Big Valley AVA · Lake County, California
The wine in your glass
started here.
270 acres of Sauvignon Blanc. Volcanic soil. 1,300 feet of elevation. And a story most wine labels never tell.
For the Wine Lover
That Sauvignon Blanc you love?
This is where it begins.
A lot of Northern California Sauvignon Blanc traces back to a handful of exceptional growing sites. Quercus Ranch is one of them. The volcanic basalt soil, the elevation, the thermal influence of Clear Lake — these aren't marketing words. They're the reason the wine in your glass tastes the way it does. Follow the fruit from the ground up.
Explore the Origin Story →For the Winemaker
Fruit with a story your label
can actually tell.
Quercus Ranch Sauvignon Blanc is presold annually — which means the winemakers who source here plan ahead. They come for the volcanic terroir, the consistent quality, and the fact that Big Valley AVA fruit has a provenance story that resonates with wine buyers. If you're building a program around Northern California Sauvignon Blanc, this is the conversation to have early.
The Partnership
The grower's work ends at the vineyard gate.
The winemaker's begins there.
Two craftsmen. One bottle. The farmer who coaxes mineral complexity from volcanic basalt at 1,300 feet, and the winemaker who translates that terroir into something a wine lover opens on a Tuesday night. Quercus Ranch exists at the intersection of both — and the wineries below are the proof.
The Quercus Ranch Connection
Craftsman Farmers.
Craftsman Winemakers.
The wineries below have built programs around Quercus Ranch Sauvignon Blanc — sourcing from the same volcanic soil, the same elevation, the same farming philosophy. Each brings their own craft to our fruit. The result is a partnership that begins in the vineyard and ends in the glass.
O'Neal Wineries
O'Neal Wineries has sourced Sauvignon Blanc wine grapes from Quercus Ranch for three years, drawing on the volcanic terroir of Big Valley AVA to craft wines that reflect the mineral complexity and bright acidity characteristic of this distinctive Lake County appellation.
Learn More →Red Barn Winery
Red Barn Winery, based in Sonoma County, has incorporated Quercus Ranch Sauvignon Blanc grapes into their Northern California sourcing program, valuing the high-elevation fruit for its concentration and the unique terpene profile that volcanic soil imparts to the finished wine.
Learn More →Your Winery Here
This space is reserved for a Napa Valley winery partner who sources Quercus Ranch Sauvignon Blanc. If your winery has purchased grapes from Quercus Ranch and you would like to tell your story here, we invite you to reach out to Mark Navone directly.
Feature Your Winery →Your Winery Here
This space is reserved for a Sonoma County winery partner. Quercus Ranch Sauvignon Blanc grapes are available to select winemakers who share our commitment to terroir-driven, sustainably farmed fruit from Northern California's most distinctive volcanic appellation.
Feature Your Winery →Your Winery Here
This space is reserved for a Mendocino winery partner. Northern California winemakers who value high-elevation, volcanic-soil Sauvignon Blanc are invited to connect with Quercus Ranch about sourcing opportunities for the upcoming harvest season.
Feature Your Winery →Your Winery Here
This space is reserved for a Lake County winery partner. As a fellow Lake County producer, you understand the unique character of Big Valley AVA fruit. We welcome conversations with local winemakers about sourcing Quercus Ranch Sauvignon Blanc for your program.
Feature Your Winery →Your Winery Here
Reserved for a Napa Valley winery partner. Many Napa producers supplement their estate fruit with high-quality Lake County Sauvignon Blanc for its bright acidity and mineral complexity. Quercus Ranch grapes are presold annually — inquire early for the best availability.
Feature Your Winery →Your Winery Here
Reserved for a Sonoma County winery partner. Quercus Ranch's ~270 acres of Sauvignon Blanc — ranging from newly planted vines to mature blocks — offer winemakers a reliable, high-quality source of Northern California wine grapes with a story worth telling.
Feature Your Winery →Your Winery Here
Reserved for a Mendocino winery partner. The volcanic soils of Big Valley AVA produce a Sauvignon Blanc with distinctive mineral notes, citrus aromatics, and natural acidity that complements the winemaking traditions of Northern California's most independent wine region.
Feature Your Winery →Your Winery Here
This space is open to any Northern California winery partner who has sourced or is interested in sourcing Quercus Ranch Sauvignon Blanc. Contact Mark Navone to discuss how your winery's story can be featured alongside the origin story of your fruit.
Feature Your Winery →Your Winery Here
Reserved for a Northern California winery partner. Quercus Ranch is committed to building long-term relationships with winemakers who value sustainably farmed, terroir-expressive Sauvignon Blanc from one of California's most geologically distinctive growing regions.
Feature Your Winery →Your Winery Here
This final space is an open invitation. If you are a winemaker anywhere in Northern California who has worked with Quercus Ranch grapes — or who wants to — we want to tell that story together. The vine-to-wine journey is better told as a partnership.
Feature Your Winery →The Origin Story
Where the Soil
Writes the Story
At Quercus Ranch, nearly 90% of our almost 300 acres — approximately 270 acres — is planted to Sauvignon Blanc wine grapes in the Big Valley District AVA of Lake County, California. These vines grow in volcanic basalt and obsidian soils formed by ancient lava flows, at elevations between 1,300 and 1,400 feet above sea level.
The terroir here is unlike anywhere else in Northern California. The volcanic soil imparts a distinctive mineral character — notes of flint, wet stone, and crushed granite — alongside the citrus and stone fruit aromatics that define Big Valley AVA Sauvignon Blanc. The terpene and flavonoid profile of our fruit reflects the specific geology of this place: high in linalool and geraniol, with a natural acidity preserved by Clear Lake's thermal moderation of overnight temperatures.
From newly planted vines to blocks of full maturity, Quercus Ranch Sauvignon Blanc is grown sustainably, presold annually to commercial wineries and artisan producers who understand that the best wine begins long before the crush.
"The vine doesn't lie. Everything it expresses — every mineral note, every aromatic nuance — is a direct conversation between the soil and the sky."
— Mark Navone, Quercus Ranch
~270
Acres Sauvignon Blanc
The Complete Harvest
There's More Growing Here
Sauvignon Blanc is what Quercus Ranch is known for — it covers the majority of our acreage and it's what winemakers come here for first. But the ranch also grows three other varieties in the same volcanic soil, at the same elevation, under the same farming standards. Each one is worth knowing.
Petite Verdot
Petite Verdot is a blender's grape — and Quercus Ranch grows it well. The volcanic soil gives the fruit a deep, inky color and a tannic backbone that holds up in a blend without losing its identity. Dark berry, a little spice, and a finish that lingers. Winemakers who know it come back for it.
Cabernet Franc
This is the variety that surprises people. Quercus Ranch Cabernet Franc has the kind of aromatic lift you don't always expect from a warm-climate growing region — red cherry, a little dried herb, and a mineral quality that comes straight from the basalt and obsidian in the ground. It has earned recognition in its category, and winemakers who have worked with it tend to keep coming back. Available in limited quantities.
Award winner — category recognition pending full citation. Contact Mark Navone for details.
White Riesling
Good Riesling is hard to find in Northern California — which is exactly why this one matters. Grown at Big Valley AVA elevation in the same volcanic soil as our Sauvignon Blanc, it holds onto its natural acidity in a way that warmer, lower-elevation sites simply can't match. Floral, crisp, and genuinely expressive. A rare find for winemakers who know what they're looking for.
Varietal availability varies by season. Contact Mark Navone for current allocation status.
The Journey
Vine to Wine
From the first bud break in Big Valley AVA to the finished bottle — five stages of the Quercus Ranch Sauvignon Blanc journey, told in photographs.
Early Spring
Bud Break
Each February and March, the first buds emerge from Quercus Ranch's ~270 acres of Sauvignon Blanc vines. Planted in volcanic basalt and obsidian soils at 1,300–1,400 ft elevation, these vines wake slowly — a deliberate pace that concentrates flavor from the first day of growth.
Spring – Summer
Canopy Management
Through the long Northern California summer, our team manages vine canopy to balance sun exposure and airflow. The high UV intensity of Big Valley AVA — roughly 10% greater than sea-level valleys — builds natural phenolic complexity and the distinctive mineral character that winemakers seek.
Late Summer
Harvest
Harvest at Quercus Ranch is timed to preserve the bright citrus and stone fruit aromatics that define Big Valley AVA Sauvignon Blanc. Clear Lake's thermal mass moderates overnight temperatures, locking in acidity and freshness as the fruit reaches peak ripeness.
At the Winery
Crush & Fermentation
From Quercus Ranch, the grapes travel to winemakers across Northern California — from Lake County to Napa Valley, Sonoma County, and Mendocino. Each winemaker brings their own craft to the fruit, expressing the terroir of Big Valley AVA through their unique winemaking philosophy.
The Finished Wine
Bottle & Release
The result is a Sauvignon Blanc that carries the story of volcanic soil, high elevation, and Clear Lake's influence in every glass. The Quercus Ranch connection is the origin story behind wines crafted by some of Northern California's most dedicated winemakers.
An Open Invitation
Are You Crafting Wine
from Quercus Ranch Grapes?
This page is a shared platform. If your winery has purchased Quercus Ranch Sauvignon Blanc wine grapes and you would like to tell your story here, we invite you to reach out to Mark Navone directly.
This is a mutual marketing opportunity — a place where the grower and the winemaker tell the story of the wine together. There is no cost to be featured. The only requirement is the connection: Quercus Ranch grapes, your craft, one story.
Contact Mark NavoneWhere Our Grapes Travel
Northern California's
Wine Regions
Quercus Ranch Sauvignon Blanc wine grapes are sourced by winemakers across four of Northern California's most distinguished wine regions.
Lake County, California
Home of Quercus RanchQuercus Ranch is located in the Big Valley District AVA of Lake County — one of California's highest-elevation wine grape growing regions. The volcanic basalt and obsidian soils, combined with Clear Lake's thermal influence, produce Sauvignon Blanc wine grapes with a mineral complexity and natural acidity that are increasingly sought by winemakers across Northern California.
Napa County, California
Napa Valley SourcingNapa Valley winemakers have long recognized the quality of Lake County Sauvignon Blanc as a complement to their estate programs. Quercus Ranch grapes offer Napa producers access to high-elevation, volcanic-soil fruit that brings distinctive mineral notes and bright acidity to their Sauvignon Blanc programs.
Sonoma County, California
Sonoma ProducersSonoma County winemakers seeking high-elevation Sauvignon Blanc from Northern California have found a reliable source in Quercus Ranch. The Big Valley AVA's unique terroir — volcanic soil, 1,300+ ft elevation, and 10% greater UV intensity than sea-level valleys — produces fruit with the concentration and aromatic complexity that Sonoma winemakers value.
Mendocino, California
Mendocino WinemakersMendocino winemakers drawn to terroir-driven, volcanic-soil Sauvignon Blanc have found a natural partner in Quercus Ranch. Northern California's most independent wine region shares a commitment to authentic, place-expressive winemaking that aligns with the Quercus Ranch philosophy of growing grapes that tell the story of their specific origin.
Ready to Source Quercus Ranch
Sauvignon Blanc?
~270 acres of Big Valley AVA Sauvignon Blanc, presold annually to commercial wineries and artisan producers across Northern California. Inquire early — availability is limited.
Inquire About This Season's Harvest