Project Description
Welcome to Northern California wine country at its best. It is here, on a 600-acre ranch in rustic Hopland, at the gateway to the redwoods of Mendocino County, that John Fetzer and Patty Rock chose to build their future. Taking the name from a magical setting in the Tuscan wine region, they founded Saracina Vineyards, a boutique winery, planting just 300 acres of organic vineyards on the banks of the Russian River. Because they are passionate preservationists, they sought to maintain the area’s unique, unspoiled beauty, host to a variety of native animal and plant life including sheep, goats, herons, and Canada Geese. The owners are actively involved with the working vineyards and chose to live on the site. For their first project—a remodel of the original ranch-style house—they wanted to emphasize the connection between their living space and their land. The result is an award winning home by zumaooh. Now they have built a public tasting room as well as a winery production building, where visitors can sample Saracina’s critically acclaimed wines and see where it’s made. The overall design realizes the clients’ vision of an East-West aesthetic balanced with rustic simplicity and modern architecture, art, and landscaping.