After discovering his dream ranch was naturally suited for a vineyard, Dan and Pat Lester planted the first vines for Lester Family Vineyards in 1998. The upper vineyard was planted in 2001. Well known for producing a variety of expressions of pinot noir, syrah and chardonnay from a single plot of land, these vines have produced some of Santa Cruz Mountains’ most desired and award-winning wines. Today, these grapes are the sole source of Lester Estate Wines.  

Nestled amongst the valley’s rolling hills is a place where the sun rises through the coastal fog and where families of deer wander free beneath the towering redwoods. This ranch property was imagined by Dan Lester in the 1950s, but wouldn’t be discovered until more than three decades later. It was 1995 when Dan turned to his wife and said, “Patty, I found my ranch.”