Kick Ranch is in Sonoma County’s Rincon Valley, northeast of Santa Rosa. Its hillside site is on the western side of the northern flank of Spring Mountain, which separates Sonoma and Napa Counties. The vineyard soils have an amazing mix of volcanic and other rock that contributes a rich minerality to wines. Kick Ranch’s vine rows are laid out for perfect sun exposure with a 20 mile vista down to the Petaluma Wind Gap, providing cool nights and foggy mornings, ideal conditions for growing premium wine grapes.
We are committed to sustainable grape growing at Kick Ranch.
From the beginning, we have had a goal to improve the biodiversity of Kick Ranch. We set our deer fences close to our vineyard rows so as not to disrupt animal travel corridors. We built a drainage system to prevent water runoff into our creeks that could harm biotic life and fill our reservoir naturally by winter rainfall. We have two dozen owl boxes and raptor perches in the vineyard and 24 bluebird boxes in the vine rows.
As in past years, we will continue to promote soil health through native cover crops, minimal compaction from equipment and judicious use of pesticides and fungicides. We monitor the weather, insects, disease pressure and water needs closely to insure we maintain an optimal vineyard canopy.
We have plans to install a second insectary garden of rosemary, lavender and annual flowers near the restored 1954 Airstream trailer that graces the top of the front hillside vineyard. Sightings of wild life so far this year are coyotes, a bobcat, golden eagles, and an abundance of rabbits.
