Evan Pontoriero and Brent Bessire planted the home vineyard atop Sonoma Mountain in 2007, above the fog line, where earlier sun and warmer nights produce riper fruit without long hang time. The estate vineyards sit within the Petaluma Gap; visitors taste at the Sugarloaf Wine Company room in Sonoma Valley.
Fogline Vineyards farms estate Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Syrah on wind-stressed, rocky hillside ground in the Petaluma Gap — the appellation defined by the marine fog and relentless Pacific wind that pour through the coastal gap into the interior. Those conditions naturally limit yields and concentrate flavor, and the Pinot Noir shows the saline, savory character that distinguishes true Petaluma Gap fruit from the rest of Sonoma — structured, aromatic, and built to age. A genuine small-production discovery from one of California's most exciting emerging growing areas. Visitors, though, find Fogline not in the windswept vineyards but at a tasting room in Sonoma Valley.
Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir — From the home vineyard atop Sonoma Mountain, grown above the fog line for focused, balanced fruit.
Russian River Valley Pinot Noir — From the celebrated middle reach of the Russian River, perfumed and silky.
Bradford Mountain Zinfandel, Dry Creek Valley — Mountain-grown at 1,200 feet on an organically farmed site; concentrated and structured.
Bradford Mountain Syrah, Dry Creek Valley — A dark, peppery Syrah from the same high-elevation Dry Creek vineyard.
Chardonnay, Sonoma Coast — A small-lot, cool-climate Chardonnay from the home vineyard.
Launched in 2009 by partners Brent Bessire and Evan Pontoriero, Fogline makes small lots of Pinot Noir, Zinfandel, Syrah and Chardonnay. Its name nods to the home vineyard atop Sonoma Mountain — planted above the fog line — complemented by mountain fruit from Bradford Mountain in Dry Creek Valley.
Founders Evan Pontoriero and Brent Bessire planted the home vineyard on top of Sonoma Mountain in 2007 — deliberately above the fog line, where earlier morning sun and warmer nights produce riper fruit without the extended hang time common to cooler coastal sites. The estate vineyards lie within the Petaluma Gap AVA, but tasting is no longer done at the vineyard: the public pour is at Sugarloaf Wine Company in Sonoma Valley, a shared cooperative tasting room with patio seating and bocce, open Thursday through Monday from 11 to 4. Because a visit happens in Sonoma Valley, that is where Fogline sits in this guide. Walk-ins are welcome at Sugarloaf for bottle and glass service; a one-on-one tasting with Evan or Brent requires an appointment, and a private tasting at the Sonoma Mountain vineyard can be arranged when weather permits.
Evan Pontoriero inherited his passion for wine from his Italian heritage, helping his grandparents make wine in the garage of their Pennsylvania home. He moved to the Bay Area in 1992 for a career in computer graphics and animation — including years at Lucasfilm and Pixar — making wine as a serious hobby all the while, from vineyards across Napa and Sonoma. Schooled in the Williams Selyem approach, he favors restrained, structured, balanced wines. He met Brent Bessire at a wine-soaked Bennett Valley party, and when Brent's adjacent Sonoma Mountain land opened up — right above Gaps Crown — the pair planted the home vineyard in 2007, deliberately above the fog line. The name came from Evan's wife, Sara: Fogline, for vineyards grown above the fog or shaped entirely by it.
Brent Bessire discovered fine wine at Columbia University — credit due, he admits, to his future father-in-law's generosity at some of New York's best tables. After thirteen years building startups around the country, including an online financial trading platform, he set out to make wine for a living rather than vanity: "Many people are making wine as a vanity project. I needed to actually make a living doing it." He honed his craft working with Gary Farrell, who taught him the careful handling great Pinot Noir demands, and with Clay Mauritson, where he watched the Rockpile appellation take shape — and realized his own home site on Sonoma Mountain, directly above Gaps Crown with the same soils and aspect, could grow fruit of the same caliber. That property became Fogline's estate vineyard.
Update your editorial to go live.
UpdateReview your current editorial on the left. Submit changes in the matching fields on the right — leave any field blank if no change is needed.
1. Update one section at a time using its SEND button.
2. Each SEND creates a provisional draft — your live page is not updated yet.
3. Complete the final submission at the bottom to approve and publish.
Your editorial page and submission form are always accessible through this page — and only to you. Update anytime.
Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir — From the home vineyard atop Sonoma Mountain, grown above the fog line for focused, balanced fruit.
Russian River Valley Pinot Noir — From the celebrated middle reach of the Russian River, perfumed and silky.
Bradford Mountain Zinfandel, Dry Creek Valley — Mountain-grown at 1,200 feet on an organically farmed site; concentrated and structured.
Bradford Mountain Syrah, Dry Creek Valley — A dark, peppery Syrah from the same high-elevation Dry Creek vineyard.
Chardonnay, Sonoma Coast — A small-lot, cool-climate Chardonnay from the home vineyard.
Launched in 2009 by partners Brent Bessire and Evan Pontoriero, Fogline makes small lots of Pinot Noir, Zinfandel, Syrah and Chardonnay. Its name nods to the home vineyard atop Sonoma Mountain — planted above the fog line — complemented by mountain fruit from Bradford Mountain in Dry Creek Valley.
Fogline Vineyards farms estate Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Syrah on wind-stressed, rocky hillside ground in the Petaluma Gap — the appellation defined by the marine fog and relentless Pacific wind that pour through the coastal gap into the interior. Those conditions naturally limit yields and concentrate flavor, and the Pinot Noir shows the saline, savory character that distinguishes true Petaluma Gap fruit from the rest of Sonoma — structured, aromatic, and built to age. A genuine small-production discovery from one of California's most exciting emerging growing areas. Visitors, though, find Fogline not in the windswept vineyards but at a tasting room in Sonoma Valley.
Founders Evan Pontoriero and Brent Bessire planted the home vineyard on top of Sonoma Mountain in 2007 — deliberately above the fog line, where earlier morning sun and warmer nights produce riper fruit without the extended hang time common to cooler coastal sites. The estate vineyards lie within the Petaluma Gap AVA, but tasting is no longer done at the vineyard: the public pour is at Sugarloaf Wine Company in Sonoma Valley, a shared cooperative tasting room with patio seating and bocce, open Thursday through Monday from 11 to 4. Because a visit happens in Sonoma Valley, that is where Fogline sits in this guide. Walk-ins are welcome at Sugarloaf for bottle and glass service; a one-on-one tasting with Evan or Brent requires an appointment, and a private tasting at the Sonoma Mountain vineyard can be arranged when weather permits.
Evan Pontoriero inherited his passion for wine from his Italian heritage, helping his grandparents make wine in the garage of their Pennsylvania home. He moved to the Bay Area in 1992 for a career in computer graphics and animation — including years at Lucasfilm and Pixar — making wine as a serious hobby all the while, from vineyards across Napa and Sonoma. Schooled in the Williams Selyem approach, he favors restrained, structured, balanced wines. He met Brent Bessire at a wine-soaked Bennett Valley party, and when Brent's adjacent Sonoma Mountain land opened up — right above Gaps Crown — the pair planted the home vineyard in 2007, deliberately above the fog line. The name came from Evan's wife, Sara: Fogline, for vineyards grown above the fog or shaped entirely by it.
Brent Bessire discovered fine wine at Columbia University — credit due, he admits, to his future father-in-law's generosity at some of New York's best tables. After thirteen years building startups around the country, including an online financial trading platform, he set out to make wine for a living rather than vanity: "Many people are making wine as a vanity project. I needed to actually make a living doing it." He honed his craft working with Gary Farrell, who taught him the careful handling great Pinot Noir demands, and with Clay Mauritson, where he watched the Rockpile appellation take shape — and realized his own home site on Sonoma Mountain, directly above Gaps Crown with the same soils and aspect, could grow fruit of the same caliber. That property became Fogline's estate vineyard.
Please submit your images separately — they're handled by a different department and will be processed alongside your editorial update.
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form
