(916) 956-5099
info@kirchhoffwines.com
About Us
Estate Grown
Family rooted in farming, wines rooted in family
Our family story and the story behind each bottle we produce begins in the corn fields of Nebraska, of all places. Craig and Nancy Kirchhoff decided to move their family to Clarksburg, California to manage vineyards in the '80's, and planted their own Chardonnay vineyard in 1997 to sell commercially. These vines provided the testing ground for their son, Clayton, to pursue his passion for winemaking. After planting wine grapes on the Home Ranch in 2010, that passion became a family venture. With the design expertise of son Casey and his fiancé, Kirchhoff Wines found it's official release at their wedding in 2015. The couple worked to create a welcoming tasting room inside the Boiler Room of the Old Sugar Mill in 2017.
That year, our family renovated an old barn on the Home Ranch into the wine production facility we make our wines at today, meaning our wines could be made entirely on our estate from vine to bottle. Our business is a true family pursuit, and our success has been the product of much sweat and tears. We produce Kirchhoff Family Wines as a testament to the region in which our family was raised -- and for love of family and good wine.
Dry Farmed
Some things are better without water
Wine grapes (lucky for us), just happen to be one of those things! Even during one of California's worst droughts on record, we were proud to practice dry farming techniques on our estate grown vineyards. This means we don't irrigate throughout the year and rely on rainfall and groundwater to provide water for our grapes.
While we have the infrastructure to step in and rescue vines when necessary, we are proud to practice dry farming for a number of reasons. Besides supporting our state's water conservation efforts, dry farming can also help produce excellent wine. This is because wine grapes, when forced to struggle through the summer months with little or no rain, tend to produce smaller, sweeter grape clusters with more character. This is one of the ways we produce high quality, sustainable and environmentally conscious products.
Low-intervention wines
Good wines that you feel good about drinking
At Kirchhoff, we take pride in our unique approach to winemaking, which revolves around crafting low intervention wines. Unlike many modern wineries that use additives to control fermentation and alter the final taste, we prefer a more natural process. While our wines may contain minimal sulfites, we strive for minimal intervention overall, proudly falling into the natural wines category.
Our winemaking starts with naturally occurring yeast from our vineyard, avoiding the addition of external yeast. We never add sugar and use only minimal sulfur, which makes our wines a great choice for those sensitive to wine-induced headaches.
Low-intervention wines often have more sediment, composed of grape solids like skin and seeds, natural yeast, and tartrates (naturally occurring tartaric acids). Some winemakers clarify their wines by filtering or adding substances to remove particles, which can stabilize the wine but might also strip away flavors.
We opt against these methods to preserve the integrity of our wines. This choice not only maintains their vegan status (since some clarification agents contain animal products like gelatin or egg whites) but also ensures a richer flavor experience for our customers.
