970s. It is a 'Monitor'-style barn with a timber frame construction built using redwood selectively harvested from the estate.