Welcome to Rio Lago 

Rio Lago, formerly River Pond Ranch, has been owned and managed by the Horowitz Family for over three decades. Originally a small cattle operation with eighteen acres of Chardonnay and Zinfandel vineyard, Rio Lago has grown to become a 225 acre ranch and vineyard that includes 105 acres of premium quality wine grapes featuring Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, Petit Verdot, Merlot and Chardonnay.

Our story involves a love of agriculture and a dedication to detail. When Jeff and Lynn Horowitz first saw River Pond Ranch in 1990 they were stunned by its beauty, variety of terrain and water features. They easily envisioned this magical tract of land as both an adventure spot for their growing family and a larger high-quality vineyard. Lynn brought her experience of being raised in Guatemala where her father had grown cinchona trees for Merck, and then coffee, cardamom, and macadamia nuts on his own “fincas.” Jeff, an experienced architect and land planner, was motivated by the challenge to develop a thoughtfully planned vineyard that carefully matched root stocks and clones with Rio Lago’s soil profiles.  His goal was to create a meticulously designed and cared for operation that would produce uniform, reliable, fruit with rich flavors.

At Rio Lago we are lucky to have two talented brothers, Baltazar and Arturo Nuñez from Michoacán Mexico as ranch managers whose families have grown up alongside ours. They bring a deep knowledge of viticulture, each with over 30 years of experience. Their attention to the myriad details of cultivation along with Jeff’s management have contributed to making Rio Lago a success. Our family of 4 children has grown to include 9 grandchildren, with our son Jack now taking a lead role in the operation of the ranch. We are blessed to have 2 new generations to maintain the legacy of Rio Lago.

Rio Lago, as its name implies, features both a 5-acre pond and a half-mile of Russian river frontage. An abundance of water is an invaluable resource which makes our location unique. Our pond was created in 1952 and stocked with largemouth bass and bluegill trout. The Russian River provides natural habitat for steelhead trout, as well as coyotes, bobcats, river otters, grey foxes, quail, and a variety of waterfowl like great blue heron and merganser ducks. Our vineyard’s water needs are supplied by three high-output wells along the aquifer of the Russian River. The pond is set up for both vineyard frost protection and emergency irrigation needs.

The Horowitz family’s love of animals has combined with the ranch managers families’ traditional use of farm animals. The result is an assortment of characters in our pastures including horses, cows for managing our grasses, chickens, goats, a llama and miniature donkeys. In addition to our grapes, we grow and sell fuji apples to grocery outlets, and have a number of vegetable gardens. A century old redwood barn has been updated and is still used to store hay.

Rio Lago is an agricultural operation; we are not a winery. Our primary focus is to supply premium wine grapes to a variety of highly respected labels that feature Alexander Valley fruit.