THURSDAY 14 MAY: Gundlach-Bundschu Tasting Event wit Company President Jeff Bundschu
- Posted on
- By Tim Graham
- Posted in California, Gundlach-Bundschu, Sonoma Coast, sonoma valley
Join us on Thursday, May 21st at 7 PM in the loft for an unforgettable wine event as we explore both the past and future of one of California’s oldest wineries, Gundlach-Bundschu. President Jeff Bundsch will be with us to guide you through a curated selection of wines while sharing the rich history of his sixth-generation family estate.
Gundlach-Bundschu, Claifornia's Oldest Family Winery
For six generations and over 160 years, the Bundschu family has farmed the Rhinefarm estate vineyard at the crossroads of the Sonoma Valley, Carneros and Napa Valley appellations. Today, They focus on making small lots of ultra-premium wines from distinctive, historic and Regenerative Organic Certified® vineyards.
Established in 1858, Gundlach Bundschu’s estate vineyards are located 35 miles north of San Francisco on the southwesterly slopes of the Mayacamas Mountain Range. It’s located at the southernmost point in Sonoma Valley, flanked by the Carneros district to the south, Napa Valley to the east and nestled within the larger Sonoma Coast American Viticultural Area. Rhinefarm has a unique combination of steep hillsides and cool valley floor sites, allowing the winery to grow a broad variety of wines at a very high-quality level.
Rhinefarm’s terrain below 150-feet elevation is ideally suited for earlier-ripening, high-acid varieties. Cool air settles over the valley floor, where ancient bay waters deposited mineral-rich sediment and pockets of light stream gravel in the Huichica clay-loam soils. The winey focuses on Pinot Noir, Gewürztraminer and Chardonnay on this gently-sloping terrain, where growing conditions consistently deliver minerality and focused acidity.
Above 150 feet, the terrain is dominated by Arrowhead Mountain, and the rocky, shallow soils consist of rhyolitic volcanic ash and alluvial wash. Steep hillside blocks are planted predominantly to Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, with small plantings of Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, Malbec, Syrah and Zinfandel. Pervasive maritime breezes and long daylight exposure allow for slow, even ripening, resulting in deep color, intense flavor concentration and elegant balance in the wines.
Rhinefarm’s 320 acres are intensively and sustainably hand-farmed in 60 distinct blocks according to the specific soil, exposure, slope and vine age of the site. Each block is individually monitored and tended throughout the growing season to ensure optimal health of the vine and the vineyard, and ultimately to achieve the goals for flavor development and ripeness. Each vine is touched over a dozen times throughout the season, from suckering and shoot positioning, to judicious leafing and cluster thinning to ensure slow, even ripening.
A History of California Wines Through One Family
The Gundlach Bundschu family history spans over 150 fruitful years. Hard work, talent and good cheer have carried six generations of the family through the best and worst the years have to offer, and the Bundschu spirit and optimism continue to permeate the Rhinefarm tradition today.
In 1857, Bavarian-born Jacob Gundlach owned a successful brewery in San Francisco and looked to follow his father’s footsteps into winemaking. He purchased a 400-acre parcel of land in Sonoma, which only 11 years earlier had been under Mexican rule, and christened it Rhinefarm. The next year, Jacob traveled to his homeland and brought back European rootstock, along with his childhood sweetheart and new bride, Eva. Charles Bundschu from Mannheim, Germany, brought his florid prose and keen business sense to the company in 1868, and to the family as well, when he married Jacob Gundlach’s daughter Francisca in 1875.
The next 30 years saw phenomenal growth for J.Gundlach & Co., distributing Rhinefarm wines from its San Francisco headquarters that spanned two city blocks, as well as from a thriving New York branch. After Jacob’s death in 1894, the company was renamed Gundlach Bundschu. Family participation in the business and community swelled, with Charles Bundschu and Jacob’s sons Carl and Heini at the helm, and Charles’ sons Walter and Carl E. Bundschu actively involved. Francisca’s sister Eva married the literary Ben Weed and the couple initiated the first Vintage Festival in Sonoma. Charles established the Bacchus Club, a social group celebrating wine and prose.
The 1906 San Francisco earthquake and fire put a shocking halt to the momentum. The company offices and wine vaults were obliterated, along with several family homes. Despite the devastating damage, the Bundschu family continued limited production and distribution from Rhinefarm, winning the Grand Prize at the 1915 Panama-Pacific exhibition in San Francisco before being forced to close its doors with the passage of Prohibition in 1919. During this time, Walter planted pear trees on Rhinefarm to augment the controlled demand for grape juice and sacramental wine. After the repeal of Prohibition, Rhinefarm grapes were again in high demand. Walter’s son, Towle, and Towle’s wife, Mary, continued to grow wine grapes and market them under the name of Vineburg Wine Company.
History beckoned to Towle’s son, Jim Bundschu, who hatched a plan to restore the family winery. In 1969, Jim began the four-year project of fully replanting Rhinefarm Vineyard to premium varietal wine grapes. He became the president of the family business a year later, in 1970. With the support of Jim’s father, sister Georgia Fernandez, and brothers-in-law Barney Fernandez and John Merritt, Gundlach-Bundschu Winery was resurrected in 1973.
Since then, fifth- and sixth generation Bundschus have worked together to evolve the family’s historic Sonoma Valley property into a leading estate winery at the highest level. In 1997, the Bundschu family launched its most extensive initiative in earnest, when they acquired 140 acres of land adjacent to the existing historic Rhinefarm Vineyard.
Jim’s son, Jeff Bundschu, had served in a variety of positions within the company, and the purchase of this land forced a pivotal dialogue between father and son about the future of their family business. As a result, Jim and Jeff agreed that the development and integration of the new property would coincide with higher expectations of the vineyard and of the wines. Jeff increasingly participated in managing Gundlach Bundschu and eventually took the helm in 2000. Later that same year, the Bundschus hired renowned winegrowing consultants Phil Freese and Zelma Long to develop a plan that further realized the potential of this distinctive vineyard site.
Today, Gundlach-Bundschu produces profound wines with site specific character. The sixth generation of the Bundschu family, Jeff, Rob and Katie, continue to take delight in the omnipresent good humor with which these estate wines are shared. This spirit of creativity and dedication to excellence, which has been passed down through six generations, inspires the family to honor their legacy by ensuring the best vintages always lie ahead.
The Gundlach-Bundschu Tasting Lineup
2024 Gundlach-Bundschu Sonoma Coast Sauvignon Blanc - $21.99
2024 Gundlach-Bundschu Sonoma Coast Chardonnay - $33.99
2023 GUNBUN Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir - $22.99
2023 Gundlach-Bundschu Mountain Cuvée, Sonoma Valley, California - $19.97 750mL / $54.99 1.5mL
2022 Gundlach-Bundschu Sonoma Valley Merlot - $49.99
2021 Gundlach-Bundschu Sonoma Valley Cabernet Sauvignon - $54.97
The Details
Date: Thursday, May 21, 2026
Time: 7 PM
Price: $75 per guest
Space: Extremely Limited
Tickets available here
