History

Nestled in California's Shenandoah Valley, Zinfandel Ridge offers a lifestyle that's warm and welcoming.

The foothills of the Sierra Nevada have been a rich and bountiful environment for millennia. At one time, oak forests and grassland meadows covered the entire San Joaquin and Sacramento valleys, providing food and shelter for numerous tribes of Native Americans as well as huge populations of wildlife.

With the discovery of gold in 1848, thousands of prospectors flocked to the area in search of riches in what came to be known as the “heart of the Mother Lode.” Gold-seekers—the famed “forty-niners”—had a profound effect on the area, turning many outposts into boomtowns catering to the needs of prospectors. Many of these pioneers brought with them a tradition of wine-growing, and wineries soon sprouted up, as grape vines thrived in the volcanic Sierra soils and ideal climate.

As the dream of easy riches faded, many prospectors settled in the area to farm, ranch and cultivate their vines. Within a few decades there were more than 100 wineries in the Mother Lode. But as mining declined toward the end of the 19th century, followed by Prohibition in the 1920’s, wine-making saw a downturn. It wasn’t until the 1960’s and 70’s that a new generation of pioneers rediscovered the bounty provided by the ideal conditions of these golden hills.

Today some of the vineyards in the area are more than 125 years old, including the original Grandpère vineyard, planted with Zinfandel before 1869 and believed to be the oldest Zinfandel vineyard in America.

History

History

Today some of the vineyards in the area are more than 125 years old, including the original Grandpère vineyard, planted with Zinfandel before 1869 and believed to be the oldest Zinfandel vineyard in America.

Image Credit: photos used with kind permission from the collection of Pat Shackleton.

The Area

The Community

The Plans

Steve Singh, Builder

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