The image of vibrant farms and rugged ranches set among Sonoma County’s beautiful landscapes has long been sought after by tourists, painters and photographers. The sheer beauty has always stood out, but, given that the area’s first vineyards date back to 1812, it is the region’s agrarian roots and family legacy that makes Sonoma County unique.
Today, twenty-two local families, all winegrape growers, were recognized as the original members of the “Century Club” in honor of their continuously farming their family’s original land for more than one hundred years. Sonoma County Winegrowers created the Century Club to mark the unique legacies of farm families in the region and it will recognize new families with the honor as they hit the one-hundred-year mark in the years ahead. Each of these farms – and the families behind them – have endured the ups and downs of the cyclical nature of today’s agriculture to survive and thrive.
“To have so many families still working the very land where their grandparents, great grandparents and great, great grandparents settled and began farming over a hundred years ago is truly the definition of sustainability and the DNA in our wine region,” said Karissa Kruse, President and CEO, of Sonoma County Winegrowers. She added, “We are very excited to launch this program because we are fortunate to live in an area where so many multi-generational farm families continue to farm the very ground that their ancestors farmed and ranched more than a century ago.”
All of the families being honored share one common theme – brave ancestors who left their homeland to seek the American dream by working the land. Some examples include the Mauritson family who have been growing grapes in the Dry Creek Valley since 1868. The Munselle family arrived in the Alexander Valley with a vision of producing fine wines nearly 150 years ago. The Bisordi family began farming hops, prunes and more in 1898. The Dutton family has been working the land since the 1880s and today the fourth, fifth and sixth generations are still farming. The Martinelli family first planted grapes and began making wine in the area in the 1880s.
Each of the families honored today received commemorative pins, special recognition signs to place on their property and a Congressional certificate from Representative Mike Thompson. Looking ahead, the Century Club members will be invited to attend the annual recognition lunch, as well as participate in exclusive members-only events.
The member families of the inaugural 2024 class of the Sonoma County Century Club and the year their ancestors began farming in Sonoma County are:
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Azevedo Family – Azevedo A-Bar Ranch, began farming in 1904
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Bacigalupi & Gaddini Family – Bacigalupi Vineyards, began farming in 1883
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Bastoni Family – Bastoni Vineyards, began farming in 1905
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Bisordi Family – Bisordi Ranch & Vineyards, began farming in 1898
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Bundschu Family – Bundschu Company, began farming in 1858
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Denner Family – Denner Ranches, Inc., began farming in 1890
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Dutton Family – Dutton Ranch, began farming in 1880
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Giusti Family – Giusti Ranch & Vineyards, began farming in 1875
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Kunde Family – Wildwood Vineyards Arthur Kunde & Sons, Inc., began farming in 1904
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Leras Family – Leras Family Vineyards, began farming in 1918
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Martinelli Family – Martinelli Winery & Martinelli Vineyard Management, began farming in 1860
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Mauritson Family – Mauritson Farms, began farming in 1868
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Munselle Family – Munselle Vineyards, began farming in 1876
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Puccioni Family – Puccioni Ranch & Vineyards, began farming in 1904
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Rafanelli Family – Rafanelli Winery, began farming in early 1900s
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Saini Family – Saini Farms, Inc., began farming in 1917
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Sanchietti Family – Sanchietti Ranch & Sanchietti Farming, began farming in 1919
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Sebastiani Family – Sebastiani Vineyards & Winery, began farming in 1904
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Seghesio Family – Seghesio Family Vineyards, began farming in 1895
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Serres Family – Serres Ranch, began farming in 1924
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Schmidt Family – Tzabaco Rancho Vineyards, began farming in 1856
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Young Family – Robert Young Estate Vineyards, began farming in 1858
To learn more about the founding families of the Century Club, click here!
About Sonoma County Winegrowers:
Sonoma County Winegrowers (SCW), was established in 2006, evolving from the Sonoma County Grape Growers Association, which was first launched in 1983 by local grape growers inspired to work together to elevate the region. SCW is a marketing and educational organization dedicated to the promotion and preservation of Sonoma County as one of the world’s premier grape growing regions. With more than 1,800 growers, SCW’s goal is to increase awareness and recognition of the quality, sustainability and diversity of Sonoma County’s grapes and wines through dynamic marketing and educational programs targeted to wine consumers and influencers around the world. In 2014, Sonoma County’s winegrowing community embarked on a major initiative to have all Sonoma County vineyards certified sustainable. Today, 99% of the vineyard acreage in Sonoma County has completed certification by a third-party auditor making Sonoma County the most sustainable winegrowing region in the world. In addition, in 2020, SCW became the exclusive pilot partner for the California Land Stewardship’s Climate Adaptation Certification. In 2022, SCW began envisioning a Farm of the Future which it officially introduced in 2023. SCW’s sustainability efforts have been recognized with California’s highest environmental honor, the 2016 Governor’s Environmental and Economic Leadership Award (GEELA). Learn more at www.sonomawinegrape.org.
