Lancaster Estate

Overview

After searching for the ideal site to grow and produce Bordeaux-varietal wines, Ted Simpkins, founder of Lancaster Estate, purchased the former Maacama Creek Winery and its surrounding vineyard in 1995. To honor his paternal heritage, he renamed the estate Lancaster and adorned it with his family crest that depicts a lion, a symbol used throughout the winery.

Region

A narrow, warm and diverse appellation, Alexander Valley is located at the northern end of Sonoma County. Hot midday temperatures give way to maritime conditions in the evenings and mornings when just enough fog makes its way up the Petaluma Gap into Alexander Valley. This balance of warm and cool temperatures benefits the Bordeaux varietals for which the Alexander Valley is best known.

Vineyards

The estate is comprised of 53 acres of rolling hills. The vineyards are all planted on hillsides, which have low-nutrient soil, and are farmed sustainably using practices to further mitigate the naturally occurring low vigor.

Winemaking

The winemaking team is headed by Jesse Katz. Prior to joining Lancaster Estate, he worked with Andy Erickson at Screaming Eagle in Napa Valley; Paul Hobbs in Mendoza, Argentina at Viña Cobos; as well as Has Vinding-Diers, winemaker at Bodega Noemia and Argiano.

David Ramey has been a winemaking consultant for Lancaster Estate since 2004. In addition to working with this Alexander Valley estate, Ramey has also worked with some of the world’s top wineries including Chateau Petrus and Dominus.