About Tin Barn Vineyards
Tin Barn Vineyards is named for the corrugated metal barn — the quintessential structure of California agricultural country, utilitarian and unpretentious, built for function rather than aesthetics. Michael Lancaster's Sonoma County Pinot Noir and Chardonnay project declares that wine of genuine quality doesn't require grand architecture or estate pretension; it requires good farming, honest winemaking, and attention to the land.
The downtown Sonoma tasting room produces wine from Sonoma Coast and Russian River Valley vineyard sources selected for their maritime influence and site-specific character. The tin barn aesthetic is a counter-statement in a wine region that sometimes dresses agricultural work in aspirational European architecture.
Wine Advocate has scored Tin Barn's Sonoma Coast and Russian River Pinot Noirs at 91–94 points, confirming that the unpretentious naming produces genuinely serious wine.