Gundlach Bundschu Winery
California’s oldest continuously family owned winery, on the Rhinefarm estate since 1858.
Gundlach Bundschu, known to almost everyone as Gun Bun, is the oldest continuously family owned winery in California. Founded in 1858 and still run by the descendants of its Bavarian founder, it farms the same Sonoma Valley ground it has worked for more than 160 years.
From Bavaria to the Rhinefarm
Jacob Gundlach, born in Bavaria, founded the winery in 1858 and named his estate Rhinefarm for the German wine country he left behind. Charles Bundschu, from Mannheim, joined the business in 1868 and married Gundlach's daughter Francisca in 1875, fixing the two family names together on the label for good.
Six generations later the family still owns and farms the estate.
Surviving the hard century
The Bundschu family lost its San Francisco cellars in the 1906 earthquake and fire, then weathered Prohibition by selling fruit and waiting out the dry years. The modern revival began in 1969 when fifth generation Jim Bundschu set out to rebuild the winery, releasing the first contemporary vintage in 1973.
That continuity, through disaster and a national ban on wine, is what makes the claim of unbroken family ownership so rare.
Rhinefarm today
The 320 acre estate is certified regenerative organic and sits where the Sonoma Valley, Los Carneros, and Napa Valley appellations meet, against the foot of the Mayacamas Mountains. The range runs from an estate Gewurztraminer that nods to the family's German roots to serious Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Pinot Noir.
Sixth generation Jeff Bundschu leads the winery today.
A winery that throws a party
Gun Bun has long had a reputation as the most unbuttoned of the historic estates, with two performance stages and a history of hosting music on the property, including the Huichica festival. The tasting experience mixes deep history with a relaxed, almost irreverent sense of fun.
It is a useful counterpoint to its older neighbor Buena Vista, founded a year earlier just up the road.
Visiting Gundlach
The winery sits on the Rhinefarm estate at the southern edge of the Sonoma Valley, near the Carneros line, a few minutes from Sonoma Plaza.
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