Fetzer Vineyards

Fetzer Vineyards is located just over an hour's drive north of Napa Valley, but the experience of visiting Fetzer's Valley Oaks Ranch transports the visitor away from Napa's crowds and buses to a completely different wine experience. Valley Oaks Ranch is a site of extraordinary historic beauty and environmental integrity.

JP Shadley was a Principal at CRJA when he was first commissioned to provide master planning and landscape architectural services for Fetzer Vineywards. Following a year-long planning process an ambitious program of improvements was accepted, and over the next few years they are planned to be integrated within this pristine historic landscape. Improvements planned for the property include a new entrance gateway, visitor's drive and parking area, new guided tour routes, new gardens, new historic and interpretive signage programs, new lodging, swimming and dining experiences, as well as a new wine tasting facility, museum, and gift shop at the historic core of the site. Planned infrastructure upgrades include major drainage improvements and relocation of some utilities to underground.

The master plan scope also included contributions to the tour route for the visitor, which will include a trip to Fetzer's state of the art wine aging warehouse, where visitors can walk through seemingly endless barrels of quality wine maturing in a sustainable, design award winning building. Mendocino Cooperage is also a part of the operation, and visitors will be treated to a fascinating tour of this state of the art barrel making facility.