 Our history with the Van der Kamp Vineyard
goes way back to 1994, before we started making wine. We placed an advertisement in Wine Country
Classifieds looking for Pinot Noir fruit and a vineyard owner that would sell us the grapes by the ton
rather than by the acre. We received three responses, one of which was from the Van der Kamps.
We journeyed up Sonoma Mountain Road and checked out the site, but as Sonoma Mountain wasn’t
really considered a hotbed of Pinot Noir, we chose to get our first fruit from Anderson Valley. However,
we kept in touch with the Van der Kamps and spent some more time studying the Sonoma Mountain appellation.
We discovered two things. First, that Sonoma Mountain was a great deal cooler than we first imagined
and, second, that the Van der Kamp family was truly committed to growing world-class Pinot Noir.
So, in 1996 we again approached the Van der Kamps about purchasing some fruit. We selected some of
the oldest vines on the property and the rest, as they say, is history.
Over the years, the Van der Kamp Vineyard has changed. There have been newer plantings, grafting over
of certain clones, a renewed commitment to doing anything necessary to grow great fruit. But the two
things that have remained constant are the Van der Kamps love for the vineyard. The family continues to
live on the property. Ulysses, Martin and Dixie’s son, manages the vineyard himself with Martin’s insight
being a guiding light (and Dixie taking care of the financial end of running the vineyard). The other consistent
aspect has been the unique character of the fruit.
Sonoma Mountain is an old volcano and the grapes grown at the Van der Kamp Vineyard have always
shown a strong earthy, smoky character. The 2006 is no exception with this smoked meat character mixing
with black currants and hints of lavender. A wine of weight but without excess heaviness, it drinks
well enough with food right now but should only improve for 3-5 year
- Adam & Dianna Lee
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