Bennett Valley has a long history of grape growing
dating back to the mid 1800's when James Bennett arrived by wagon
train and homesteaded the valley. Many people drawn to Sonoma County
by the Bear Flag Revolt and the gold rush, settled in Bennett Valley
in the mid 1800’s. By 1884 Bennett Valley had become a highly
productive agricultural area producing grapes, apples, hay, wheat,
oats, barley and all types of livestock.
Issac DeTurk who has been called “THE pioneer
vineyardist and wine maker in Santa Rosa Valley” started his
wine making career at the base of Bennett Valley with his famed
Yulupa Vineyard. In 1862 he had 30 acres planted and in 1867 produced
15,000 gallons at his Belle Mount Winery - named in honor of Bennett
Mountain.
The winery was located just north of where Matanzas
Creek Winery now sits and is easily seen from Bennett Valley Vineyards.
By 1878 DeTurk was producing 100,000 gallons of wine a year at this
facility.
By the turn of the century many of the vineyards
in Bennett Valley were destroyed by phylloxera, the rest that survived
were destroyed by prohibition and the land converted to other agricultural
uses.
In 1978 Matanzas Creek Winery crushed its first
grapes and started the modern era of grape growing and wine making
in Bennett Valley.
