Our roots run deep in the Alexander Valley. Over nearly four decades of cultivating and nurturing our 2,500 acres nestled within the Mayacamas Mountains, we’ve witnessed countless cycles of regeneration and renewal. As stewards of this special piece of earth, we are keen to honor its past and guide its future.
Beginning in 1865, the land that would become Star Springs Ranch was stewarded by a pioneering family who grazed cattle and farmed hay through the turn of the century.
Upon discovery of a lime deposit in 1884, lime rock was mined here by the Sonoma County Lime Company on-and-off until 1937. Lime from the property was used in the construction of the Santa Rosa courthouse.
The ranch ownership changed hands after World War II. While the cattle continued to graze, the new owners raised thoroughbred racehorses in the mountain valleys.
The Ranch is purchased by its 3rd and current owners in 1986. Believing in the land’s superior grape growing terroir, research and planning were undertaken to put the first vines in the ground.
The first vineyard block, Cabernet Sauvignon, is planted on Star Springs Ranch, ushering in a new era for the land and continuing, and contributing to, the outstanding viticultural tradition in Sonoma County’s premier Alexander Valley AVA.
Star Springs Ranch is not only a premier vineyard operation – it is an ecosystem that supports varied wild flora and fauna and home to a growing collection of other agricultural endeavors. Olive groves, citrus and fruit orchards, along with plentiful blackberry vines, make for an abundance of produce throughout the year.
If you visit Star Springs, keep an eye out for an array of inhabitants. Among the California poppies, arroyo lupine, and charlock mustard, this land is home to wild turkey, pigs, black bear, fox, jack rabbits, coyote, bobcat and mountain lions. With miles of year-round streams running through the property, you can spot river otter, trout, and bass while red tail hawks, great horned owls, and bald eagles circle above.
