Creating true wines of place is an extremely delicate notion.
It takes calm, quiet attentiveness to understand that a wine’s complexity is more moving when hidden behind an apparent lightness of grace.
PHILOSOPHY
Alma Fria wines represent a return to time-honored, non-interventionist winemaking and a system of biological viticulture that truly respects the ecology. We want our customers to connect deeply to our place. When you drink the wines of our vineyards, please think of the quiet exaltations of the West Sonoma Coast, along with the voices of its giant redwoods, tiny invertebrates, and humble farmers.
This quest for harmony starts in the relationship between the winegrower and the vine. Each element matters, but nothing is more important than the ecological balance present in the soil of our vineyards. Soil is alive. It supports and maintains the microorganisms that are the essential link between vine and earth. Without our soils’ microbial fauna feeding the vines with natural elements, the place we endeavor to reveal in our wines simply can’t be translated.
Organic and biodynamic farming are integral to this soil first approach. Under these agricultural systems, our job is to respect nature’s infinite complexity. Our goal is to allow biology to blossom and assert its natural balance. And, fortunately, these approaches understand that supporting ecological diversity nourishes our spirits as well as our wines.
VINEYARDS
Holtermann Vineyard
+ Read MoreThe 2.56-acre Holtermann Vineyard, located just north of Annapolis, CA (population 200) and five miles inland from the captivating Sea Ranch coastal community, is truly farming on the edge. Its proximity to the ocean moderates daily high temperatures and diurnal fluctuations, leading to consistent seasons and slow, balanced fruit development.
Manchester Ridge
+ Read MoreWild, exotic, mountainous, and perched directly above the San Andreas Fault, the Manchester Ridge Vineyard is like no other in California. Close enough to the sea to hear waves crashing, yet high enough to rise above the fog, it yields wines of immense complexity and tension. The mountain range that comprises the Mendocino Ridge AVA, where this vineyard is located, is an extension of the Coast Range just north of the Sonoma County line, making this Alma Fria’s only site in Mendocino County.
Campbell Ranch
+ Read MoreSitting six miles from the Pacific, just to the east of the Holtermann Vineyard, the Campbell Ranch Vineyard was originally planted exclusively to Pinot Noir. In 2008, our winemaker, Carroll Kemp, brought Old Wente cuttings from the Hyde Vineyard that were selected specifically for the small size of their clusters and mineral flavor profile and grafted just 1.28 acres to Chardonnay, while inter-planting some additional vines to reduce the spacing to 8’ x 2.5’. The result has been mesmerizing.
Devil’s Ribs
+ Read MoreRon Sikorski and his wife, Irmgard, left the cushy confines of Hewlett Packard engineering in 1983 to pursue their dream of living off-grid in the remote mountains above Fort Ross and Cazadero in western Sonoma Coast. Planting a vineyard was one of their top priorities. While Pinot Noir was the region’s stalwart varietal, they selected Cabernet Sauvignon because their property resides just below enormous granite outcroppings that separate the Gualala and Russian River watersheds. This prominent geographic feature, the Devil’s Ribs, is the vineyard’s namesake. They absorb sun all day and radiate it back out all night, which allows a warmer climate varietal to fully ripen in a cooler climate location. It also enabled their contrarian instincts to prove beautifully prophetic!
Holtermann Vineyard
+ Read MoreThe 2.56-acre Holtermann Vineyard, located just north of Annapolis, CA (population 200) and five miles inland from the captivating Sea Ranch coastal community, is truly farming on the edge. Its proximity to the ocean moderates daily high temperatures and diurnal fluctuations, leading to consistent seasons and slow, balanced fruit development.
Manchester Ridge
+ Read MoreWild, exotic, mountainous, and perched directly above the San Andreas Fault, the Manchester Ridge Vineyard is like no other in California. Close enough to the sea to hear waves crashing, yet high enough to rise above the fog, it yields wines of immense complexity and tension. The mountain range that comprises the Mendocino Ridge AVA, where this vineyard is located, is an extension of the Coast Range just north of the Sonoma County line, making this Alma Fria’s only site in Mendocino County.
Campbell Ranch
+ Read MoreSitting six miles from the Pacific, just to the east of the Holtermann Vineyard, the Campbell Ranch Vineyard was originally planted exclusively to Pinot Noir. In 2008, our winemaker, Carroll Kemp, brought Old Wente cuttings from the Hyde Vineyard that were selected specifically for the small size of their clusters and mineral flavor profile and grafted just 1.28 acres to Chardonnay, while inter-planting some additional vines to reduce the spacing to 8’ x 2.5’. The result has been mesmerizing.
Devil’s Ribs
+ Read MoreRon Sikorski and his wife, Irmgard, left the cushy confines of Hewlett Packard engineering in 1983 to pursue their dream of living off-grid in the remote mountains above Fort Ross and Cazadero in western Sonoma Coast. Planting a vineyard was one of their top priorities. While Pinot Noir was the region’s stalwart varietal, they selected Cabernet Sauvignon because their property resides just below enormous granite outcroppings that separate the Gualala and Russian River watersheds. This prominent geographic feature, the Devil’s Ribs, is the vineyard’s namesake. They absorb sun all day and radiate it back out all night, which allows a warmer climate varietal to fully ripen in a cooler climate location. It also enabled their contrarian instincts to prove beautifully prophetic!
Holtermann Vineyard
+ Read MoreThe 2.56-acre Holtermann Vineyard, located just north of Annapolis, CA (population 200) and five miles inland from the captivating Sea Ranch coastal community, is truly farming on the edge. Its proximity to the ocean moderates daily high temperatures and diurnal fluctuations, leading to consistent seasons and slow, balanced fruit development.
Manchester Ridge
+ Read MoreWild, exotic, mountainous, and perched directly above the San Andreas Fault, the Manchester Ridge Vineyard is like no other in California. Close enough to the sea to hear waves crashing, yet high enough to rise above the fog, it yields wines of immense complexity and tension. The mountain range that comprises the Mendocino Ridge AVA, where this vineyard is located, is an extension of the Coast Range just north of the Sonoma County line, making this Alma Fria’s only site in Mendocino County.
Campbell Ranch
+ Read MoreSitting six miles from the Pacific, just to the east of the Holtermann Vineyard, the Campbell Ranch Vineyard was originally planted exclusively to Pinot Noir. In 2008, our winemaker, Carroll Kemp, brought Old Wente cuttings from the Hyde Vineyard that were selected specifically for the small size of their clusters and mineral flavor profile and grafted just 1.28 acres to Chardonnay, while inter-planting some additional vines to reduce the spacing to 8’ x 2.5’. The result has been mesmerizing.
Devil’s Ribs
+ Read MoreRon Sikorski and his wife, Irmgard, left the cushy confines of Hewlett Packard engineering in 1983 to pursue their dream of living off-grid in the remote mountains above Fort Ross and Cazadero in western Sonoma Coast. Planting a vineyard was one of their top priorities. While Pinot Noir was the region’s stalwart varietal, they selected Cabernet Sauvignon because their property resides just below enormous granite outcroppings that separate the Gualala and Russian River watersheds. This prominent geographic feature, the Devil’s Ribs, is the vineyard’s namesake. They absorb sun all day and radiate it back out all night, which allows a warmer climate varietal to fully ripen in a cooler climate location. It also enabled their contrarian instincts to prove beautifully prophetic!
Holtermann Vineyard
+ Read MoreThe 2.56-acre Holtermann Vineyard, located just north of Annapolis, CA (population 200) and five miles inland from the captivating Sea Ranch coastal community, is truly farming on the edge. Its proximity to the ocean moderates daily high temperatures and diurnal fluctuations, leading to consistent seasons and slow, balanced fruit development.
Manchester Ridge
+ Read MoreWild, exotic, mountainous, and perched directly above the San Andreas Fault, the Manchester Ridge Vineyard is like no other in California. Close enough to the sea to hear waves crashing, yet high enough to rise above the fog, it yields wines of immense complexity and tension. The mountain range that comprises the Mendocino Ridge AVA, where this vineyard is located, is an extension of the Coast Range just north of the Sonoma County line, making this Alma Fria’s only site in Mendocino County.
Campbell Ranch
+ Read MoreSitting six miles from the Pacific, just to the east of the Holtermann Vineyard, the Campbell Ranch Vineyard was originally planted exclusively to Pinot Noir. In 2008, our winemaker, Carroll Kemp, brought Old Wente cuttings from the Hyde Vineyard that were selected specifically for the small size of their clusters and mineral flavor profile and grafted just 1.28 acres to Chardonnay, while inter-planting some additional vines to reduce the spacing to 8’ x 2.5’. The result has been mesmerizing.
Devil’s Ribs
+ Read MoreRon Sikorski and his wife, Irmgard, left the cushy confines of Hewlett Packard engineering in 1983 to pursue their dream of living off-grid in the remote mountains above Fort Ross and Cazadero in western Sonoma Coast. Planting a vineyard was one of their top priorities. While Pinot Noir was the region’s stalwart varietal, they selected Cabernet Sauvignon because their property resides just below enormous granite outcroppings that separate the Gualala and Russian River watersheds. This prominent geographic feature, the Devil’s Ribs, is the vineyard’s namesake. They absorb sun all day and radiate it back out all night, which allows a warmer climate varietal to fully ripen in a cooler climate location. It also enabled their contrarian instincts to prove beautifully prophetic!
Holtermann Vineyard
+ Read MoreThe 2.56-acre Holtermann Vineyard, located just north of Annapolis, CA (population 200) and five miles inland from the captivating Sea Ranch coastal community, is truly farming on the edge. Its proximity to the ocean moderates daily high temperatures and diurnal fluctuations, leading to consistent seasons and slow, balanced fruit development.
Manchester Ridge
+ Read MoreWild, exotic, mountainous, and perched directly above the San Andreas Fault, the Manchester Ridge Vineyard is like no other in California. Close enough to the sea to hear waves crashing, yet high enough to rise above the fog, it yields wines of immense complexity and tension. The mountain range that comprises the Mendocino Ridge AVA, where this vineyard is located, is an extension of the Coast Range just north of the Sonoma County line, making this Alma Fria’s only site in Mendocino County.
Campbell Ranch
+ Read MoreSitting six miles from the Pacific, just to the east of the Holtermann Vineyard, the Campbell Ranch Vineyard was originally planted exclusively to Pinot Noir. In 2008, our winemaker, Carroll Kemp, brought Old Wente cuttings from the Hyde Vineyard that were selected specifically for the small size of their clusters and mineral flavor profile and grafted just 1.28 acres to Chardonnay, while inter-planting some additional vines to reduce the spacing to 8’ x 2.5’. The result has been mesmerizing.
Devil’s Ribs
+ Read MoreRon Sikorski and his wife, Irmgard, left the cushy confines of Hewlett Packard engineering in 1983 to pursue their dream of living off-grid in the remote mountains above Fort Ross and Cazadero in western Sonoma Coast. Planting a vineyard was one of their top priorities. While Pinot Noir was the region’s stalwart varietal, they selected Cabernet Sauvignon because their property resides just below enormous granite outcroppings that separate the Gualala and Russian River watersheds. This prominent geographic feature, the Devil’s Ribs, is the vineyard’s namesake. They absorb sun all day and radiate it back out all night, which allows a warmer climate varietal to fully ripen in a cooler climate location. It also enabled their contrarian instincts to prove beautifully prophetic!