Bavarian immigrant Jacob Gundlach sailed for San Francisco in 1850, drawn by the Gold Rush but uninterested in the mines. He founded a brewery instead, used the proceeds to buy 400 acres of Sonoma land in 1858, and named it Rhinefarm. Charles Bundschu, a poet from Mannheim, joined the operation in 1868 and eventually married into the family. The combination of farming, winemaking, and an artistic worldview has shaped the estate through five subsequent generations. Today, Jeff Bundschu (President) and Katie Bundschu (Vice President) lead the operation, the sixth generation of the founding family. The 320-acre estate (vineyards, organic certifications, working winery, and original 1870 stone caves) sits at the crossroads where Sonoma Valley, Carneros, and Napa Valley meet, making for an unusually diverse terroir within a single property.
Vintage Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, Sonoma Valley: the flagship; a limited bottling with a different artist label each vintage, built to age 20+ years.
Mountain Cuvée, Sonoma County: a velvety estate Bordeaux-style red blend with black cherry and chocolate; the everyday house red.
Dry Gewürztraminer, Sonoma Coast: a Gun Bun signature and one of California's benchmark dry Gewürztraminers.
Estate Vineyard Merlot, Sonoma Valley: estate-grown on the Rhinefarm property at the foot of the Mayacamas.
Estate Vineyard Pinot Noir, Sonoma Coast: from the cooler valley-floor blocks of the regenerative-organic estate.
GunBun's portfolio is built around Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Pinot Noir, but the limited-production wines (Dry Gewürztraminer, Cabernet Franc, Tempranillo, and Zinfandel) are what regulars come back for. Annual production sits around 25,000 cases, all estate-grown. The vineyards earned Regenerative Organic Certification, placing the winery alongside Bedrock among Sonoma's progressive-farming leaders. Tastings take place in the original 1870 stone winery building or out on the patio overlooking the winery pond and olive grove. The Cave & Vineyard Tour leads guests into the cave carved into the hillside, live music and events run throughout the year, and the family has cultivated a deliberately laid-back vibe for decades; cheese and charcuterie are on hand to go with the wines. Named one of Travel + Leisure's Best Wineries in 2022 and "Best Winery in Sonoma" by the Sonoma Index-Tribune. Open daily; reservations encouraged, especially on weekends.
