Award-winning wines. Family Run. Sustainably grown

All in the heart of California.

Exquisite wines made with care, passion, and flair

From the first planted vine in 2014 and our first vintage in 2016, our vision for Great Bear Vineyards was to produce exquisite wines that honored the land and could be shared with family and friends. We place care, passion and flair into every aspect of our winemaking. At Great Bear Vineyards, we produce our estate wines in small lots to craft them with the highest attention to detail. Fermentation is initiated by the natural wild yeast from the vineyard, and winemaking is completed with minimal intervention using traditional techniques and oak barrel aging. We produce just 24,000 bottles (or 2,000 cases) per year, each with its own elegance and magnificence for you to enjoy.

Just a few of our scores and accolades: Albariño – 96 Points; Cabernet Sauvignon – 93 Points & Double Gold Medals; Chardonnay – 91 Points; Roussanne - 91 Points; Rosé Fleur Rouge – 96 Points…and many more

Voted Winery of the Year by readers of Sacramento Magazine 2020, 2021, & 2022

Award-Winning Wines

Learn MORE

Family Run

Little slice of heaven we call home…

Great Bear is owned and operated by Jenny & Marcus with help from our 4 children, and a dedicated team of wine lovers. Our world class vineyard was designed by professors from the UC Davis Viticulture & Enology department, who also assisted Jenny in making her first few vintages, as she completed her UC Davis winemaking program. We bring a depth of knowledge of wines from around the world — Jenny has worked with several local winemakers over the years and Marcus is a recognized expert of biological agriculture.

Jenny & Marcus have travelled to wineries all over the world, from Europe to Australia to South Africa, bringing home winemaking tastes and traditions from all of our favorite wine regions of the world.

Our wines have a real sense of place: a terroir coming from the Rincon loam soils, aided by warm days and nights cooled by the Delta Breeze; and the people with the wine growing expertise of UC Davis.

It is a remarkable ecosystem for growing premium grapes and making exquisite wines.

Learn More

Sustainably Grown

Grown in harmony with nature

Certified organic by CCOF, we grow our grapes in harmony with nature using sustainable and regenerative farming practices.

Our vision from the beginning was to produce exquisite wines from the highest quality grapes…while enjoying the beauty of nature and protecting our land for future generations.

We deficit irrigate, using minimal water. Growing permanent cover crop helps us reduce and retain water, as well as build a healthy microbiome of beneficial microbes that feed the crops and regenerate the soil.

We have a unique terroir – a natural beauty that shines through in our wines.

Learn More

With Nature

Bees, butterflies, & bunnies

We share our home with an abundance of wildflowers, birds, bees, jack rabbits, and other animals.

It is a joy to wake each morning to the sound of bird song, see flowers and rabbits throughout the day, drift off to sleep to the soft hooting of owls, and occasionally wake up to the laughter of coyotes playing in the vineyard.

Each year we have four breeding pairs of owls, two pairs of kestrels, and a pair of hawks nesting in the barns and trees around the winery. Hummingbird nests can be found in the vines and olive trees. We have 40 jack rabbits and a dozen or so cottontail rabbits that raise their young. A stealthy red fox walks silently around on odd occasions.

It is a true delight growing in harmony with nature.

Learn More

Other fun facts…

Netflix, olive oil, lavender, & fruit

NETFLIX - you can see us on Netflix - we were the location for Indian Matchmaker Series 3, ep 6. Vikash & Janki came to for their very first date! Spoiler alert: they hit it off, but apparently their age gap was too big to lead to marriage.
LAVENDER - we have a lavender field around the winery. Come from late-May to early-July, and you can pick a bunch of lavender. All proceeds from fresh lavender sales go to charity.
OLIVE OIL - we make some amazing olive oil. Picked when 75% of the olives as still green, our oil tastes fresh and peppery. Amazing for dipping & drizzling!
FRUIT - we have a mixed orchard growing peaches, pluots, plums, & much more…most of the product goes to Community Harvest and Yolo Food Bank. You can volunteer to help pick.
PHOTOSHOOT - you can book your own photoshoot in the lavender field, vineyard, or winery

Join the Great Bear Family

Priority access, exclusive events, iscounts, & more!

Enjoy personal access to this unique, family-run estate close to Downtown Davis with incredible wines
Free to join this fun and friendly community
Savings start from day one on a selection of superb wines and delightful events
Exclusive access to new releases, limited production & wines on allocation
Discounted wine tastings & events
Special Wine Club Member only dinners & events