The Story of Hill Family Estate
In 1981, Doug and Darci Hill settled down on an acre of land at the northern edge of Yountville. Their children, Ryan and Carly, grew up playing in the vineyards, tending chickens, and played baseball and basketball. They also helped their neighbors grow organic fruits and vegetables for the local restaurants including Thomas Keller’s world-renowned French Laundry restaurant. Hill Family Estate produced their first wines in 2001, a Merlot and a red blend called Origin. Production ranges between 9,000 to 12,000 cases annually. Having a repertoire of 12 different vineyards to draw from, they are able to select only the highest quality fruit for their wines. Today the Hill Family owns 120 acres of vineyards with a focus on Atlas Peak, Carneros and Oak Knoll. They are 100% family-farmed, family-owned and family-operated.
Hill Family Estate is built upon strong agricultural roots. Doug Hill spent his early childhood on a farm in San Jose. His family then moved to Healdsburg where his father was the mailman for the town, and they grew apples and prunes. Doug and his family had a large garden, fruit orchard and livestock. They shared a cow with the neighbors, and the neighbors would milk the cow in the morning and Doug’s family milked the cow in the evening. Roughly 80% of what they consumed as a family came from the land they tended.
Bonita Bonita Wine For the Bella Twins
In 2015, Nicole, Brianna and Ryan met for the first time in Napa Valley. A fast friendship soon developed, which resulted in the trio realizing how much fun they had wine tasting, cooking, traveling and journeying through life together. Ryan grew up in a farming family that started making wine in 2001. The vineyards were his playground as a child, and serve as an adult playground for him today. Nicole and Brianna also grew up in a farming family, before establishing careers as professional wrestlers. While they loved wrestling and creating a worldwide presence for their brand as the Bella Twins, their heart always felt its fullest when they had their feet planted in wine country. After many years of dreaming about making a wine together, that dream finally became a reality for Ryan, Nicole and Brianna when Bonita Bonita was born in 2019.
