It's not always what it smells like..

The "Sonoma Aroma" doesn't always present notes of apricot or dark cherry as do many of the fine wines that come from around the county. Sometimes, it smells a little more rustic, and a lot more like cows. This was the case for a 2018 diary nestled in the heart of the Russian River Valley AVA, a large tract of land with anchor-vineyard potential waiting to be uncorked.

It was early spring when? David Carciere was engaged by the owners of a 120-acre Dairy Ranch that wanted to escape the smell… into their next venture. The ranch included a significant amount of quality plantable acreage, but also the challenges and complexities that come with a ranch this sized poised for a change of use…

As we often do with listings prior to taking the offering public, we circulated the opportunity throughout our wine-industry network soliciting feedback and gauging interest. Interest in the old dairy was strong! That interest was parlayed into our public marketing effort and less than a week into the public marketing period, we were in escrow with a wine-industry veteran who, as it turned out, had been the first buyer to tour the ranch. The ranch is now planted to nearly 100 acres of extremely productive Pinot Noir and Chardonnay – the scale and layout of the ranch makes it not only productive, but incredibly efficient to farm.

Not all ranchers know the potential of their properties, nor the economic market that exists surrounding dairies, ranches, and grazing land on the North Coast. Cru Land Company is happy to provide complementary Assessments and Valuations (A.V.'s) for owners who are looking to understand the marketability of their assets. To learn more, shoot us a note or give us a call at 707.479.2199.