OUR STORY
Hidden high in the mountains of Northeastern Humboldt County, California lies our unique winery and vineyard operated by myself (Jeff John) and my wife Marisa. Established in 2005, Rocky’s Ridge Vineyard is located at an elevation of 3,000 feet and enjoys a spectacular view of Upper Redwood Creek with surrounding fir and oak forests.
We are devoted to the production of robust and complex world-class wines. Our premier wines are marked by quality, richness of flavor and layers of complexity. Our wines include: Pinot Noir and Syrah with a non-estate 2008 Syrah as our first release.
Warm summer days and cool nights balance to produce a longer hang-time for our fruit, maximizing their flavor. The estate’s sustainably managed vineyards (3 acres at 2,800 and .5 acres at 2,400 elevations are planted) with a mix of 85% Pommard / 15% Dijon Pinot Noir clones and .25 acres of a Champagne Perrier-Jouet Chardonnay clone . We purchase additional Pinot Noir and Syrah winegrapes from other organic and/or sustainably managed vineyards. The wines themselves are classically made.
Jeff began his winegrape growing and winemaking career as a cellar rat (a person who does the grunt work) at David Bruce Winery (well-known for its Pinot Noir) in 2002. He has been making wine since 2001 and installing and managing vineyards since 1998 with a 4 acre vineyard of cabernet and syrah in the Loma Prieta area of California before moving to Humboldt County for a more suitable climate to grow Pinot Noir. He learned his winegrape growing and winemaking skills through a variety of University of California Davis courses and through the mentoring of Anthony Craig who has made wine for David Bruce, Savannah-Chanelle, Tondré Wines, and has his own label, Sonnet. His farming experience growing up in Western Pennsylvania and his understanding of chemistry from his Metallurgic Science degree from Pennsylvania State University formed the foundation of his understanding of the dirt and acid.
Jeff and Marisa live and work off the grid in a home they built themselves and strive to maintain a natural, sustainable, and carbon-neutral lifestyle. They also have a distillery business Dutch & Dewey Distillery (DutchAndDeweyDistillery.com) that they also run in the same sustainable way.