About Us
In 1992, Peter Pfendler planted the first vineyard on our family’s Sonoma Mountain ranch with the goal of creating beautiful, hand-crafted wines. Since then, we have planted three additional vineyards that flow from the peak of the mountain to its base. The maritime influence of the Sonoma Coast touches each of our vineyards differently, providing a broad palate of exceptional, cool-climate flavors.
While Peter is no longer with us, his vision is the guiding star for the quality and beauty of the wines that we produce, and we celebrate his memory with each vintage. My goals are to continue to grow the finest-quality grapes for our wines, to further Peter’s legacy of wildlife and land conservation, and to foster in our son, Nicholas, a love of our vineyard, our ranch, and in his father’s words, “this big, green, beautiful Earth.”
Kimberly Pfendler
Proprietor
Raised in a food-centric family, Erica Stancliff credits her mother’s authentic Italian cooking for shaping her palate, but credits respected winemaker and family friend Paul Hobbs with guiding her to the realization that winemaking was her calling.
Erica graduated from California State University Fresno and then completed her internship at Viña Cobos winery in Mendoza, Argentina. After returning to California she worked at Rudd Oakville Estate in the Napa Valley, CrossBarn Winery in Sebastopol, as an enologist at Enartis Vinquiry, and as winemaker for Furthermore Wines at Graton Ridge. Since 2014 Erica has been winemaker for her family’s Trombetta Family Wines, and helped the brand expand from 500 cases of Pinot Noir to over 1,200 cases of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay
Erica first worked with Petaluma Gap fruit in 2010, became Vice President of the Petaluma Gap Winegrowers Alliance (PGWA) in 2018, and President in 2019. She met Kimberly Pfendler during a blending session of the PGWA’s auction lot for the 2018 Sonoma County Barrel Auction.
“Kimberly’s vision for Pfendler Vineyards aligns with my own values as a winemaker, and it’s a privledge to work with her and her three distinct estate vineyard sites.”, says Erica. “Her wines reflect the Petaluma Gap’s intensity, while maintaining their acidity and elegant aromatic profile.”