History

Pinot Noir
Pinot noir is an ancient variety that may be only 1-2 generations removed from wild vines, however, the origins of the variety are unclear. The vines of southern France may represent Caucasian stock transported by the ancient Greeks. Pinot noir thrives in France's Burgundy region, particularly on the Côte-d'Or which has produced some of the world's most celebrated wines for centuries.

Russian River Valley
The Russian River Valley was approved as an American Viticultural Area in 1983 and enlarged in 2006. The Russian River Valley AVA is a sub-district of the Sonoma County AVA. It produces award-winning Chardonnay and Pinot Noir wines in addition to other wine varietals, and is home to many small and several large commercial wineries.

Appian Way Vineyards
In 2001 only two apple processing plants remained in this gravenstien apple growing region around Graton. The organic apple orchard was removed to plant 3 different clones of Pinot Noir grapes. The budwood used for the Dijon clones were ENTAV certified. The ENTAV (Establissement National Technique pour l'Amelioration de la Viticulture) is the national agency of France responsible for the quality of wine grape varieities.