Alta Orsa Winery

04/20/2026

After a dry stretch to start the spring, we watched the grasses fade just as budbreak began. It raised a quiet concern that we might be entering the season without a full reserve of moisture in the soil.

Then the rains came. Two steady storms over the past couple weeks, soaking in, settling the dust, and bringing the vineyard back into balance.

Water is everything up here. With no real mountain water table and soils of shale and sandstone that drain as quickly as they receive, each storm matters. In drought years, we feel it in the vines and in the yields. So this rain, right now, feels like a gift.

A good reminder that farming is always a conversation with the season, and sometimes, it answers back.

04/13/2026

Yes, it’s true. Only primates and guinea pigs are allergic to urushiol oils. Now, fun event: is hosting an Earth Day celebration this April 18th, 2026 from 10-4pm where you can taste and wines, wild flower honey, and olive oil! Also learn about soil health, native plant sale, meet 🐐, and enjoy Crepe

03/24/2026

We’ve been keeping a secret…
Our Cabernet Sauvignon was chosen as one of five American finalists in The 76 Redo, a modern blind remake of the 1976 Judgment of Paris. 1,000+ wines submitted. Top sommeliers. Five American Cabernets and five French Cabernets standing at the end. We were one of them.
10th place, going up against some of the best Cabernet on earth, on both sides of the Atlantic. We’ll take it.
Deep gratitude to the team at for organizing something this meaningful for small producers. And to this mountain, this incredible crew, this work. It’s always been about the place, people, and community.

12/16/2025

We are coming down the hill! Come see us this Saturday from 11-4 in Downtown Hopland. We’ll taste four of our favorite wines, which you can take home for the holidays. Of course, a good excuse to stock up on local responsibly-raised meat for the festivities 🎄🍷🥩

Estate Wines. Mountain Grown. Hand-crafted. Family Owned. Regeneratively Farmed.

09/27/2025

Harvest ‘25 has officially begun at Alta Orsa estate! After weeks of working on and , our regeneratively grown estate fruit is finally ready. Today we harvested and , including Merlot from a new organic vineyard. This year's quality is impressive. Thanks to our diligent farm crew and Ocho's oversight. never stops working. Here's to thrilling, long days ahead.

08/12/2025

And so it begins… blending time. Every August we come up with our and blends right here in our studio (kitchen table). After a 2 year slumber (aging, élevage) it is our job to elegantly assemble estate wines into something special. We toil over what barrels might go into the Reserve, Soils Series or Hillside Cuvée. It’s a multi day process that requires patience and perseverances. Yes, young Cab tannin can beat up our palates, but fills us with excitement. The ‘23 Cabs are superb and the ‘24 Pinots are so vibrant. Can’t wait to share with you!