St. Francis

Founder Joe Martin established St. Francis Vineyard in 1971 and opened his winery in 1979 with business partner Lloyd Canton. Tom Mackey joined as the first winemaker in 1983. St. Francis partnered with the Kopf family in 1988, and the winery was built in 1999. Winemakers Katie Madigan and Chris Louton work alongside Vineyard Director Jake Terrell.

In Sonoma Valley, initial plantings included 22 acres of Chardonnay and the first 60 acres of Merlot. St. Francis farms more than 400 acres of estate vineyards in Sonoma Valley and Russian River Valley, with loam, clay, and volcanic soils; its vineyards include Wild Oak Estate Vineyard. In 2013, St. Francis was certified sustainable by the California Sustainable Winegrowing Alliance. A 457-kilowatt solar electrical system provides over 40% of annual electricity needs. Winery wastewater is cleaned and reused for irrigation, and pomace is recycled with local cow manure into custom compost.