Truchard Vineyards

Truchard Vineyards is the most geologically diverse and varietally ambitious estate in the Carneros appellation. Tony and Jo Ann Truchard purchased their first 20 acres in the Carneros hills in 1974 — before the AVA had any critical reputation — and spent decades expanding the estate to 400 acres across eight distinct soil types that produce genuinely different wine personalities from adjacent vineyard blocks.

The Truchards pioneered Carneros red wine production at a time when the appellation was known primarily for sparkling and white varieties. Tony planted Syrah, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Zinfandel, and Roussanne in the 1980s alongside the expected Pinot Noir and Chardonnay — establishing the conviction that Carneros's clay-rich, bay-influenced soils could produce serious red wine as well as the cool-climate whites that the appellation had become known for. Four decades later, the Truchard Syrah and Merlot are consistently recognized as among the finest produced in the Carneros AVA.

The appointment-only weekday tasting — limited to small groups in the estate's intimate setting — provides direct access to 400 acres of eight soil types across 11 estate varieties in one of the Carneros's most historically significant and agriculturally diverse wine properties.