Jim and Essel Bailey grew up in a family of Michigan and Tennessee subsistence farmers. In 2006, the two teamed up with friends to purchase vineyard land in Knights Valley, united by their enthusiasm for great wine. Kelley and Jim Bailey have acquired neighboring vineyard parcels, invested in a state-of-the-art Howard Backen–designed winery, and assembled an experienced and devoted team. The two have taken on a leading role in realizing the original vision shared with cofounders Menakka and Essel Bailey, and Cindy and Tom Costin.

Knights Valley, named for a mid-19th-century army general, is Sonoma County’s warmest and easternmost AVA. Rising between 400 and 1,000 feet in elevation, the estate’s steep slopes, with varied aspects, reveal four ancient soil types, including rhyolitic tuff, fossilized volcanic ash formed nearly four million years ago. These soils shape every wine, offering a geologically distinct terroir found nowhere else in the region.

Knight’s Bridge combines a low-intervention approach with precise technique. Concrete fermenters build texture and depth, while 500-liter puncheons allow for graceful élevage. They tailor barrel selection—down to the wood grain and aromatic profile—to each vineyard block and soil type, ensuring that every winemaking detail supports site expression.