Alegria Vineyard
Originally planted in the 1880s by the Brumfield family, Alegría Vineyard has been under the care of Betsy and Bill Nachbaur since 1990. While the Nachbaur’s have added more grape plantings, they have also upheld the vineyard's century-old tradition of field blend farming.
Registered by the Vineyard Historical Society as part of an 1841 Mexican land grant, Alegría remains one of the rare sites practicing the "field blend" technique, cultivating over 111 different grape varietals in total. All their wines are crafted as field blends, honoring the ancient tradition of the vineyard's original 129-year-old vines. The harvested fruit is predominantly 78% Zinfandel, 11% Alicante Bouschet, 9% Petite Sirah, and the last 2% is comprised of 15 other varieties planted in the same blocks to retain the character of a true field blend. Bill Nachbauer uses a hand-drawn map to guide the picking process, selecting the specific vines that will contribute to the year's grape blend.
The name Alegría, meaning joy and happiness in Spanish, was chosen to pay tribute to California's heritage and the dedicated vineyard workers. Learning about Sonoma County’s prosperous wine history makes us dance, and we hope that drinking our wines brings alegría to your life.