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| Landmark #893 | Sonoma County | Visited: August 13, 2016 | Plaque? YES! 🙂 |
| What is it? | Now the Landmark Vineyards Hop Kiln Estate! |
| What makes it historical? | THE GUIDE SAYS: This is the most significant surviving example of a stone hop kiln in the North Coast region. Built by Angelo “Skinny” Sodini in 1905, it served the Russian River Valley and North Coast regions, once the major hop-growing areas in the West. In the latter part of the 19th century, Sol Walters purchased 380 acres, part of the Sotoyome Rancho patented in 1853, from Josefa Fitch.
OTHER TIDBITS: A couple of factors turned this hop ranch into a winery. A combination of Prohibition in the 20s followed by a plague of hop downy mildew in the 40s ended up being disastrous for hops across the state! Grapes had always been grown on the estate, but after the catastrophic spread of the mildew, grapes became the estate’s main source of revenue by 1975! |
| How can I Help the Helpers? | HERE’S HOW:
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| Where is this place? | LISTED DIRECTIONS: 6050 Westside Rd Healdsburg, CA 95448 ANNOTATIONS: From Los Angeles: ~449mi (723km) — 7.5hrs |
| When should I go? | The winery is open daily from 10:00 AM until 5:00 PM! |
