Jeriko Vineyards

JERIKO ESTATE, located on the west side of Highway 101 just north of the small town of Hopland, is a panoramic display of early California and Mediterranean-style architecture. Surrounded by 180 acres of vineyards, trees and foothills, the Russian River flows to the east.

The original estate residence was built in 1898 by San Franciscan Judge J.H. Sturtevant. It was extensively redesigned exactly a century later by Daniel Fetzer. An estate winery and event/visitor center was added in 1999 to showcase Jeriko’s handcrafted biodynamic and organic wines.

The new Jeriko emerged in 1997 when Daniel began to replant the ranch with modern rootstocks and newly available clones of Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Syrah, Merlot, Sauvignon Blanc, and Sangiovese. The vineyards were planted on a 6x6 foot (1210 vines per acre) high-density spacing in order to force the roots to go deeper into the gravely loam soil to optimize terroir and intensify fruit flavors.

Key to Jeriko’s philosophy is the use of biodynamic and organic farming practices to promote plant diversity such as cover crops, and encourage soil balance without the use of synthetic chemical fertilizers, pesticides and fungicides. We have found that wines grown in this manner have more structural balance and require less manipulation during the vinification process; as well as being good for animal life and the environment. It’s common to see chickens, goats, and sheep roaming Jeriko’s vineyards and hillsides.

Today, Jeriko is producing nine varietals; Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Syrah, Merlot, Sangiovese, Cabernet Sauvignon, Sauvignon Blanc, Brut and Rose. The multi award winning Brut, released in the fall of 2004, is the nation’s first and only sparkling wine made from certified organic grapes. It also placed “Best of Show” in the 2006 premium price category at the prestigious Orange county Fair wine competition and scored 93 points and “Editors Choice” in the Wine Enthusiast. The distinguished name Jeriko Estate was inspired by the ancient civilization of Jericho, with its rich and progressive agricultural history. Dating back 9000 years and written about in the Old Testament, it is referred to as the “City of Agriculture” and widely regarded to be the birthplace of farming. Jeriko Estate uses the true ancient Latin spelling with a ‘k’ instead of a ‘ch’ that is the modern Greek spelling.