Estate Vineyards

The Ghielmetti Vineyard is a 64-acre site located on the southeast corner of Reuss and Tesla Roads in the Livermore Valley. Planted over the course of two years in 2001-2002, the vineyard is planted to 10 different grapes organized into 19 separate blocks. Our long-term plan is to build a winery and hospitality on the site in order to take advantage of the proximity of fruit to crush pad as well as the natural beauty of the largely undeveloped surroundings.

Ghielmetti Vineyard is roughly rectangular in shape but tends to flow downward from all sides toward an arroyo that runs through the vineyard from north to south. The vineyard is topographically varied ranging in elevation from 500 to 800 feet above sea level. Within the site itself are a number of undulating blocks that provide different exposures to sun and wind. The vineyard was laid out specifically to take advantage of the changes in elevation, and with six different soil types comprising the site, varieties and rootstocks were also chosen to provide for the best possible growing conditions.

Ghielmetti Vineyard became the predominant fruit source for The Steven Kent Winery in 2005. Planted to all five Bordeaux varieties (Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Petit Verdot, and Malbec) and five different clones of Cabernet Sauvignon (4, 6, 30, 191, and 337) Steven Kent has an impressive collection of grapes with which to create its many world-class Cabernet and Bordeaux blend releases.

Though Steven Kent is a Cabernet-based winery, we make a number of wines from Rhône and Italian varieties for our Collector’s Circle wine club. Included in the lineup of wines made exclusively for our members are Syrah, Petite Sirah, Grenache, and Mourvedre.

The Home Ranch is a 5.6 acre site planted in the heart of Livermore Winery Row on Tesla Road. Planted to Cabernet and Sangiovese in 1996 and Barbera in 1997, this site is responsible for some of the most memorable wines we have produced.

Clone 7 Cabernet from the Home Ranch made its way into the inaugural release of our Collector’s Circle wine club in Positive/Negative, a 2000 vintage, 100% Cabernet.  This 2.8 acre block is trellised on the Vertical Shoot Position (VSP) system in order maximize sun exposure, air flow, and ripeness of fruit.

The 1.1 acre Sangiovese and 1.5 acre Barbera blocks, like the Cabernet block, are VSP and set out in a North-South orientation, 6 feet between rows and 6 feet between plants.