With warm sun and cool breezes in just the right measure, and exceptionally diverse soil types, the beautiful, 20-mile-long basin known as the Alexander Valley is a winemaker's paradise — and our home. Just over an hour north of San Francisco, in northern Sonoma County, Clos du Bois proudly carries on an Alexander Valley winemaking tradition that, for us, stretches back more than 30 years.

Wine History:  Clos du Bois crafted its first vintage in 1974 from 520 acres of grapes in Sonoma County's then little-known Alexander Valley. Since that time, the Alexander Valley has become one of the world's most prestigious wine producing regions. Clos du Bois has also become one of the region's most renowned wineries, famous for elegant, soft and approachable wines.

The Clos du Bois name reportedly originates from founder Frank Woods' plan to name the new winery "Woods Vineyard." His children, who were studying French at the time, suggested the more exotic "Clos du Bois" instead, which loosely translates to "enclosure in the woods."

In June 2003, Clos du Bois entered an exciting new era when esteemed winemaker Erik Olsen joined our family. Erik's years of award-winning experience have already made their mark on Clos du Bois.

Our Vineyards:  Clos du Bois farms more than 900 acres in the renowned Alexander Valley in northern Sonoma County and gathers top-quality fruit from other growers throughout Sonoma County and in key growing regions of Coastal California — some of whom we've been working with for decades.

Diverse Vineyards -- In 1974 we produced our first vintage at River Oaks Vineyards on 520 acres. From that modest start, we now farm 925 Alexander Valley acres, with our partners throughout the area farming many hundreds more. This provides us the extraordinary quality and diversity we need to craft our best-loved varietals. Under the guidance of Erik Olsen and the winemaking team, every vineyard is carefully segmented into blocks based on the myriad soil types and microclimates. An ongoing re-plant program allows Clos du Bois to maximize the potential of these vineyard blocks.

Diverse Partners -- Clos du Bois does things differently when it comes to partners, too. Rather than working with a few large growers, as other major wineries do, Clos du Bois works with many small — and medium-sized growers — specially selected, independents from Sonoma County's Dry Creek Valley, Russian River Valley, Carneros and Knights Valley regions on south to the Coastal appellation around Monterey. And still each grower, large or small, receives the same consulting attention from our team.

Sustainable Farming:  As part of our commitment to being good environmental neighbors and responsible residents, Clos du Bois believes practicing sustainable farming techniques both protect the natural environment and make for superior winemaking. Sustainable farming means that, wherever possible, we employ farming and winemaking methods with the lowest environmental impact, whether it be reducing pesticides or on-site waste water treatment.