Suisun Valley
Winterhawk Winery is located in picturesque Suisun Valley, which has long been known for the quality of its fruit orchards. Suisun Valley is located in western Solano County and is a broad plain that is protected between rolling hills to the west and north. Suisun, pronounced Sue Soon, is a Native American word meaning West Wind. The cooling winds in the valley help to create ideal growing conditions in the wine grape vineyards, and many vineyards have thrived in Suisun Valley since the mid 1800s. Winterhawk’s vineyards were planted long before Don Johnson purchased the property in 1977. Don’s previous farming experience brought him closer to his knowledgable wine grape grower neighbors, and he learned about farming wine grapes from them.
Suisun Valley has the distinction of being the 12th official California American Viticultural Area. Suisun Valley was designated as an AVA in 1982. In 1983, the North Coast Appellation was established, which combined Napa, Sonoma, and Mendocino counties, plus Suisun Valley, Green Valley, and parts of Lake and Marin counties into an ultra premium wine grape growing region, with world-wide recognition.
Suisun Valley is approximately eight miles long and three miles wide, and its land mass is approximately 15,000 acres. The region enjoys a cool climate, plentiful day time sun, and cool afternoon breezes out of the nearby San Pablo and Grizzly Bays. Fog is a rare occurrence in Suisun Valley, because the George Range protects Suisun Valley from the effects of the Pacific Ocean. The soil in Suisun Valley is abundant, deep, and somewhat varied. This rare combination of warm days, cool nights, and abundantly fertile soil gives wine grapes grown in Suisun Valley their rich flavor and capacity to make the high-quality wines that are crafted by Winterhawk’s winemaking team.
