Russian River Valley, Sonoma
Russian River Vineyards
5 vintages since 2022. 3 of 4 blocks open for commission.
"Four blocks across the Middle Reach — three Pinot Noir clones, one Chardonnay, one sparkling interplant. Cool climate and dry-farmed."
Winemaker
Anita Oyama
Philosophy
The land speaks; the winemaker translates.
Anita Oyama is the lead winemaker at Russian River Vineyards, an eighteen-acre estate on the Middle Reach. She made wine in Oregon's Willamette Valley for a decade before moving south in 2019. She focuses on Pinot Noir and Chardonnay from cool-climate blocks, with a small amount of sparkling traditional-method wine.
Cool climate Pinot is a high-wire act. You need the fog to hold in the mornings, the heat to break by 3pm, and the harvest window to stay open just long enough. Our Middle Reach location gives us that most years. Not every year — and when it doesn't, the wine reflects it.
I want commission partners who want to taste the instability. Our 2023 and 2024 were different wines from the same blocks. That's not a flaw. That's the reason to follow a place for five years instead of buying one bottle.
We farm dry — no irrigation past year three of a new planting. The roots go down. The wines carry structure. You'll taste the difference in year two.
Choose a plot
A schematic of the vineyard. Each rectangle is a named block. Click one to see the details — vine count, varietal, soil, exposure, yield, price.
Schematic, not to scale. Relative positions reflect the vineyard map but block sizes are stylized for clarity.
Available
Block 1 — River Edge
- Vine count
- 220 vines
- Varietal
- Pinot Noir, Calera selection
- Soil
- Goldridge sandy loam, east-facing toward river
- Exposure
- Morning fog, afternoon sun
- Planted
- 2008
- Typical yield
- 1.0 tons — roughly 80 cases
- Price
- $6,400/year
- Commitment
- 3 or 5 years
The arc
What three to five years looks like.
The relationship changes year over year. You don't show up in year five the way you showed up in year one.
You visit for harvest. You meet the crew. You taste the verijuice, the post-ferment sample, the first barrel pulls. You're still learning the shape of your block — what the drainage looks like, where the morning sun lands, how the fruit tastes two weeks before the pick.
The fine print
What the commitment covers — and what it doesn't.
What's included
Sample progression
Verijuice, post-ferment sample, quarterly barrel pulls, and finished wine. Three to four times the volume of a Crew Vintner tier.
Voting on major decisions
Pick timing, oak regime, blend trials, bottling date. The winemaker makes the call — you're in the room.
Custom label with your name
On the back label of every bottle from your block, every vintage, for the length of your commitment.
Annual allocation
Typical: 12–36 bottles depending on plot size and commitment tier.
Harvest visit invitation
Open invitation to be on the ground the day of the pick, every vintage you commit to.
Priority access to the winery's library
Older vintages, small-lot releases, and back-library allocations before they're offered elsewhere.
Direct line to the winemaker
Text, call, email. Not a concierge, not a customer service queue. The winemaker.
What's not
Land ownership
You do not own the vines. The vineyard farms, harvests, and makes the wine. A Block Commission is a long-term relationship, not a real estate transaction.
Farming labor
You are not expected to work the vineyard. You're welcome to visit, prune, help pick — but none of it is required and none of it is assumed.
Risk-free returns
Vintages vary. A cold, wet year means less wine. A hot year means riper wine. We don't make up the difference with fruit from other blocks. That's wine.
Pricing
How it's structured.
Commitment
3 or 5 years
Three-year commitments are the standard. Five-year commitments are offered on every block and get preferential renewal, older library access, and longer relationships with the winemaker. Some older or rarer plots are five-year only.
Payment cadence
Annual or monthly
Pay for the full year up front, or split into twelve monthly payments. Monthly cadence carries a small service fee. First payment clears before any farming decisions are shared.
What sets the price
Plot and varietal
Price scales with plot size, varietal desirability, vine age, and expected yield. An old-vine parcel on a steep slope costs more than a flat parcel with young vines — regardless of how much wine it makes.
Example at Russian River Vineyards
Block 1 — River Edge (220 vines, Pinot Noir): $6,400/year × 5 years = $32,000 total
All-in, including samples, allocation, harvest visits, and custom label. Shipping within the continental US included; international pickup at the winery or flat-fee ship.
Next step
Schedule a consultation.
Block Commissions involve contracts and real money. Before you commit, we want to talk. Tell us which plot interests you — we'll set up a call with the winemaker.
Schedule a consultationA real conversation with Anita Oyama, not a form response.