history

CIMA COLLINA is a small family-owned vineyard and winery that takes great pride in its association with the early history of Carmel Valley. Our tasting room is located in an old creamery constructed by one of the Valley’s early pioneers, William Hatton, in the late 19th century. Some of the earliest Monterey Jack cheese was made here.

Our tasting room has also served as Carmel Valley’s first post office, a stop for the stage to Tassajara Hot Springs, an art gallery, the Iron Kettle restaurant, and most recently the popular Fish House. Our estate vineyard is located about one half mile east of Carmel Valley Village on land that was originally part of another historic ranch owned by the Berta family.
In the early part of the last century, Carmel Valley became a retreat for railroad barons and movie stars seeking to escape the limelight. Los Laureles Lodge, Holman Ranch, Paso Del Robles , Rosie’s Cracker Barrel, and Tassajara Hot Springs were gathering places for celebrities. Commercial development of the Carmel Valley didn’t begin until the late 70′s and early 80′s when the original Hatton dairy at the mouth of the valley was sold to become the Barnyard shopping center.

Grapes were first introduced into this part of California by the Franciscan friars who established the Mission at the mouth of the valley. They taught the native Americans to tend the vines and to make wine. It is said that x-rays of the floor of the mission have revealed the existence of an early winery in a vault below.

Old Gabriel, an Esselin Indian, who was present when Father Serra first arrived, worked on the construction of the Mission and reputedly lived to be 150 years old. He is an ancestor of Tom Nason, our vineyard manager, as is William Hatton, who managed the original Del Monte Dairy.

CIMA COLLINA roughly translates to “hill top” and draws its name from the Hill Top ranch owned by the Lumpkin family. The vineyard was planted in 2002 and our first harvest was in 2005. There are approximately 4 acres of Pinot Noir vines and about one half an acre of Pinot Gris. The warm days and cool nights are ideal for nurturing Pinot Noir grapes. Not only the climate, but the soil and the chalk rock contribute to the unique favors of the wines produced from the grapes grown in this region

CIMA COLLINA also purchases grapes from extraordinary growers – Chardonnay from the Salinas valley and Pinot Noir from the Santa Lucia Highlands. These are carefully hand picked and processed in our winery in Marina with careful attention to extracting the most exquisite flavors for our signature wines.

- Cima Collina Owner, Dick Lumpkin