The Search

In the late 1980s, Stu Bewley, who has always loved an open-ended challenge, became fascinated with the mystery of how to grow world-class wine grapes. Why do some vineyards regularly produce spectacular vintages and others vin ordinaire? Bewley, who does nothing by half measures, traveled to Europe and South America to interview growers, winemakers, and consultants. He studied viticulture at the University of California at Davis, and pored over books and abstruse scientific journals dedicated to rootstocks, clones, elevation and drainage. He also began poking around California in search of a place where he could test some of his evolving theories about growing fabulous grapes. He looked at possible sites from Calaveras County to Carneros and the Sonoma Coast, taking hundreds of soil samples along the way, but while he saw a lot of interesting properties, none struck him as absolutely outstanding. “They were all missing one or more of the components – water, drainage, sun, terrific soil – that I felt was key,” says Bewley.

Then, in 1991, Bewley decided to check out a former cattle operation that was for sale in far northern Mendocino County, more than an hour from the nearest vineyard. “Alder Springs Ranch was the most magnificently beautiful spot I’d ever seen,” Bewley recalls. “I went back and looked at it six times and couldn’t get it out of my head.” But he doubted, quite reasonably, that the rugged, remote, high-altitude property would be suitable for viticulture. He decided to collect some soil samples anyway, drilling fifteen feet into the decomposing sandstone to analyze its chemistry, texture, and drainage. To his surprise, the results were stupendous – far outperforming anything he’d seen. The minerals and mix of nutrients in the soil were good, but the drainage was breathtaking. “There was no limit to how deep the roots could go,” says Bewley. He bought Alder Springs Ranch in 1991, and broke ground in 1993, planting his first vineyard block in Cabernet and Merlot.