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Established in the spring of 2004 by Nile Zacherle and Joe Cabral, our attention is focused on recovering an old four acre vineyard located on a steep hillside in the Knights Valley of Sonoma. The name Lava Vine recalls the volcanic history of one of the last remaining examples of a lava flow from the Sonoma Volcanics (5-6 mya) that comprises the bed rock of the vineyard. This unique site is composed of large deposits of petrified wood, volcanic ash and loamy soils.

Lava Vine was originally planted to Portuguese Varieties (Tinta Cau and Turiga National) in the late 1980s and was used to produce a Port style wine. In 1998 Robert Marvan, Joe’s father-in-law, purchased the property. Joe began to re-establish the old vines and by 2001 he produced his first Port. It was at this point that Joe and Nile met and began a shared vision to convert a majority of the acreage to Petite Sirah and Syrah vines. The old vines were then grafted over and some newer vines were planted to increase the vine density. Lava Vine’s steep slopes (up to 45 degrees), loose rocky soils along with the close spacing (5’ x 4’) have forced them to farm by hand rather than the use tractors. The farming has been exclusively Organic in an effort to support the natural ecology that has evolved there over the years.