Six Cloves

Sebastopol — California

Practicing Organic

Born and raised in Japan, Sonoe Hirobayashi, brings generations of deep family knowledge, tradition, and craftsmanship of fermenting miso into her winemaking. Her first exposure to wine took place in New York City. Upon realizing that making wine had the potential to be a bridge between her family’s traditional business and her desire to create a new path forward in her adopted country, she moved to California to further her studies. Sonoe  graduated from UC Davis, where her classmates were beloved natural winemakers such as Martha Stoumen and Shaunt Oungoulian. Sonoe is less didactic about being grouped in with the natural crowd, rather, she is more driven by the search for authenticity of place, purity of expression, and sheer deliciousness. She is guided by her family traditions as well as a meticulous attention to detail. She has interned and learned from iconic winemakers such as Ted Lemon (Sonoma), Steve Matthiasson (Napa), and Dard & Ribo (Northern Rhône). All her fruit is farmed organically. Sonoe only works with native yeasts and does not filter. Her wines are compelling, with understated elegance, power, and depth — challenging and providing a counter balance to the benchmark wines from classic AVAs such as Oak Knoll and Russian River Valley.