In the spring of 1974, Bill Greenough camped out at the remote property he was considering purchasing: the abandoned Rancho Saucelito in the upper Arroyo Grande Valley.

Surrounding him were the gnarled crowns of old Zinfandel vines, laid out in an 8x8-foot grid so that they could be farmed by horses. The vines were entangled in dry scrub brush and poison oak. A few were completely covered, piquing Bill’s curiosity. And when he pulled the overgrowth back, he made a startling discovery—little grape clusters.

Sure enough, the vines that were protected from the elements and wildlife were actually still producing grapes nearly a century since they had been planted. At that moment, Bill realized that the vineyard didn’t need to be replaced. Rather, it could be restored to its original glory.

Rebirth of Saucelito Canyon Vineyard

Bill learned that the vineyard was planted by Rancho Saucelito homesteader Henry Ditmas in 1880. Ditmas was an English expatriate and civil engineer who became a farmer and rancher after herding sheep in the Carrizo Plains and running a grocery in Avila Beach. He planted Zinfandel and Muscat vines in addition to apple and pear trees in Saucelito Canyon. The grapes were used to make wine at Rancho Saucelito and at nearby St. Remy Winery.

The vines of Rancho Saucelito—so named for the property’s little willow trees, called sauce in Spanish—survived Prohibition and produced wine up until the early 1940s, after which they were abandoned in favor of dryland grazing.

After purchasing the property, Bill painstakingly cleared the scrub from the vineyard, cut the dead wood from each vine, then dug down a foot to find a strong shoot that could be trained into a new fruit-producing, head-pruned vine. The shoots grew from the original roots and the vines remain ungrafted to this day.

Bill later built a small winery building, selling his inaugural 1982 vintage from the trunk of his car. The wine was met with widespread praise, and one of California’s most acclaimed Zinfandels was born.

Saucelito Canyon Today

At Saucelito Canyon, there will always be a vivid sense of history, heritage and continuity. Yet at the same time, we are ever moving forward, embracing modern winemaking and viticultural methods while bringing new talent into the fold.

After more than 30 years at the helm of the vineyard and winery, Bill stepped back from his winemaking duties to focus on helping with the tasting room, and to finally enjoy a little free time, too. Bill and Nancy Greenough’s son Tom is now the winemaker. Tom is dedicated to maintaining the established Saucelito Canyon style of Zinfandel while seeking new ways to improve the operation, including the implementation of new sustainable practices.

But the more things change at Saucelito Canyon, the more they stay the same. The canyon is still isolated and “off the grid,” the vineyard is still dry farmed, and the making of the wine is still a physical, hands-on endeavor.

This synthesis of tradition and progression, combined with geographical isolation, is something we call the “Saucelito Way.” Saucelito Canyon’s intimacy between people and place, vineyard and environment, is what fuels the “Saucelito Way.” It accounts for the individuality and continuity of our wines, and it is the foundation for the next generation of Greenough family stewardship.