Vineyards & Growers
Great wine begins with the land. We craft wines from vineyards in Napa, Sonoma, and Mendocino Counties—choosing remarkable sites and growers committed to thoughtful farming, healthy soils, and a deep connection to place.
Coming Harvest 2026…The Ilsley Home Ranch
Yountville, Napa Valley, California
Family Legacy. Family Fruit. New Wines.
The Next Chapter of a loving tail….
For more than 60 years, the Ilsley family has grown grapes in Napa Valley.
Long before Prinsley existed, our family was farming this land—raising grapes, families and generations around the rhythms of the vineyard. Beginning in the 1950s, the Ilsleys became part of the agricultural fabric of Napa Valley, growing fruit for some of the region's pioneering wineries, including Robert Mondavi Winery and, later, Shafer Vineyards.
Now, for the first time, Prinsley will make wine from our family's home ranch on State Lane in Yountville.
Family Land. Family Fruit. A New Generation.
For us, this is more than a new vineyard source.
It's coming home.
Alder Springs Vineyard
Laytonville · Mendocino County, California
High in the mountains of northern Mendocino County, Alder Springs Vineyard is one of California’s most distinctive mountain vineyards. Founded by Stuart Bewley in 1993, the vineyard sits just 12 miles from the Pacific Ocean, with vines planted across dramatic terrain at elevations ranging from approximately 1,700 to 2,700 feet.
The 140 planted acres are divided among numerous small blocks and microclimates within a much larger 6,000-acre ranch—a landscape where elevation, coastal influence, exposure and soil create remarkably different growing conditions across the property.
It is an extraordinary place to grow wine.
Farming With Intention
Alder Springs has long been known for meticulous farming and an unusually hands-on approach to viticulture. Vineyard practices incorporate sustainable, organic and regenerative principles, with careful canopy management, attention to soil health and extensive handwork throughout the growing season.
That relationship between healthy land, thoughtful farming and expressive fruit is exactly what draws Prinsley to vineyards like Alder Springs.
Why We Love Alder Springs
For us, great wine begins long before fruit reaches the winery.
We look for vineyards with character—places where the farming, climate and landscape give us something distinctive to work with rather than something we need to manufacture in the cellar.
Alder Springs gives us fruit with natural acidity, freshness, texture and extraordinary energy. The vineyard's elevation and proximity to the Pacific help create the tension and brightness we look for in our wines.
We then try to get out of the way.
Prinsley Wines From Alder Springs
From this remarkable Mendocino vineyard, we have crafted:
2024 Chenin Blanc
Crisp, luminous and mineral-driven, with pear, citrus blossom and beautiful natural acidity.
2023 Pinot Noir
Silky and precise, with wild strawberry, red cherry, savory herbs and a mineral-driven finish.
2025 Rosé of Syrah
Made intentionally as rosé from vineyard to bottle, with wild strawberry, white peach, citrus blossom, fresh berries and bright acidity.
Sparkling Chenin Blanc
Traditional-method sparkling wine that captures Chenin Blanc's natural freshness and energy.
Emmitt-Scorsone Vineyard
Dry Creek Valley · Sonoma County, California
Tucked into the hills of Dry Creek Valley in Sonoma County, the Emmitt-Scorsone estate vineyard is a small, distinctive site shaped by elevation, varied exposures and the warm days and cool nights that make this part of Northern Sonoma County such a compelling place to grow Rhône varieties.
Known by the growers as “the Vinegrove,” the vineyard sits above the valley floor, where slightly cooler temperatures help preserve freshness and balance as the fruit ripens. Its Grenache grows on established rootstock in fine Laughlin loam soils, bringing together the generosity of Dry Creek Valley with the aromatic lift and natural acidity we look for in the variety.
Thoughtful Farming
The estate vineyard is organically farmed, with individual blocks shaped by different soils, elevations and exposures. The site's varied terrain allows Grenache to ripen with both concentration and freshness—one of the reasons we were drawn to this fruit.
For Prinsley, farming isn't a footnote. It's where wine begins.
We seek out growers and vineyard sites where thoughtful stewardship of the land translates into fruit with energy, character and a genuine sense of place.
Why We Love This Vineyard
Grenache can easily become big, ripe and heavy in warm climates.
That's not the Grenache we want to make.
At this Dry Creek Valley site, the combination of elevation, cooler hillside conditions and established vines gives us the opportunity to capture Grenache's more compelling side: perfume, red fruit, herbs, spice, silky texture and freshness.
It's expressive without being excessive—the kind of red wine that belongs at the table.
Prinsley Grenache
Our 2023 Grenache from Emmitt-Scorsone Vineyard is delicate and aromatic, opening with floral and herbaceous notes before moving into layers of red and black fruit, lavender and fresh oregano.
White pepper, nutmeg and cinnamon bring savory complexity, while fine tannins and a silky texture carry through the finish.
We hand harvest the fruit, ferment with native yeast in small open-top tanks and age the wine in neutral French oak, allowing the vineyard and Grenache itself to remain at the center of the finished wine.
Testa Family
Calpella · Mendocino County, California
More than a century of family farming lives in the vines at Testa Vineyards.
The story began in 1912, when Italian immigrants Gaetano and Maria Testa established their ranch in Calpella, Mendocino County. Gaetano had come to America with a dream of owning vineyard land. The family cleared the property together, planted vines, and began a farming legacy that continues through multiple generations today.
For Prinsley, Testa represents so much of what we value in wine: family, heritage, old vines, thoughtful farming and a relationship with the land that extends far beyond a single vintage.
Old Vines. Living History.
Testa is home to historic plantings of Carignane, Petite Sirah, Zinfandel, Barbera, Grenache and Charbono, varieties deeply connected to California's old-vine history. Some vines on the ranch are more than a century old.
These aren't vineyards designed around trends.
They are vineyards that have endured.
Generations of the Testa family have cared for this land through changing seasons, drought, Prohibition and enormous shifts in California agriculture, preserving a remarkable piece of Mendocino wine history along the way.
Farming for the Next Generation
Today, Testa Vineyards is certified organic through CCOF, and Mendocino Winegrowers identifies the family's farming as both CCOF and Demeter certified.
That commitment matters deeply to Prinsley.
We believe great wine begins with living soil, resilient vineyards and growers willing to think beyond a single harvest. Working with multigenerational farmers who care for their land with the future in mind allows us to make wines that carry more than flavor—they carry a story.
Why Prinsley Loves Testa
There is something unmistakable about old-vine Carignan.
Deeply established vines and thoughtful farming give us fruit capable of being both soulful and incredibly alive—bright red fruit, savory herbs, spice, freshness and the kind of natural energy that makes you want another glass.
It's precisely the style of wine we want Prinsley to make.
And there is something particularly meaningful about one multigenerational Northern California family working with another.
Different histories. Different places.
A shared belief that agriculture is something we inherit, care for and ultimately pass forward.
Prinsley Carignan from Testa Vineyards
Our 2022 Carignan comes from old vines at Testa Vineyards in Mendocino County.
Red cherry, pomegranate and rose lead the wine, followed by wild herbs and fine spice. The palate is vibrant and silky, with gentle tannins and a mouthwatering finish.
We hand harvest the fruit, ferment it in small lots with native yeast and use neutral vessels to preserve the brightness and character of the vineyard.
It's medium-bodied, energetic and wonderfully food-friendly.
Serve it slightly cool, put something delicious on the table, and let the vineyard do the talking.
Palindrome Vineyard
Dry Creek Valley · Sonoma County, California
Set in Dry Creek Valley in Sonoma County, Palindrome Vineyard is a site with a long affinity for Syrah.
The warm days of Dry Creek Valley give Syrah the opportunity to develop generous fruit and depth, while the variety's naturally savory, floral and peppery character brings complexity beyond simple ripeness. Palindrome Vineyard has been the source of vineyard-designated Syrah for multiple California producers over the years, building a quiet history around this Rhône variety.
For Prinsley, this vineyard gives us the combination we are always seeking: depth without heaviness, generosity balanced by freshness, and fruit that arrives in the cellar with a distinctive character of its own.
Dry-Farmed Syrah
The Syrah we source from Palindrome Vineyard is dry-farmed, meaning the established vines grow without routine irrigation and rely instead on moisture naturally available within the soil.
For us, that matters.
Water is one of California agriculture's most precious resources, and dry farming—where the vineyard and vintage allow it—can reduce reliance on irrigation while encouraging vines to develop a deeper relationship with the soils beneath them.
It's an approach that aligns naturally with Prinsley's broader belief that the quality and character of a wine begin with how its vineyard is cared for.
Why We Love Palindrome
Syrah can be powerful.
But we're most interested in what happens when that power is accompanied by aromatics, spice, freshness and restraint.
Palindrome gives us Syrah with dark fruit and generosity alongside the savory characteristics that make the variety so compelling: blackberry and plum, rose petal, clove and black pepper.
Interestingly, earlier wines made from Palindrome Vineyard have also been noted for savory, herbal and peppery characteristics—qualities that continue to make the site particularly compelling for Syrah.
Prinsley Syrah from Palindrome Vineyard
Our 2022 Syrah captures that balance beautifully.
Blackberry, raspberry and ripe cherry lead into plum and black cherry, with rose petal, clove and black pepper bringing aromatic and savory complexity.
The wine was aged in French oak barrels to build texture and complexity while maintaining the vibrant fruit and balance we want from the vineyard.
Medium tannins carry into a long finish, creating a Syrah with enough depth for grilled meats and hearty dishes but enough elegance to keep reaching for another glass.