The Horseshoe Bend Vineyard is our coolest and most coastal of the three Vineyard Designates. The vineyard sits at the summit of the ridgeline above the town of Occidental. At this elevation above 1000 feet, even with the cool ocean breezes, the vineyard gathers enough warmth to ripen these tiny Pinot clusters because it sits above the famous fog banks of the Russian River Valley below. Those oceans breezes also add to the flavor packed skins of the grapes by making them slightly thicker to protect against the winds; this character adds a unique structure and texture to the wine and adds a streak of earthiness and darker spices in most vintages.

"Davis's 2010 Pinot Noir Horseshoe Bend is the coolest and most maritime influenced of the Pinot sites Davis works with. Earthiness, autumn leaves, spices and dried cherries emerge over time. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2016."

The Horseshoe Bend Vineyard is located in the Occidental Ridge subregion, on the extreme western edge of the Russian River Valley. The vineyard is situated on a ridgetop at the crown of the subregion, above the coastal town of Occidental.

The elevation of the Horseshoe Bend Vineyard is at approximately 1200 feet, keeping it above the fog line on most days. This location enjoys much lower overall temperatures due to the coastal influence, yet has full sun exposure throughout the day. The Pinot Noir grown in this vineyard grows in small, concentrated clusters, with firm acidity and a dark, rich color.


At Davis Family Vineyards we strive to highlight the unique characteristics that make fruit from each vineyard, from each varied mico-climate, so very special and unique. All of our Pinot Noir is aged in French oak for 10 months. 1/3 of the barrels are new, 1/3 are one year old, and 1/3 are 2 year old. In doing so, we are able to benefit from the finesse and structure of barrel aging, while not overwhelming the varietal characteristics of Pinot Noir.

Guy tastes through and then hand selects his favorite barrels for the single vineyard bottling of the Horseshoe Bend Pinot Noir. The remaining barrels are then used in our Russian River Valley blend.

The fermentation was conducted using native yeast in small, temperature controlled, open top fermentors. Gentle punch downs were done over a 3-4 week fermentation, after a 5-7 day cold soak. The Pinot is then pressed and transferred directly into barrel, using gravity flow.