The Ranch
Our History
With a dream of finding an area more reminiscent of their home country of Ireland, Valentine and Julia Cleary ventured north of San Francisco and came upon a little town called Freestone. At the time, Freestone was a rail stop on the North Pacific Coast Railroad. They immediately fell in love with the charm of Freestone’s luscious, green vistas and rolling hills. In 1945, they purchased a parcel of land near Salmon Creek and the Cleary Ranch was born.
Valentine, a blacksmith, and his son Jack began their entrepreneurial careers by forming V-C Ranch, a cattle and sheep farming community. Soon enough, the cool and fertile V-C Ranch was widely known to produce some of the best cattle in California. Over the next forty-plus years, the ranch continued in the cattle and sheep business and Jack, and his wife Kathleen, eventually took ownership adding more land with every generation to transform the ranch into a true sanctuary for friends and family.
Evolution
In the late 1990’s, the Clearys decided to explore new opportunities. After a meeting with Sonoma County’s pioneer grape-grower Warren Dutton, they decided to transform the V-C Ranch into a lush vineyard, dedicating nearly 50 acres of the ranch to Pinot Noir, ending one era and beginning another.
The Cleary Ranch Today
As the grapes grew, so did the Clearys' love for the land, inspiring the creation of quality grapes that have caught the attention of world-class wineries throughout the valley and beyond. Over the last few years, the ranch has produced grapes for Capieaux Cellars, David Bruce, Chasseur Wines, Patz & Hall, and J. Winery. Moving forward, John and the Clearys begin the next chapter by producing their own wine under the label of Cleary Ranch Vineyards. Their inaugural bottle of Pinot Noir will be from the 2008 harvest.
The rest of the story is yet to be written…