The Estate: Quail Hill Vineyard
Our Estate Quail Hill Vineyard, the home of Lynmar Winery, is a 47-acre estate located in the Laguna Ridge area of the Russian River Valley. Long recognized as a gem in the Russian River Valley, the vineyard possesses superb qualities for growing world-class Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. The combination of the estate's location, soil composition, long and cool growing season, dramatic elevation changes, and clone and rootstock selections make this a prized vineyard; one that has been the source for some of the top Pinot Noir and Chardonnay producers in the Russian River Valley. Today, Quail Hill Vineyard is the exclusive source for Lynmar Winery's Reserve and Estate wines, as well as the core blend of Lynmar's appellation-designated wines.

Originally planted in 1971, Quail Hill Vineyard has some of the oldest Pinot Noir and Chardonnay vines planted in the Russian River Valley. While the older blocks are valued for their balanced fruit, we began a phased replanting of Quail Hill Vineyard in 1996 to better match each sub block with its optimal clonal selection and rootstocks. This replanting program includes 71% of the vineyard and was completed in 2005. As part of this program, our vineyard and winemaking team tirelessly examined the vineyard when choosing rootstocks, clones, spacing and trellising systems. The result of this careful planning optimizes fruit quality. Today, the vineyard is planted to 70% Pinot Noir underscoring the vineyard and winery team's belief that this is a prime site for Russian River Valley Pinot Noir.

The vineyard is planted primarily east to west on rolling hills ranging in elevation from 50 to 183 feet. The site is blessed with Sebastopol Sandy Loam, well known as one of the best soils for Pinot Noir. With a well-balanced combination of sand, silt and clay, this soil type has ideal pH and drainage for Pinot Noir and Chardonnay vines.

Sustainable Farming, Vine-by-Vine
The principles of sustainable and organic agriculture govern vineyard activity. Because our vineyard borders the Laguna de Santa Rosa, the 250 square-mile watershed that is home to mammals, reptiles, native plants and migrating birds, the vineyard and winery team uses the most habitat-friendly farming techniques and is sensitive to the needs of the ecosystem. Much of the work is done by hand including pruning, hoeing, leaf removal, and harvesting. Our vineyard and winemaking team maintain a philosophy of farming vine-by-vine, in which each vine is treated as a single entity within a block. The goal is to optimize each vine's ability to consistently produce fruit possessing a balance of sugars, acidity, and physiological ripeness.

Climate, Long Growing Season
Located in one of the coolest areas of the Russian River Valley, the site experiences coastal fog penetration from southwest to northeast through the Petaluma Wind Gap, the dominant cooling influence on the region. Combined with cooling influences from the Laguna de Santa Rosa, Northern California's largest complex of freshwater wetlands, the vineyard sees a long, cool growing season with budbreak typically occurring in mid-March and harvest starting in September. These long hangtimes promote mature, rich, full, deep, ripe berry flavors in the fruit and maintain the natural acids and soft tannins that are characteristic of our Lynmar style.