Founded in 1991 by Frane and Janae Kragic, Croatian immigrants who brought a winemaking tradition from the Dalmatian coast. The estate sits on Olivet Road, head-pruned vines beside the Zora's Pinot Noir block. Sunce, 'sun' in Croatian, makes small lots; Frane often hosts personally, pouring twelve to thirty wines.
Founded in 1991 by Frane and Janae Kragic, Croatian immigrants who brought a winemaking tradition from the Dalmatian coast, Sunce is one of Sonoma's most genuinely personal small producers. The estate sits on Olivet Road in the Russian River Valley, where olive trees once dominated the landscape and where head-pruned vines now grow alongside an estate Pinot Noir block. Sunce — "sun" in Croatian — produces small lots of single-vineyard varietals, vineyard designates, and classic blends; some bottlings run as small as 200 cases and many are pre-sold through barrel futures. The Zinfandels in particular carry a distinctive character shaped by the family's heritage and hands-on approach.
Estate Pinot Noir, Russian River Valley — From the estate vineyard surrounding the tasting room; a small-lot, single-vineyard expression of Russian River Pinot.
Zinfandel — A Croatian-inflected take on the grape, a nod to founder Frane Franicevic's roots on the Dalmatian island of Hvar, where Zinfandel's ancestor originates.
Cabernet Sauvignon — A single-vineyard bottling in Sunce's bold, ageworthy red style.
Syrah — Dark and spice-driven, one of the estate's many small-production varietals.
Chardonnay — A barrel-aged white rounding out the lineup.
Established in 1991 and meaning 'sun' in Croatian, Sunce is a small family winery on Olivet Road west of Santa Rosa, producing tiny single-vineyard lots — often 200 cases or fewer — with quality emphatically chosen over quantity.
The visit feels less like a winery tasting and more like dropping in on a family. Tastings are scheduled by phone with limited capacity and run $25 per person (complimentary for members and up to two guests; kids and pets always welcome). Frane often hosts personally, walking guests through whichever wines are open that day — frequently more than a dozen, sometimes thirty or more across the course of a long visit, including barrel pulls in the cellar with the winemaker. Estate Zora's Pinot Noir from the three-acre vineyard on the property is a signature; the rest of the lineup spans Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Croatian Zinfandel, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Syrah from sourced sites across Russian River and Knights Valley. Bocce ball is set up on the deck. The winery is closed New Year's Day, Easter, July 4th, Thanksgiving, and Christmas Day.
Frane Franicevic is the founder, owner, and winemaker of Suncé Winery — 'sun' in Croatian — the tiny family estate he started as One World Winery in 1990 on Olivet Road in the Russian River Valley. Born into a centuries-old winemaking family on the Croatian island of Hvar, he immigrated to New Orleans as a teenager and earned a PhD in psychology before home winemaking pulled him into a new life in Sonoma. From a four-acre estate he and his wife and co-owner Janae make more than four dozen small-lot, single-vineyard wines spanning rare European varieties — Aglianico, Nebbiolo, Lagrein, Negroamaro, and the Croatian Crljenak Kaštelanski, ancestor of Zinfandel — assisted in the cellar by Jose Calderon.
Janae Franicevic is the co-founder and proprietor whose business sense built Sunce into a beloved Santa Rosa destination. She met winemaker Frane Franicevic — a Croatian native from the island of Hvar — in 1994 and became his partner in life and work. It was Janae who, in 1998, recommended renaming his original One World Winery to Sunce (Croatian for “sun,” and also their daughter’s name), found and acquired the Olivet Road property, and shifted the winery toward direct sales and a devoted wine club. Warm and welcoming behind the tasting bar, she gives Sunce its family-run spirit.
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Estate Pinot Noir, Russian River Valley — From the estate vineyard surrounding the tasting room; a small-lot, single-vineyard expression of Russian River Pinot.
Zinfandel — A Croatian-inflected take on the grape, a nod to founder Frane Franicevic's roots on the Dalmatian island of Hvar, where Zinfandel's ancestor originates.
Cabernet Sauvignon — A single-vineyard bottling in Sunce's bold, ageworthy red style.
Syrah — Dark and spice-driven, one of the estate's many small-production varietals.
Chardonnay — A barrel-aged white rounding out the lineup.
Established in 1991 and meaning 'sun' in Croatian, Sunce is a small family winery on Olivet Road west of Santa Rosa, producing tiny single-vineyard lots — often 200 cases or fewer — with quality emphatically chosen over quantity.
Founded in 1991 by Frane and Janae Kragic, Croatian immigrants who brought a winemaking tradition from the Dalmatian coast, Sunce is one of Sonoma's most genuinely personal small producers. The estate sits on Olivet Road in the Russian River Valley, where olive trees once dominated the landscape and where head-pruned vines now grow alongside an estate Pinot Noir block. Sunce — "sun" in Croatian — produces small lots of single-vineyard varietals, vineyard designates, and classic blends; some bottlings run as small as 200 cases and many are pre-sold through barrel futures. The Zinfandels in particular carry a distinctive character shaped by the family's heritage and hands-on approach.
The visit feels less like a winery tasting and more like dropping in on a family. Tastings are scheduled by phone with limited capacity and run $25 per person (complimentary for members and up to two guests; kids and pets always welcome). Frane often hosts personally, walking guests through whichever wines are open that day — frequently more than a dozen, sometimes thirty or more across the course of a long visit, including barrel pulls in the cellar with the winemaker. Estate Zora's Pinot Noir from the three-acre vineyard on the property is a signature; the rest of the lineup spans Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Croatian Zinfandel, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Syrah from sourced sites across Russian River and Knights Valley. Bocce ball is set up on the deck. The winery is closed New Year's Day, Easter, July 4th, Thanksgiving, and Christmas Day.
Frane Franicevic is the founder, owner, and winemaker of Suncé Winery — 'sun' in Croatian — the tiny family estate he started as One World Winery in 1990 on Olivet Road in the Russian River Valley. Born into a centuries-old winemaking family on the Croatian island of Hvar, he immigrated to New Orleans as a teenager and earned a PhD in psychology before home winemaking pulled him into a new life in Sonoma. From a four-acre estate he and his wife and co-owner Janae make more than four dozen small-lot, single-vineyard wines spanning rare European varieties — Aglianico, Nebbiolo, Lagrein, Negroamaro, and the Croatian Crljenak Kaštelanski, ancestor of Zinfandel — assisted in the cellar by Jose Calderon.
Janae Franicevic is the co-founder and proprietor whose business sense built Sunce into a beloved Santa Rosa destination. She met winemaker Frane Franicevic — a Croatian native from the island of Hvar — in 1994 and became his partner in life and work. It was Janae who, in 1998, recommended renaming his original One World Winery to Sunce (Croatian for “sun,” and also their daughter’s name), found and acquired the Olivet Road property, and shifted the winery toward direct sales and a devoted wine club. Warm and welcoming behind the tasting bar, she gives Sunce its family-run spirit.
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