Fitzpatrick Family Vineyards
At Fitzpatrick Family Vineyards, our estate vineyard features 40 acres of vines separated into 12 smaller, carefully-tended blocks. We grow seven varietals in our vineyard: Chardonnay, Ehrenfelser, Gewürztraminer, Meunier, Pinot Blanc, Pinot Noir, and Riesling, and not by accident. We arrived at the decision to focus on traditional method sparkling wine, crisp whites, and elegant, focused reds over the course of twenty years of listening carefully to the story our land has to tell. And it’s a special one.
There are things that are distinct about a place that demand you make certain wines a specific way. The degree days. Soil types. Rainfall, or lack thereof. You can fight it. But in the end nature will keep sending you the same message, and it’s up to you to listen.
We had a hunch about what was right for our site when we planted Pinot Noir and Chardonnay twenty years ago. And we were right. But we also planted Merlot, and that wasn’t quite right, so we pulled it up and planted Riesling. We also had it right with aromatic whites like Gewürztraminer and Ehrenfelser. These wines thrive here. And you have to grow what reflects the qualities of your vineyard best.
Fitzpatrick Family Vineyards is a featured winery stop along our Summerland Wine Tour. To learn more about this region, please visit the Bottleneck Drive
