Saracina Vineyards

Saracina is a 600-acre bio-diverse property encompassing three ranches located in Hopland, California.  With 300 acres in vineyards, the property’s openness and unspoiled yet well-tended beauty are unique in Mendocino County.  The main ranch is home to Saracina Vineyards, a small-production, state-of-the-art, California Certified Organic (CCOF) winery. This winery also houses the first wine caves in Mendocino County, carved out of solid rock over a two-year period. Saracina was named after a centuries-old farmhouse and vineyards in Tuscany, where owners John Fetzer and Patty Rock spent their honeymoon in the late 1990s. Award-winning architect Michelle Wempe and noted Bay Area landscape designer Roger Warner have created an East-West fusion aesthetic in the architecture, art and landscaping of the property which balances rusticity with stylish modernism.

Saracina Ranch is ideal for their style of winegrowing and creative blending.  The 300 acres of vineyards are comprised of 21 distinct blocks, which comprise of at least a dozen different aspects and numerous soil types.  The blocks are either CCOF-certified organic or farmed bio-dynamically. The vines are hand-tended and observed to maintain the vigor of the plants.  At Saracina, they strive to be winegrowers in the European tradition, understanding that great wines are made in the vineyard. 

Reminiscent of the rural character of Napa Valley 25 years ago, the ranches are populated with sheep and goats roaming the hillsides, groves of 100-year-old olive trees, pomegranate orchards, bamboo gardens, hiking trails, a wild azalea canyon, organic vegetable gardens, and four ponds that attract herons, Canadian geese and myriad animal life.  The owners are committed to preservation of the land and the rivers rather than clear-cutting every available acre for the vineyards. This includes the Russian River, which runs through one of the ranches. Saracina welcomes visitors to come drink in their majestic views and their wines.