Navillus Birney Winery
& Vineyards

A stunning boutique winery producing top quality, limited production Pinot Noirs and Chardonnays from the Sonoma Coast and Sonoma Mountain appellations, owned by Rick Sullivan and Jonelle Birney Sullivan. A CCA client since 2003.

Background

Navillus Birney Winery & Vineyards in Glen Ellen on Sonoma Mountain Road is an exciting new arrival on the Sonoma wine scene. Created in 1996 by partners in business and life, Rick Sullivan and his wife Jonelle Birney, the 2001 harvest, released in 2003, was the culmination of a dream that began 15 years ago. At that time, Rick and Jonelle were both high-powered communications executives in Washington DC and later northern California, who felt the pull to get back to basics and a simpler life. Rick grew up in San Francisco's South Bay, and Jonelle came from a farming family in Kansas, so a vineyard in California was not a stretch for this enterprising couple. They had spent many a long vacation or quick weekend getaways exploring the wine country around San Francisco, and fell in love with Glen Ellen, home to American literary icons Jack London and M.F.K. Fisher, who had also fallen under the spell of Glen Ellen's beauty and serenity.

Glen Ellen, is a little piece of Eden that doesn't often make it onto most tourist itineraries when visitors consider a wine country outing in Northern California. Closer to San Francisco than either Napa or Sonoma, Glen Ellen has managed to keep its secret and escape the thirsty hordes for its 120 plus year history, because geographically it's accessible only by two lane country roads. Rick and Jonelle visited the former Arabian horsefarm up Sonoma Mountain Road, with an unparalled view,and knew that it was the property for them. At the time, Jonelle was still in Washington DC and Rick was on his way to Hong Kong, and they called each other to say that of all the places they'd looked at, they couldn't get that property out of their minds. They both realized it was a fait accompli and bought the house and property long distance and proceeded to work towards making the winery a reality.

Rick and Jonelle made some smart choices on both the viticultural and vinification sides of the winemaking equation. In addition to the 23 acres on the Sonoma Mountain property, they bought 50 acres in the Sonoma Coast AVA on Skaggs Island Road. Both properties are planted to Pinot Noir and Chardonnay and are managed by Reynaldo Robledo, part of a pioneering Mexican family from Michoacan that has gained critical acclaim for their own family winery. Rolando Herrera, Reynaldo's son-in-law, is the winemaker. Rolando's credentials in winemaking are impressive including Stag's Leap Winery, Paul Hobbs and Vine Cliff. He crafts wines with elegance and finesse and takes pride from knowing that everything from vine to wine is a family affair as many more family members are involved in the crafting of the wines.

Navillus Birney also has a tasting room in downtown Glen Ellen in the former 1911 Mercantile building. The tasting room features an historical installation for both Jack London and MFK Fisher as Jonelle is a devotee of both writers and appreciates being a custodian of history. In addition to the exhibits, there is a community room available for the use of the Glen Ellen Historical Society. Visitors can enjoy the Navillus Birney current releases as they absorb the intriguing history of the town of Glen Ellen and learn about the unique personages who made the town such a rich and vital community.