Mendocino County

Saracina Ranch is located two hours north of San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge in Mendocino County, where wine grapes have been grown since the 1850s.  The county is the northern-most part of California's famous North Coast wine region, where the gentle valleys of the counties to the South give way to the rocky, more mountainous, heavily forested areas of Mendocino.  Bounded by California's costal mountain range, the Pacific Ocean, and the Northern redwood forests, less than 1% of the county's 2.2 million acres of land is planted with vineyards.  Nevertheless, 36% of California's certified organic vineyards are located in Mendocino, leading the state's winegrowing regions by many fold.

With this mountainous and valley terrain, Mendocino County's meso-climates are extremely variable, and daily temperatures can fluctuate 45 degrees between day and night.  The weather provides ideal growing conditions for very ripe fruit with good acidity.

It is not surprising that, for many years, Napa and Sonoma wineries have sourced Mendocino County's prized grapes for blending in their wines.  More recently, boutique Mendocino wineries like Saracina have brought recognition to the area because of their focus on artisanal vinification practices.