Escape to the Retreat
Perched on a hill in the Paso Robles wine country, overlooking the SōNA Estate vineyards, orchards, and winery is a beautiful home away from home. While the Retreat is located on the first floor of the owners’ two story home, it is self-contained, private and can only be accessed by a separate front door. So relax and recharge at this Paso Robles wine country retreat. Enjoy the wines, views and outdoor activities of the Central Coast.
SōNA Estate
SōNA Estate is a working vineyard and winery in the Willow Creek District of the Paso Robles AVA. This westside location is close to many celebrated wineries. One of the celebrated wineries, Willow Creek Wine Co is located on the property. You will, no doubt, want to avail yourselves of all the property has to offer. You can sip on a glass of wine made from the Estate grapes. Bring along comfortable shoes and you can walk the rim of the property which includes some stunning vistas from hilltop vantage points. The location is a great jumping off point for many attractions and adventures that the the Paso Robles wine country and the rest of the Central Coast has to offer.
We are often asked where the name SōNA Estate came from. Sona is an old Irish word meaning happy, lucky or fortunate. Bí sona! means Be Happy. We want all who visit SōNA Estate to be happy during their stay with us. Sona can also be found in a proverb indicating that luck is largely a matter of opportunity and may be translated as ‘the lucky man waits for the lucky moment.’ Owners were fortunate to have been given various opportunities during their life including the opportunity to purchase this property.
The owners of SōNA Estate
Candice and Dennis Brown met in college, married, have 4 adult children and a growing group of grandchildren. Their careers took them overseas to three different countries for twenty three years. While on assignment in Australia, they developed an interest in wine. Their travels are reflected in the furnishing of The Retreat.
Candice and Dennis followed their oldest son, Brian down to Paso Robles from Napa. They sold their small vineyard in Oakville, in Napa Valley, and bought the 4080 Vineyard Drive property in 2016. The following year they bought the 3995 Willow Creek property and SōNA Estate was born. The family then embarked on improving Sona Estate. They started with planting 4 acres of vineyards. Additional vineyards are being added in alternate years. The soil preparation for the vineyards has uncovered a multitude of Adelaide rock that was used to added several thousand linear feet of rock walls. During the same time period, the 3995 Willow Creek Road house was remodeled and expanded to include The Retreat. After five years of planning, approvals and construction the winery was built. Renovating the 2 houses and barn on the Vineyard Drive property are next on the To Do list.
Willow Creek Wine CO.
Brian and Natalie Brown are the owners and talent behind the wine brands of Willow Creek Wine CO. Both winemakers professionally, the two already produced wine under multiple brands. Currently, they produce In Medias Res, Rococo Wines, Soubrette Wines, and Emerson Brown Wines. Although they have different winemaking educations, the two see eye to eye on stylistic decisions and technical details. Ultimately, their promise to each other is to never bottle a wine that they wouldn't drink themselves.
In 2017, Brian and Natalie planted four acres of vineyard to Syrah and Petite Sirah. These Rhône varietals grow well on the west side of Paso Robles, but the selections of vines are very unique. The cuttings came from the Library vineyard in St Helena, farmed by Turley Wine Cellars. Since these vines contain some of the oldest clonal material in California, they are arguably the most adapted to our terroir. In 2019, they planted an additional six acres of vineyard to multiple clonal selections sourced directly from UC Davis. Some of these cuttings were selections that, like SōNA's initial planting, have existed in California for generations but were not available through commercial nurseries.