"Located in the dry, oak‑fringed Cienega Valley near Hollister, this remote estate sits in shattered granite and limestone soils and houses California’s oldest continuously planted vineyard (vines dating back to 1849). Owner Christian Pillsbury offers quiet, contemplative tastings outside the early-20th-century Dickinson House and produces well-regarded Pinots, Chardonnays, and Syrahs (and occasionally a tiny-production, century‑old-vine Zinfandel), with the property’s bright-white roads and profound silence underscoring its dramatic geological origins; ATV tastings are an option for deeper exploration." - Ray Isle