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The Soul Patch vineyard is on an eastern facing hillside in the heart of the Russian River Valley, with vineyard rows running north to south. This positioning is important because it allows the vineyard to benefit from the gentle heat of the morning sun, while being shielded form the harsh afternoon sun. All of the vineyard rows running north to south ensures that all of the fruit gets equal exposure to the sun. The soil is Goldridge series, with very high amounts of volcanic ash. This adds a beautiful minerality to each vintage, one of the highlights of the amazing complexity from our estate vineyard.

Guy Davis discovered his passion for wine while working as a chef in a French restaurant during his time at the University of Washington. There, his affinity for food and wine was quickly recognized by the owner and head chef. Guy would spend evenings dining and tasting with the two through each of the infamous regions of France. With each bottle, his enthusiasm grew.

After graduating with a degree in Management and Finance, Guy created an opportunity to work in winery finance and by the fall he moved to Sonoma County. By 1989, Guy had started working as the wine buyer for a mail order wine company specializing in wines from small, boutique wineries. Working with these wineries inspired Guy to learn and master the craft of making wine himself. In 1989 he signed on to work the harvest at Sky Vineyards, a little winery atop Mount Veeder in Napa Valley. From that point on, he never missed another harvest.

Looking to further his experience, he took every viticulture and enology class offered at the college in Santa Rosa and pursued night and weekend courses in the winemaking program at the University of California at Davis. It was after a stint as director of marketing at Kendall Jackson that he started Passport Wine Club, a mail order company that connected small production wineries directly to consumers. Passport helped Davis meet winemakers from all over the world as he imported their wines and introduced them to the U.S. market. At the same time, he was gaining a worldwide perspective of winemaking knowledge and techniques.

In 1995, Davis produced his first commercial vintage: 250 cases of old vine zinfandel from the Russian River Valley. In 1996, he bought his own vineyard in Russian River Valley comprised of 100-year-old zinfandel vines and, in 1997, crushed his first vintage under the Davis Family Vineyards label. Soon he planted new Pinot Noir and Syrah vineyards in Russian River Valley.

Guy and Judy Davis purchased the property on which Soul Patch vineyard is planted in 1996. Guy planted the Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Syrah and he and his son Cole have farmed the vineyard since its purchase. There are 7 acres planted to Pinot Noir on Soul Patch vineyard at the top of the eastern facing hillside. Guy planted a combination of Pommard clone, and Dijon clones 777, 667 and 115.

Only organic, earth friendly farming practices are used on their estate vineyard. The reasoning for this is simple; not only is this better for the planet and the consumer, but ultimately creates a more layered and complex wine.