Nielson Vineyard with Hills in the background

Nielson Vineyard

Nielson Vineyard pays homage to its namesake, Uriel J. Nielson, who in 1964 planted the first commercial vineyard in Santa Barbara County, a region previously considered too cold to grow grapes. Known as a viticulture pioneer, Nielson didn’t heed warnings from neighboring farmers and didn’t flinch in his stance that Santa Barbara County could be one among the top winegrowing regions in the world.

From Nielson Vineyard, we are sourcing a California heritage Pinot Noir clone called Swan. This clone was named for Joseph Swan, who was a pioneer in the Russian River Valley. In the 1980s, Norm worked near Joseph Swan's vineyard in Russian River and for decades he's been curious about the intriguing fruit. He's delighted to finally have the opportunity to make his own expression from it. Norm was sold on the potential of the Nielson fruit after tasting a barrel sample of Bill Wathen's (Foxen) Nielson Vineyard Pinot Noir. Our wine benefitted from a graceful aging of 18 months in French oak barrels with 25% new oak.

Santa Maria Valley AVA