Metate Hill Vineyards

Open: Year-round

History:

In 2006, our family, Michael, Sierra, Steve and Gloria Stange, began a new journey. We planted an organic vineyard on our beautiful property in Calaveras County along Hwy 4. We sought out the best suited varietals to our warm climate and rocky soils.Along the way we discovered grinding rocks, or metate, made by Miwok Native Americans that once inhabited the region. To respect the heritage of the land our name pays homage to the Native Americans who lived and carved out the stone grinding rocks on our vineyard. Metate is the Spanish word for the grinding rocks found in our vineyard and throughout the New World.

The soil and climate in Calaveras County are similar to Spain's; characterized by hot, dry summers and cool night breezes. Spanish varietals were a natural choice for our vineyard. On our 21 acre ranch, we have 9 acres of cultivated vineyards. We grow 3 clones of Tempranillo, Spain's flagship wine. We also grow Albarino, Graciano, Garnacha, Monastrell, and Carinena.