Sonoma Cutrer Vineyards

Shadley Associates worked with Brown-Forman Corporation to create a Landscape Master Plan for their Sonoma-Cutrer Vineyards in Windsor, California.  The first goal of the Master Plan was to reveal how the geology and solar aspect of the site are intrinsic to the viticulture practiced at Sonoma-Cutrer.  The second goal was more subtle: how to embody, through forms in the landscape, Sonoma - Cutrer’s disciplined philosophy toward winemaking, which pursues the goal of ecologically improving upon nature though the deliberate intervention and appropriate application of state-of-the-art technology. 

In the Master Plan SA proposed specific recommendations for how practical and aesthetic improvements can be prioritized and phased to heighten the guest’s awareness of this landscape experience.  Recommendations include landscape elements such as entry signage, walls and gates, roadway alignment and parking layout, opening of vistas, water and soil quality improvements, maintenance and management, visitor arrival staging, tasting room and tour path experiences, site lighting, signage and planting recommendations.