Van Duzer Vineyards

The westward views from the hilltop location of Van Duzer Vineyards stop you in your tracks. Beyond the vineyards lies the Coast Range and, specifically, a gap in the mountains called the Van Duzer Corridor. This passage through the Coast Range brings a cool breeze to the vineyards on summer afternoons. People and grapes love its cooling effect — winemakers swear by it. To celebrate this west wind, Van Duzer Vineyards drew upon Greek mythology and Zephyr, the god of the west wind, to adorn their labels. Their version is more of a goddess, Zephyra, who, on a green background adorned with autumn grape leaves, holds a cluster of pinot noir grapes and looks you in the eye.

The proprietors of the 140-acre estate are Chicago-based Marilynn and Carl Thoma. As owners of the Stone’s Throw Vineyards in California, they certainly knew what they were getting into when they purchased the property in 1998. However, with the Van Duzer Vineyards, they had the chance to add a new grape to their portfolio: pinot noir. To make this happen, they set about hiring a vineyard manager and a winemaker.

The vineyard management task fell on the shoulders of Norbert Fiebig, a German transplant. Charged with the task of making Van Duzer Vineyards a sustainable ecosystem, Norbert has achieved LIVE (low-impact viticulture and enology) and Salmon Safe certifications for the vineyards. He knows all 80 acres of cultivated ground, the many varieties of pinot clones, how the vines are trellised, and their orientation to the sun. And when it comes to the subject of good and bad bugs, Norbert becomes animated. With a clump of dirt in his hands, he can wax eloquently about the importance of lady beetles, green lacewings, and minute pirate bugs.

Since 1994, Jim Kakacek (pronounced “kuh-kay-sic”) has made wine for Van Duzer Vineyards to the tune of 18,000 cases annually. Expect to taste several vineyard-designated and blended pinot noirs, pinot gris, and a pinot noir rosé. The tasting room itself looks as though it sprang from the pages of Architectural Digest, with plenty of glass to showcase the spectacular view to the west. Despite the surrounding splendor, I stood transfixed, gazing at the Van Duzer Vineyards’ wine labels and the beauty of Zephyra and her cluster of ripe grapes. She seemed to be enticing me, saying, “Hey, WineTrail Guy, have you tried the Van Duzer Flagpole Block Pinot Noir?”