DISCOVER
Our Story
The story of Ty Caton Vineyards is about how—slowly but surely, season by season—a vineyard took hold of a man and made it his way of life.
Though he was born and raised in Sonoma, Ty Caton never envisioned a career as a winegrower. “I stumbled into wine,” he says. Back in 1997, he moved back home with the intention of partnering with his parents to develop a 108-acre property they bought in 1981: a patchwork of scrubby hillsides and oak forest in the Mayacamas Range that was home to a Boys & Girls Club summer camp in the 1960s. Before that, it was a “ghost” winery and vineyard from the early 1900s that had been abandoned.
“Every decision—good or bad—has been mine.”
“I’m not an expert on anything here,” said the guy who has spent the last 25 years clearing the land, planting, training, farming, and harvesting a vineyard, and learning winemaking with every new vintage. He took courses at UC Davis and Sonoma State, but mostly learned his craft as he went.
The Beginning
The initial vineyard development took about three years. In the spring of 1998, Ty began to clear and terrace the hillsides, often not knowing just how rocky it was underneath all the live oak, manzanita, and chaparral. With the help of a few tractors and countless jackhammer bits, vines went into the ground starting in winter 2000. Ty’s inaugural release, his 2000 Cabernet Sauvignon, was released in 2002, and his first estate vintage—the 2002—came out in 2004.
With the constant stream of little frustrations and learning experiences that came over the decades, Ty also found small victories. Today he is proud to see how his initial hunch over 25 years ago has been proven true: these hills, with their infertile, rugged volcanic soils, were meant to be world-class vineyards.
Prepping and planting Ty Caton Vineyards, 1997
Tasting Room
In 2007, Ty Caton Vineyards opened its wine tasting room in Kenwood, California, creating a warm, welcoming space for wine lovers.
Critical Acclaim
Our wines have earned critical acclaim from the beginning, receiving numerous Best of Class honors in prestigious wine publications and competitions. The goal is to create wines that deliver the “wow factor”—bold, beautifully structured wines that truly represent the unique character of the vineyards they come from.
A Family Winery
In this small, family-owned winery, everyone contributes. Ty’s mother, Sandy, often delights visitors at the tasting room, while his children, Kendall and Connor, enjoy running around the vineyard, tasting room, and winery, learning about their father’s beloved business.
The Bergfried Era
Ty Caton wasn’t the first man to be transfixed by this place on earth.
It takes a special personality to plant a vineyard and launch a winery during prohibition. Carl Bergfried did just that, quietly establishing a small “speakeasy” winery in the 1920s (when he was already in his 50s), spending his retirement working 16 acres of vines with a horse and plow. So beloved were his wines, it’s said that local marshals would drive to the end of Mountain Avenue, jugs in hand for their share, helpfully looking the other way until Prohibition was repealed.
So meaningful was this land to Bergfried, recently his ashes were discovered in a relative’s home in Marin County along with the eccentric’s final wishes: to have them spread here behind the home he built, amid his beloved vine rows.
About Ty Caton
Ty Caton, a second-generation Sonoma Valley resident, recognized early on that his family’s 108-acre property in the renowned Mayacama Mountain Range was special. Moving back to his hometown in 1997 after college and various endeavors in real estate, he sought to make a significant impact in the town he grew up in and loved by developing the land into what is now Caton Vineyards.
As CEO, COO, and winemaker, Ty Caton is dedicated to creating exceptional wines. Inspired by his desire to make a wine of distinction that no one else could duplicate, he created Tytanium, an estate proprietary blend of the best grapes he grows. The inaugural 2003 vintage of Tytanium quickly stood out as his flagship wine, garnering awards in wine publications and competitions, including several “Best of Class” honors in the world’s largest competition of American wines. The 2008 vintage was honored as one of the top five wines of the year in The 27th Annual Quarterly Review of Wines “Best of the Best” Blind Tasting.
With his continued dedication to actively seeking excellence, Ty Caton expects his estate-produced wines to continue earning prestigious honors for many years to come. Given their exceptional vineyard and winemaking dedication, he will never settle for anything less.
Meet the Team
David Cassetta
Hospitality Associate
Paige Kelleher
Tasting Room Associate
Community
Ty Caton Vineyards are proud members of the following groups and organizations. We believe working together helps our mission to promote sustainable farming practices and highlight the special terroir of the Moon Mountain District AVA. We’re able to amplify our efforts towards environmental stewardship, ensuring the longevity of our land and the quality of our wines.
