Founded in 1999 by Brice Cutrer Jones, formerly of Sonoma-Cutrer, with one mission: New World Pinot Noir of grand-cru caliber. Two dry-farmed estates, Hallberg Ranch and Pinot Hill, sit on Goldridge soil over clay that lets the vines tap stored water. USA Today named it the country's #1 Winery Tour.
Emeritus Vineyards was founded with a singular mission: to produce world-class Pinot Noir from Green Valley of Russian River Valley. The estate farms the Hallberg Ranch — 130 acres of Goldridge sandy loam at elevations of 200–400 feet — where cool temperatures, persistent fog, and well-drained soils produce Pinot Noir of structure and concentration. Founded in 1999 by Brice Cutrer Jones (also founder of Sonoma-Cutrer) with the explicit goal of focusing on a single varietal from a single appellation, the estate has refined its approach across decades while maintaining tight focus on what Green Valley does best.
Hallberg Ranch Pinot Noir, Russian River Valley — The flagship: a multi-clone blend from the dry-farmed estate ranch, classic Russian River cherry, raspberry and cola spice.
Pinot Hill Pinot Noir, Russian River Valley — From the MacDonald Ranch estate in the Sebastopol Hills, a more structured hillside expression.
Don's Block Pinot Noir, Russian River Valley — A single-block, clone-115 bottling from the coldest, lowest part of Hallberg Ranch, named for founding winemaker Don Blackburn.
William Wesley Pinot Noir, Sonoma Coast — A small-production, highly rated Pinot from cooler coastal fruit.
After founding and building Sonoma-Cutrer, Brice Cutrer Jones sold it in 1999 and bought Hallberg Ranch to create Emeritus — exclusively dedicated to Pinot Noir. With Hallberg Ranch and Pinot Hill, Emeritus is the largest dry-farmed estate in Sonoma; the family's second generation now leads it.
Founded in 1999 by Brice Cutrer Jones (formerly of Sonoma-Cutrer) with the express mission of making New World Pinot Noir of grand cru caliber, Emeritus farms two dry-farmed estate vineyards — Hallberg Ranch on Gravenstein Highway (105 acres, converted to dry farming in 2007) and Pinot Hill in the Sebastopol Hills (added 2008). Dry farming is almost unheard of in California, but Hallberg Ranch's clay loam beneath Goldridge soil allows vines to tap stored water at depth. Winemaker Keith Hammond — a Sebastopol native who joined Emeritus in 2007 and was promoted from Assistant Winemaker in February 2023 — produces single-vineyard Pinot Noirs of genuine elegance, working alongside second-generation President Mari Jones and Vineyard Manager Kirk Lokka. David Lattin, his predecessor, remains involved as Winemaker Emeritus consulting. USA Today named Emeritus the #1 Winery Tour in the USA in 2017. Estate Tasting flights $25 per person (45 minutes); tour-and-tasting with cheese plate $50 per person (1.5 hours). EV charging on-site.
Sebastopol native who joined Emeritus in 2007 and rose through every level of the cellar before being promoted to Winemaker in February 2023. Hammond honed his craft working alongside all three of his Emeritus predecessors — founding winemaker Don Blackburn (until Blackburn's passing in 2009), then Nicolas Cantacuzène for six years, and finally David Lattin. In 2016 he left briefly to take a Cellar Master role at Inglenook, where he worked closely with Philippe Bascaules, the managing director of Château Margaux and Inglenook, before rejoining Emeritus in 2017 as Assistant Winemaker. The Lattin-Hammond partnership over six years refined the Emeritus style: native-yeast fermentations, new approaches to cold stabilization, expanded barrel program with French oak forests of lower toast, and a sharper focus on identifying the most expressive blocks within the dry-farmed Hallberg Ranch and Pinot Hill estates. “The approach we have here — all Pinot Noir, all estate, all dry farmed — is so unique and special,” Hammond says. He works alongside second-generation President Mari Jones and Vineyard Manager Kirk Lokka.
Brice Cutrer Jones founded Emeritus Vineyards in 1999, the same week he sold Sonoma-Cutrer — the winery he had spent a quarter century building into one of California’s most revered Chardonnay producers. A Harvard MBA and former Air Force fighter pilot, Brice set out to create a benchmark for New World Pinot Noir, purchasing the Hallberg Ranch in Green Valley and later the Pinot Hill estate, both dry-farmed. The debut vintage followed in 2004. Today his daughter Mari Jones leads as president, continuing his single-minded devotion to great Pinot Noir.
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Hallberg Ranch Pinot Noir, Russian River Valley — The flagship: a multi-clone blend from the dry-farmed estate ranch, classic Russian River cherry, raspberry and cola spice.
Pinot Hill Pinot Noir, Russian River Valley — From the MacDonald Ranch estate in the Sebastopol Hills, a more structured hillside expression.
Don's Block Pinot Noir, Russian River Valley — A single-block, clone-115 bottling from the coldest, lowest part of Hallberg Ranch, named for founding winemaker Don Blackburn.
William Wesley Pinot Noir, Sonoma Coast — A small-production, highly rated Pinot from cooler coastal fruit.
After founding and building Sonoma-Cutrer, Brice Cutrer Jones sold it in 1999 and bought Hallberg Ranch to create Emeritus — exclusively dedicated to Pinot Noir. With Hallberg Ranch and Pinot Hill, Emeritus is the largest dry-farmed estate in Sonoma; the family's second generation now leads it.
Emeritus Vineyards was founded with a singular mission: to produce world-class Pinot Noir from Green Valley of Russian River Valley. The estate farms the Hallberg Ranch — 130 acres of Goldridge sandy loam at elevations of 200–400 feet — where cool temperatures, persistent fog, and well-drained soils produce Pinot Noir of structure and concentration. Founded in 1999 by Brice Cutrer Jones (also founder of Sonoma-Cutrer) with the explicit goal of focusing on a single varietal from a single appellation, the estate has refined its approach across decades while maintaining tight focus on what Green Valley does best.
Founded in 1999 by Brice Cutrer Jones (formerly of Sonoma-Cutrer) with the express mission of making New World Pinot Noir of grand cru caliber, Emeritus farms two dry-farmed estate vineyards — Hallberg Ranch on Gravenstein Highway (105 acres, converted to dry farming in 2007) and Pinot Hill in the Sebastopol Hills (added 2008). Dry farming is almost unheard of in California, but Hallberg Ranch's clay loam beneath Goldridge soil allows vines to tap stored water at depth. Winemaker Keith Hammond — a Sebastopol native who joined Emeritus in 2007 and was promoted from Assistant Winemaker in February 2023 — produces single-vineyard Pinot Noirs of genuine elegance, working alongside second-generation President Mari Jones and Vineyard Manager Kirk Lokka. David Lattin, his predecessor, remains involved as Winemaker Emeritus consulting. USA Today named Emeritus the #1 Winery Tour in the USA in 2017. Estate Tasting flights $25 per person (45 minutes); tour-and-tasting with cheese plate $50 per person (1.5 hours). EV charging on-site.
Sebastopol native who joined Emeritus in 2007 and rose through every level of the cellar before being promoted to Winemaker in February 2023. Hammond honed his craft working alongside all three of his Emeritus predecessors — founding winemaker Don Blackburn (until Blackburn's passing in 2009), then Nicolas Cantacuzène for six years, and finally David Lattin. In 2016 he left briefly to take a Cellar Master role at Inglenook, where he worked closely with Philippe Bascaules, the managing director of Château Margaux and Inglenook, before rejoining Emeritus in 2017 as Assistant Winemaker. The Lattin-Hammond partnership over six years refined the Emeritus style: native-yeast fermentations, new approaches to cold stabilization, expanded barrel program with French oak forests of lower toast, and a sharper focus on identifying the most expressive blocks within the dry-farmed Hallberg Ranch and Pinot Hill estates. “The approach we have here — all Pinot Noir, all estate, all dry farmed — is so unique and special,” Hammond says. He works alongside second-generation President Mari Jones and Vineyard Manager Kirk Lokka.
Brice Cutrer Jones founded Emeritus Vineyards in 1999, the same week he sold Sonoma-Cutrer — the winery he had spent a quarter century building into one of California’s most revered Chardonnay producers. A Harvard MBA and former Air Force fighter pilot, Brice set out to create a benchmark for New World Pinot Noir, purchasing the Hallberg Ranch in Green Valley and later the Pinot Hill estate, both dry-farmed. The debut vintage followed in 2004. Today his daughter Mari Jones leads as president, continuing his single-minded devotion to great Pinot Noir.
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