Little Vineyards Family and Winery

Joan and Rich Little aspired to live in Sonoma Valley, raise a family, grow grapes and one day produce premium red wines. This dream was one step closer to reality in 1996 when they purchased a 25 acre property from the Hanford Family in Glen Ellen. Since that time, they have raised four children, restored the property’s century old farmhouse, planted 17.5 acres of grapes and Rich even found time to make a little music with his bands. Eventually, Joan and Rich decided to blend their wine-growing prowess with the winemaking expertise of Joan’s brother, Ted Coleman. In the beginning, they experimented with small lots of wine, which received great praise from their family and friends. In 2002, Joan and Rich began their efforts to establish Little Vineyards as a small bonded winery producing no more than 2500 cases a year. They were approved to crush their first vintage and Ted crafted two award-winning wines from their estate grown fruit: 2002 Zinfandel and 2002 Resonance, a Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon blend.