About Us

The Brassfield family has a long history of connection to the land. Bob's father and mother operated a cattle ranch in the Sierra Mountains for over 25 years. As a young boy, Bob was introduced to working with the land by his father who spent his life working in farming and ranching.

In 1977 Bob, Judy and their three small children moved to Geneva, Switzerland for three years. It was during their stay and travels around Europe that they were first introduced to the world of fine wine. Bob's favorite soon became wines from Burgundy region, and this was later instrumental in the selection of grapes to be planted at "Heart O' The Mountain".

In the late 1970's and early 80's Bob, along with his brother, had his first introduction into the wine industry as an investor in Felton Empire, a Santa Cruz Mountain winery.

In 1978, Bob and Judy acquired the Heart O' The Mountain estate located in the Santa Cruz Mountains. Heart O' The Mountain was established and named by California pioneer Pierre Cornwall in 1881, where he and his son Bruce lived and produced wine under the Santa Sada label. Between the years 1940 and 1974 the property was owned by Alfred Hitchcock, the famous director. The estate today is very much the same way Cornwall and Hitchcock left it. The Brassfield family has taken great pains to preserve the historic estate.

Desiring to reconnect with his early years, in 1993, Bob and Judy purchased the "Thompson Valley Ranch" located in the Sierra Mountains north of Lake Tahoe where today they raise Black Angus cattle and market their own brand of healthy, natural, grass-fed beef.

After retiring in 2000 from a 30 year career in the nutritional health food industry, Bob, along with his wife Judy, decided to reestablish the historic vineyard site known as Heart O' The Mountain. While working on the project with his son Brandon, they soon came up with the idea to turn an old barn on the property into the winery. By 2005 the first vintage of Heart O' The Mountain Pinot Noir was born. 

Brandon was raised in Scotts Valley since the age of six, where he resides today with his wife Angela and their two children. When he and his father decided to start the journey of wine growing, they began by taking enology and viticulture courses at U.C. Davis and utilizing the expertise of a consulting winemaker through the vineyards first harvest. 

Over the past few short years the world of wine has truly become a passion for the entire Brassfield family. Bob and Judy's youngest son Dustin Brassfield and his wife Bobbie live in "High Valley", Lake County, California with their three children, where they have their own vineyard and produce award winning High Valley wines.

The Heart O' The Mountain Estate

In 1880, a California pioneer by the name of Pierre Cornwall and his wife Sada hiked from Glenwood, a small Santa Cruz Mountain retreat, over the southern slope of Mt Roberta and looked out over a vast, rugged mountainside that stretched out under a redwood blanket until it vanished into the Monterey Bay. The acreage on and around Mt Roberta's southern slope had it all: a view of the bay, cooling fog, seclusion, and unmatched natural beauty. In 1881 they purchased the property and named it Heart O' The Mountain. According to county records, they paid $500 for the 85 acre parcel. By 1887, Mr. Cornwall had established the vineyard and Santa Sada winery on the property, where the family produced wine until prohibition shut them down.

In 1881 a redwood and manzanita covered piece of mountainous land, eighty-five acres in size, was acquired by my father in the Santa Cruz mountains. A cottage was built and regularly during the succeeding years Mr Cornwall, his wife and the writer sought this haven of rest and quiet, at first interested in clearing the land, then in planting the seeds and cuttings, and finally in gathering the fruit, crushing the grapes and making the wines from the same seeds and cuttings. Many and happy were the weekends there, enjoyed alone and with friends and relatives. Years of city business worry were thus relieved of their severity and their natural ravages assuaged.

--Bruce Cornwall, from Life Sketch of Pierre Barlow Cornwall, San Francisco, 1906

In 1940 Heart O' The Mountain was purchased by renowned director Alfred Hitchcock. The Hitchcock family used the property as their second home, and entertained Hollywood's elite at the mountain estate. Mr. Hitchcock had a long-standing relationship with the Santa Cruz area, much of which is documented in the wonderful book, Footsteps in the Fog. The Brassfields have taken great care to preserve the historic estate much as it was during Hitchcock's era and before-- so much so that going there can sometimes feel like a trip back in time.

The Hitchcock family continues to have a connection to the Santa Cruz area, as one of Alfred's granddaughters lives only a few miles away in Aptos. Today the entire Hitchcock family is very active in fund raising to benefit the Cystic Fybrosis Foundation.

For more information on the estate history, see this article in the Scott's Valley Post: http://www.thevalleypost.com/article.php?id=156