While Dale’s background is in finance, he has been a wine lover for years – particularly of old world style wines produced here in California. Amy, a writer, has roots in Northern California and she is thrilled to be back. Dale and Amy’s goal with the Pigasus Vineyard is to work with winemakers who produce balanced wines that let this amazing terroir shine through. We seek to develop long-term relationships with our business partners. We are also interested in vineyard designated bottling, and we especially welcome winemakers who share that goal.
We have been stewards of this wonderful property since late 2016, when we bought Alta Ridge Vineyards from Jim and Barbara Morris. The Morrises planted their first vines back in 2000 and lovingly cared for them before entrusting the place to us.
We chose to rename the property the Pigasus Vineyard as a nod to the novelist John Steinbeck, who often marked his personal letters with a stamp that bore the Latin phrase “Ad Astra Per Alia Porci” – or “to the stars on the wings of a pig.” Like many of Steinbeck’s characters, ordinary men and women who worked hard to overcome obstacles, we like to think we, too, are “earthbound, but aspiring.” Steinbeck grew up in the Salinas Valley and was familiar with California’s agricultural beauty. We feel we’ve found our own little Eden here in Sonoma. Our aspirations are simple: to grow the finest quality wine grapes.