Fetzer vineyards was established in 1958 when Barney and Kathleen Fetzer purchased a run-down 720-acre ranch in Redwood Valley. They saw the Mendocino wine industry as a dark horse poised for a big comeback after the repeal of prohibition and went about renovating the property and planting Fetzer’s first vines. Two years later the California “wine boom” began, and by 1968 Fetzer’s first commercial vintage (2,500 cases of red table wine) was crated, shipped and sold, putting it on the map. By 1977, the Fetzer staff had grown considerably but was still little more than an extended family. The company totaled about 20 people and was producing around 30,000 cases a year. The focus at that time was primarily single vineyard Zinfandels and Cabernets from local Mendocino growers. In 1978, Fetzer branched out into Chardonnay, Gewurztraminer and Riesling and built a second crushing facility on the property dedicated to white wines. As sales grew, so did Fetzer’s need to control the quality of all its grapes. This led to the purchase of Valley Oaks in 1984. The following year, Fetzer made the commitment to grow all of its grapes organically which it continues to do to this day.
