Owner Douglas Grigg led the petition that established the Fountaingrove District AVA in 2015, making Walnut Hill the appellation's founding estate. It sits at 1,300 to 1,600 feet, 40 acres planted mostly to Bordeaux varieties. Roughly 80% of the fruit is sold to Napa wineries; the label makes 1,000 cases.
Walnut Hill Vineyards is a small family-owned estate tucked into the volcanic hillsides of the Fountaingrove District above Santa Rosa. Owner Douglas Grigg led the petition that established the Fountaingrove District AVA in 2015 — making Walnut Hill effectively the founding estate of the appellation. The property sits at elevations between roughly 1,300 and 1,600 feet, with around 40 acres planted predominantly to Bordeaux varieties, the majority of which are sold as fruit to Napa Valley wineries. The small Walnut Hill label produces limited-quantity estate-grown reds and whites that capture the warmth and structure characteristic of Fountaingrove's best sites — Cabernet Sauvignon is the house strength.
Walnut Hill Vineyards is a small Sonoma County producer farming Bordeaux and Rhône varieties — Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Syrah among the reds, with Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc in white — from its estate vineyard. Tasting and current-release details are best confirmed directly with the winery.
Walnut Hill is primarily a working grower estate without a public-facing tasting room. Approximately 80% of the fruit is sold to Napa Valley wineries; the small Walnut Hill label is produced in volumes around 1,000 cases per year. The property includes a 2,400-square-foot working barn and infrastructure built around the vineyard rather than the visitor experience. Travelers interested in Fountaingrove District wines should look for Walnut Hill bottles through their website mailing list, or visit one of the appellation's other tasting-equipped members — the petition Doug Grigg led established the AVA's name and identity in 2015, but most of its 35 commercial vineyards (covering roughly 500 to 600 planted acres across 38,000 total appellation acres) sell their fruit rather than running tasting rooms of their own. Fountaingrove District is one of Sonoma's youngest AVAs and one of its most underexplored.
Douglas Grigg owns Walnut Hill Vineyards, the estate widely regarded as the founding property of the Fountaingrove District AVA. Grigg led the petition that won the appellation its federal recognition in 2015, giving a name and identity to the volcanic hillsides above Santa Rosa. His family estate climbs from roughly 1,300 to 1,600 feet, with around 40 acres planted predominantly to Bordeaux varieties — most sold to esteemed Napa Valley wineries, with a small Walnut Hill label, led by Cabernet Sauvignon, made for the family’s own program. A grower’s estate at heart, it remains by appointment only.
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Walnut Hill Vineyards is a small Sonoma County producer farming Bordeaux and Rhône varieties — Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Syrah among the reds, with Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc in white — from its estate vineyard. Tasting and current-release details are best confirmed directly with the winery.
Walnut Hill Vineyards is a small family-owned estate tucked into the volcanic hillsides of the Fountaingrove District above Santa Rosa. Owner Douglas Grigg led the petition that established the Fountaingrove District AVA in 2015 — making Walnut Hill effectively the founding estate of the appellation. The property sits at elevations between roughly 1,300 and 1,600 feet, with around 40 acres planted predominantly to Bordeaux varieties, the majority of which are sold as fruit to Napa Valley wineries. The small Walnut Hill label produces limited-quantity estate-grown reds and whites that capture the warmth and structure characteristic of Fountaingrove's best sites — Cabernet Sauvignon is the house strength.
Walnut Hill is primarily a working grower estate without a public-facing tasting room. Approximately 80% of the fruit is sold to Napa Valley wineries; the small Walnut Hill label is produced in volumes around 1,000 cases per year. The property includes a 2,400-square-foot working barn and infrastructure built around the vineyard rather than the visitor experience. Travelers interested in Fountaingrove District wines should look for Walnut Hill bottles through their website mailing list, or visit one of the appellation's other tasting-equipped members — the petition Doug Grigg led established the AVA's name and identity in 2015, but most of its 35 commercial vineyards (covering roughly 500 to 600 planted acres across 38,000 total appellation acres) sell their fruit rather than running tasting rooms of their own. Fountaingrove District is one of Sonoma's youngest AVAs and one of its most underexplored.
Douglas Grigg owns Walnut Hill Vineyards, the estate widely regarded as the founding property of the Fountaingrove District AVA. Grigg led the petition that won the appellation its federal recognition in 2015, giving a name and identity to the volcanic hillsides above Santa Rosa. His family estate climbs from roughly 1,300 to 1,600 feet, with around 40 acres planted predominantly to Bordeaux varieties — most sold to esteemed Napa Valley wineries, with a small Walnut Hill label, led by Cabernet Sauvignon, made for the family’s own program. A grower’s estate at heart, it remains by appointment only.
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