Bonny Doon Vineyard Arroyo Seco Picpoul Beeswax Vineyard

Based in Santa Cruz, heartland of New Age thinking, dreaming and deferred transition to adulthood, Bonny Doon Vineyard has a not so surprising history of idealism and innovation. Founded in the bucolic hamlet of Bonny Doon in 1983 by Randall Grahm, Bonny Doon Vineyard is known for its strikingly original wines made from lesser-known (though no less noble) grape varieties, the so-called vinous Ugly Ducklings. Bonny Doon Vineyard made its mark on the world of wine with pioneering work in the exploration of Rhne varieties, innovative production techniques, and very imaginative marketing that has, truth be told, sometimes been too clever by half.

Since the adoption of biodynamic farming practices in 2004 and in 2006, the radical slimming down of both product portfolio and overall case production (with a concomitant greater degree of focus and attention to detail), the wines of Bonny Doon Vineyard have evinced a more complex expression of varietal character, a more noticeable sense of organization and a greater degree of life-force.

Randall lectures frequently to wine societies and technical groups, and occasionally contributes quixotically sincere articles to wine journals. In 2010 the Culinary Institute of America inducted him into the Vintners Hall of Fame.