Charles and Diana Karren searched more than 100 sites in Napa and Sonoma before finding their 53-acre ranch overlooking the town of Petaluma. They were looking for specific things: the right soil profile, fresh water, southwest-facing hills for sun exposure, and access to the wind and fog of the Petaluma Gap. They found all of it. They chose the name Terra de Promissio — Latin for “the promised land” — because, as Charles put it, farming is about the promise: the possibility and hope a new season brings. Both of them were born overseas and built a life in California. The name reflects both.
In 2002, they planted 33,000 vines to Dijon Clones 115 and 777. By 2007 they had moved onto the property full-time, converting a barn into a home. In 2012 and 2013, an additional 18,000 vines went in — Clones 943, 97, and a field blend — bringing total planted acreage to 50 acres. Both Charles and Diana grew up around viticulture: his parents grew grapes in Sonoma Valley’s Glen Ellen, hers in Russia. The farming instinct ran in both families before they ever met.
The Petaluma Gap’s combination of elevation, southwest exposure, and consistent marine influence produces slow-ripening Pinot Noir with natural acidity and concentration. Charles and Diana, along with Diana’s parents and their two children, farm and live on the property. The promise is kept every harvest.
