In an exciting new development, Ram’s Gate winery in Sonoma has passed the three year mark in the journey to organic certification, according to a press release from the winery. (SEE BELOW).
This 28 acres is "part of the 2,537 acres of winegrape vines in Sonoma County that are certified organic, according to CCOF," the winery said, out of 59,000 planted acres in the county. That means Sonoma is now about 4 percent organic (compared to Napa at around 12-14 percent).
I’ve been following their conversion for sometime, visiting the estate for Slow Wine Guide USA in 2022 and tasting with winemaker Joe Nielsen.
Readers may be interested to know it is just the estate wines that are coming from certified vines. That’s about a quarter of their 10,000 case production. (The rest is purchased from local growers who are not organic.) Here’s more from the company's team in 2022.
All of the Ram’s Gate [estate] wines have been farmed organically since late 2018. The first fully organically farmed vintage in bottle was the 2019 vintage. The Estate Chardonnay, Estate Pinot Noir, Estate Pinot Blanc and Estate Sauvignon Blanc are the only wines sourced entirely from the Estate Vineyard year over year and thus are the only fully organically farmed wines. Combined, 2,500 cases of these four wines were produced in 2021.
Bravo to the team and to Jeff O’Neill who is amassing a portfolio of fine wine brands from organic vines, including Robert Hall in Paso Robles. His company also owns Line 39, which offers some organically grown table wines, certified "Made with Organic Grapes," in its portfolio.
Note: Winery certification gives the winery the ability to make "Made with Organic Grapes" wines for its own brand or others using only certified organic grapes. Such certified wines adhere to stricter rules on additives than other wines but do include limited amounts of sulfites (a good thing) to preserve the wine.
Very few luxury wineries have taken this on. Others who do produce certified Made with Organic Grapes wines include Napa wineries Grgich Hills Estates in Napa and Neal Family Vineyards.
O’Neill himself bought out his Ram’s Gate investor partners a few months ago.
The beautiful Howard Backen designed property, near the Sonoma Raceway, offers elegant culinary experiences paired with its wines. It’s luxury in Sonoma in a very convenient southern Sonoma location.
And best of all the estate wines are simply gorgeous, winning them Top Wine awards from Slow Wine Guide for several years, which also awarded the winery a Bottle Award for wine excellence.
PRESS RELEASE
(Sept. 16, 2024; SONOMA, Calif.)—Jeff O’Neill, owner of Ram’s Gate Winery in Sonoma’s Carneros AVA, is pleased to announce that the winery’s 28 acres of estate vineyards and winery have officially received certification from the California Certified Organic Farmers association (CCOF) and that this year’s harvest will be the first certified organic vintage for the renowned producer of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Under 5% of Sonoma County vineyards are certified organic. This certification is in line with O’Neill’s longtime commitment to sustainability, exemplified in O’Neill Vintners & Distillers’ Certified B Corporation status and unwavering adherence to environmentally ethical practices.
“I have always championed the impact of sustainability at scale, particularly in the wine and spirits industry,” says O’Neill, who fully acquired Ram’s Gate in 2024 and was recognized as Wine Enthusiast’s 2022 Person of the Year for his environmental efforts. “Ram’s Gate has long been a leader in small-lot, elegant wines from Sonoma, thanks to years of thoughtful winegrowing from the team. Excellent winemaking and thoughtful winegrowing go hand in hand. We don’t green wash, and we hold sustainability as a core value. We will not stop here, and plan to apply for Regenerative Organic Certification in 2025.”
To achieve CCOF certification, farmers must follow strict regulations regarding farming practices for at least three years prior to certification. When Ram’s Gate Winemaker Joe Nielsen joined the team in 2018, he, along with co-founder O’Neill, made it one of the winery’s primary goals to transition the estate vineyard to organic farming with the goal of achieving organic certification. While the vineyard was already California Certified Sustainable and Fish Friendly Farming-certified, Nielsen escalated the farming with precise soil surveys and vine transpiration technologies to study the vineyard’s water needs, subsequently reducing water usage by 33%. Other measures adopted at the estate include falconry and owl boxes for natural pest control, and utilizing sheep for weeding and nutrient recycling. This has gone hand-in-hand with eliminating the use of all synthetic chemicals in the vineyard.
Ram's Gate's 28-acre estate vineyard will now be added to the previously certified 2,537 acres of winegrape vines in Sonoma County that are certified organic, according to CCOF, compared to the total winegrape acreage in Sonoma County, which is around 59,000 acres, according to the 2023 Sonoma County Crop Report.
“Since planting my first vineyard as a college student in my parents’ backyard in Michigan, I have believed in the power of sustainable and organic farming to not only benefit our shared environment but deliver expressive, site-specific wines,” says Nielsen. “We have been engaging in organic farming at our estate because we believe that is the right thing to do and we believe it results in better wine. It is with immense pride that we are now able to put that certification on our estate bottlings, so consumers know that they are drinking wines that are not only delicious, but grown in a way they can feel good about.”
(Sept. 16, 2024; SONOMA, Calif.)—Jeff O’Neill, owner of Ram’s Gate Winery in Sonoma’s Carneros AVA, is pleased to announce that the winery’s 28 acres of estate vineyards and winery have officially received certification from the California Certified Organic Farmers association (CCOF) and that this year’s harvest will be the first certified organic vintage for the renowned producer of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Under 5% of Sonoma County vineyards are certified organic. This certification is in line with O’Neill’s longtime commitment to sustainability, exemplified in O’Neill Vintners & Distillers’ Certified B Corporation status and unwavering adherence to environmentally ethical practices.
“I have always championed the impact of sustainability at scale, particularly in the wine and spirits industry,” says O’Neill, who fully acquired Ram’s Gate in 2024 and was recognized as Wine Enthusiast’s 2022 Person of the Year for his environmental efforts. “Ram’s Gate has long been a leader in small-lot, elegant wines from Sonoma, thanks to years of thoughtful winegrowing from the team. Excellent winemaking and thoughtful winegrowing go hand in hand. We don’t green wash, and we hold sustainability as a core value. We will not stop here, and plan to apply for Regenerative Organic Certification in 2025.”
To achieve CCOF certification, farmers must follow strict regulations regarding farming practices for at least three years prior to certification. When Ram’s Gate Winemaker Joe Nielsen joined the team in 2018, he, along with co-founder O’Neill, made it one of the winery’s primary goals to transition the estate vineyard to organic farming with the goal of achieving organic certification. While the vineyard was already California Certified Sustainable and Fish Friendly Farming-certified, Nielsen escalated the farming with precise soil surveys and vine transpiration technologies to study the vineyard’s water needs, subsequently reducing water usage by 33%. Other measures adopted at the estate include falconry and owl boxes for natural pest control, and utilizing sheep for weeding and nutrient recycling. This has gone hand-in-hand with eliminating the use of all synthetic chemicals in the vineyard.
Ram's Gate's 28-acre estate vineyard will now be added to the previously certified 2,537 acres of winegrape vines in Sonoma County that are certified organic, according to CCOF, compared to the total winegrape acreage in Sonoma County, which is around 59,000 acres, according to the 2023 Sonoma County Crop Report.
“Since planting my first vineyard as a college student in my parents’ backyard in Michigan, I have believed in the power of sustainable and organic farming to not only benefit our shared environment but deliver expressive, site-specific wines,” says Nielsen. “We have been engaging in organic farming at our estate because we believe that is the right thing to do and we believe it results in better wine. It is with immense pride that we are now able to put that certification on our estate bottlings, so consumers know that they are drinking wines that are not only delicious, but grown in a way they can feel good about.”
Please click here for high-resolution images.
About Ram’s Gate Winery
Perched upon the rolling hills that define the landscape of the Carneros AVA, where the San Francisco Bay meets the edges of Napa and Sonoma counties, lies Ram’s Gate Winery. Founded in 2011, Ram’s Gate is entering a new era of winemaking excellence. Today, the winery’s portfolio showcases wines that are fresh, compelling and uncompromising in quality sourced from vineyards that encompass the breadth that Sonoma County has to offer. Rooted in a spirit of exploration, the Ram’s Gate Winery team brings a new perspective on refined elegance through thoughtful farming, intentional winemaking, genuine hospitality and sublime culinary experiences. The winery’s connection to the land is reflected in the breathtaking tasting room that overlooks the Ram’s Gate Estate Vineyard: 28-acres of organically farmed vines. The tasting room is currently open Thursday-Monday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Reservations can be made online, and walk-in guests are welcome.
Please click here for high-resolution images.
About Ram’s Gate Winery
Perched upon the rolling hills that define the landscape of the Carneros AVA, where the San Francisco Bay meets the edges of Napa and Sonoma counties, lies Ram’s Gate Winery. Founded in 2011, Ram’s Gate is entering a new era of winemaking excellence. Today, the winery’s portfolio showcases wines that are fresh, compelling and uncompromising in quality sourced from vineyards that encompass the breadth that Sonoma County has to offer. Rooted in a spirit of exploration, the Ram’s Gate Winery team brings a new perspective on refined elegance through thoughtful farming, intentional winemaking, genuine hospitality and sublime culinary experiences. The winery’s connection to the land is reflected in the breathtaking tasting room that overlooks the Ram’s Gate Estate Vineyard: 28-acres of organically farmed vines. The tasting room is currently open Thursday-Monday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Reservations can be made online, and walk-in guests are welcome.
