The Round Pond Estate is situated in the heart of Rutherford, California, an appellation that has been famous for its world-class red wines for more than a century. The property spans 362 acres of planted vineyards, including our Red Barn Ranch, Hill’s Vineyard, M-Bar Ranch, Round Pond Vineyard and MacDonnell Vineyards. To maintain the integrity of the land and to ensure its continuing bounty for generations to come, we use only sustainable farming practices in our viticulture program.
Round Pond’s soils are extremely fertile due to deposits from alluvial outflows of the Conn Creek and Napa River on either side of the property that took place thousands of years ago. As a result, the vine health is exceptional, and the vines grow vigorously. To ensure top quality we maintain vine balance and reduce yields by limiting each vine to two clusters per shoot, making certain that no two clusters touch one another. In addition, we carefully work the canopy to establish a good ratio of sunlight to shade. To further control vine vigor we utilize advanced technology to monitor hydration levels in the soil. When we are within days of harvesting, our skilled vineyard workers (some of whom have almost 30 years of experience at Round Pond) hand inspect each vine to discard bad berries, or even entire clusters. As a result, when the fruit is finally picked it represents a meticulous selection of only the finest grapes.
Our vineyards have been planted to selections of elite clones including 337, 7 and 8, each carefully matched with the optimal soil, rootstock and trellising system. Soil types include gravelly and sandy clay loam, while our trellising systems incorporate Geneva Double Curtain, Fletcher Lyre, Split Canopy Lyre and Vertical Shoot Positioning. Vine age at Round Pond averages 10 to 15 years.
