Winemaking from a unique California terroir

Andrew Paul, Owner and Winemaker
Our hillside vineyard receives abundant sunshine which is mitigated by cooler nights and South West winds. Those factors and the soil in this part of Sonoma combine to produce outstanding red wines.

History and a Perfect Terroir

When we bought this property, it was undeveloped and featured mixed native oak forests, including grinding rocks, arrowheads and other reminders of the original Miwok inhabitants. Other than clearing the ridge line for our vineyard and our home, we have worked to maintain and support the native ecosystem. That includes planting native flora around our vineyard to attract insects and birds that keep our vineyard pest-free.
Our vineyard is managed without pesticides and following organic principles. We built a pond to attract the animals — bobcats, coyotes, foxes, and the occasional mountain lion — who keep ground squirrels and moles in check. In addition, hawks and owls patrol overhead ensuring that we have never needed to net our vineyard to protect the grapes. We consider the animals, insects and birds who live on our land to be some of our most valuable vineyard crews. Which is why one of our resident coyotes made it onto our label.

Working with Nature

Star Song Winery sits at the epicenter of winemaking history in California. Our vineyard is part of the original land grant of General Vallejo, a respected landowner and winemaker in early California. The volcanic soil is optimal for our Cabernet and Rhône varietals. Star Song’s vineyards are perched on a hillside overlooking Sonoma Valley where cool mornings, warm afternoons, and updrafts provide perfect conditions for slow ripening of our grapes for more complex and developed flavors.

Cabernet & Rhône Varietals

Two thirds of our vineyard is planted with Cabernet grapes producing award-winning Sonoma wine. The remaining third is dedicated to red Rhone varietals — Mourvèdre, Grenache, Cinsault and Carignan. These are blended to create our Synergy wine. We have renamed as Star Song Winery. Our older library wines still carry the Indian Leap name under which they won numerous awards.