A new life for Sonoma’s Bartholomew Park

Anna Pope and winemaker Kevin Holt to open new winery on historic site.|

The new winery planned for Bartholomew Park is set to open on March 1. The winery grounds have been closed since the October 2017 fires. Bartholomew Park Winery has been closed since October 2018, when Gundlach-Bundschu Winery finished its relationship with the park winery.

Anna Pope, the trustee of the Frank H. Bartholomew Foundation, has teamed up with veteran Sonoma winemaker Kevin Holt, of Santa Rosa, to operate the historic winery on the park property, under the new name of Bartholomew Estate.

At the time of the winery opening, Pope and Holt expect to offer a sauvignon blanc and a dry rose of zinfandel; a cabernet sauvignon and a traditional zinfandel and a red blend will follow in September.

Holt is a graduate of UC Davis’ graduate enology program and, locally, he has served as assistant winemaker at Artesa Winery in Carneros and as head winemaker at MacRostie Winery and then at Beltane Ranch in Sonoma. He will continue to craft their wines as well as manage winemaking and operations at Bartholomew Estate Winery.

“Most of the flavor in any great wine comes in from the vineyard, inside the grapes; the winemaker’s job is to discover, celebrate and enhance the essence of what nature provides, not to impose his or her will upon it,” he said. “The Bartholomew Estate vineyards, with their legendary past, are so good that the fruit grown here shouldn’t require much tinkering to make some incredible wines.”

Around the time of the new winery opening, the hiking trails at Bartholomew Park should re-open as well. The country trails are currently being rehabilitated.

Bartholomew Estate Winery is located at 1000 Vineyard Lane. Its tasting room will be open daily from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. beginning March 1. Learn more at its website bartestate.com.

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