The Mediterranean climate, rocky hills and rolling benches of the Old Chatham Ranch, located in the Yorkville Highlands Appellation, are ideally suited for growing olives and grapes.

Yorkville Highlands is located along Highway 128 in southern Mendocino County, adjacent to the historic Anderson Valley. In the 1990’s, Kit and George Lee planted 1,000 olive trees on the site of an old apple orchard that was originally planted in the 1890’s. The grove covers a south facing hillside extending from about 1200′ to 1500′ elevation, and is planted with a varied mix of Italian varietals and a small number of California Mission olive trees.

In 2001, they also planted a vineyard of 15-acre Cabernet Sauvignon at the top of a ridge overlooking the ranch. At 1920′, the vineyard is one of the highest plantings in the Yorkville Highland Appellation. Views from the vineyard are stunning, with 360-degree vistas of Dry Creek to the south, Cobb Mountain and McDowell Valley to the north, Geyserville to the east, and redwoods to the west.