Jim Rickards has been farming high quality wine grapes in the Alexander Valley since 1976. This year, we are looking back at his story while celebrating 40 years of sustainable, historically conscious farming.
Take a look back with this video: http://www.facebook.com/J.Rickards.Winery/videos/10154161026383851/
40 years ago Jim bought the Alexander Valley property as a place to raise his children and graze his cattle. There was also an ancient Zinfandel vineyard, one that others had left mostly for dead, which intrigued him. After the droughts of ’77-’78, he sold the herd and looked again at the old vines, which were quieter, cleaner, and didn’t require feeding at 5 AM every day. He talked to long-time grape farmers in the valley about the vineyard and how to not only farm the land, but honor its heritage. A full-time RN in Santa Rosa, he made sure his tractor had headlights for farming at night, and started to plant more vines. The grapes became renowned for their quality and noble varietal character. Prestigious wineries bought them. In 1991 Eliza asked Jim to make wine to commemorate their marriage. They gathered friends to help pick, crush and bottle their wine. Out of this passion grew the winery in 2005.
About J. Rickards Winery – When Jim and Eliza Rickards founded J. Rickards Winery in 2005, their goal was to produce hand-crafted wines that showcased the diverse soils and varying micro-climates of their vineyards. Beginning in 1976, Jim has established himself as one of the area’s foremost premium grape growers. He has pioneered environmentally sensitive vineyard practices and has been a long-time proponent of sustainable farming techniques. Winemaker Blaine Brazil was brought on board in 2011 to maintain the artisan style of making small lots from our special blocks of the outstanding varietals grown on the estate vineyards and by select neighbors.
