Bouchaine Vineyards

Bouchaine is the oldest continuously operating winery in the Carneros District - a winery that began making wine long before the region earned its reputation for producing the great Pinot Noirs and Chardonnays of Carneros today. The land was first owned by a Missouri native with the rather remarkable name of Boon Fly.  Fly grew grapes and fruit trees on the property in the late 1880s.  In 1927, an Italian winemaker named Johnny Garetto purchased the parcel that is today's Bouchaine.  Beringer bought the estate from Garetto in 1951 and used it as a storage and blending facility until 1981, when a partnership that included the current owners, Gerret and Tatiana Copeland, purchased the winery and surrounding land.  At the time, only a few winemaking pioneers realized the potential for Pinot Noir and Chardonnay in Carneros.  And by appearance, this run-down Carneros property hardly inspired optimism.