Sand Hill at Durell Vineyard

was a boutique Sonoma wine label created to showcase the exceptional fruit and unique terroir of the renowned Durell Vineyard, one of California’s most celebrated vineyard properties. Located in the rolling hills west of Sonoma, Durell Vineyard has long been recognized as a premier source of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay for many of California’s most respected wineries. After acquiring a portion of the historic vineyard in 1997, Ellie Phipps Price launched Sand Hill at Durell Vineyard to produce wines that highlighted the vineyard’s distinctive character and world-class growing conditions. The label represented an early effort to bottle estate-grown wines directly from this highly regarded site rather than selling all of the fruit to outside wineries.

A defining characteristic of Sand Hill at Durell Vineyard was its focus on vineyard-designated Pinot Noir and Chardonnay sourced exclusively from Durell Vineyard. The vineyard spans portions of the Sonoma Valley, Sonoma Coast, and Carneros appellations, benefiting from volcanic soils, cooling maritime influences, and diverse elevations that contribute complexity and balance to the wines. Sand Hill wines were crafted in limited quantities, emphasizing vineyard expression and minimal-intervention winemaking. Early vintages earned recognition for their elegant structure, vibrant fruit character, and ability to reflect the unique qualities of the famed “Sand Hill” section of the vineyard, an area known for its distinctive sandy soils and exceptional grape quality.

Beyond the wines themselves, Sand Hill at Durell Vineyard played an important role in the evolution of the Durell estate. The label eventually transitioned into the Dunstan Wines brand, which continued the mission of producing estate-grown wines from Durell Vineyard. Today, Sand Hill at Durell Vineyard remains an important part of the vineyard’s history, remembered for helping establish Durell’s reputation not only as a source of premium fruit but also as the origin of exceptional estate wines.