Bonterra Winery
ABLA collaborated with Nick Thayer from Late Afternoon Garden Design to create a master plan for Bonterra Vineyards’ McNab Ranch that con-veys the striking beauty of the McDowell Valley, and highlights charismatic elements of the historic ranch and vineyard. Their designs contextualize and interpret the client’s approach to biodynamic agriculture and holistic site management.
In Phase I of the project, Ann and Nick created concepts and construction documents for the two main visitor spaces: the Barn Terrace and the Tower Garden . The Barn Terrace extends the tasting room within the historic barn out onto a large viewing terrace that overlooks the vineyards, creeks and gardens and is nestled into large valley oaks and native plantings on a gentle hillside.
The Tower Garden is a foil to the Tower structure and offers a picnicking and tasting place of greater seclusion and intimacy. Many of the biodynamic preparations needed for the ranch are grown here, and it creates a refugia that brings the wild charac-ter of the valley into the heart of the vineyard.
Future phases of the Master Plan focus on creating a memorable and educational landscape along the pathways that flows between these site elements and further restoring the site’s creeks and ecologi-cal health and productivity.
In Phase I of the project, Ann and Nick created concepts and construction documents for the two main visitor spaces: the Barn Terrace and the Tower Garden . The Barn Terrace extends the tasting room within the historic barn out onto a large viewing terrace that overlooks the vineyards, creeks and gardens and is nestled into large valley oaks and native plantings on a gentle hillside.
The Tower Garden is a foil to the Tower structure and offers a picnicking and tasting place of greater seclusion and intimacy. Many of the biodynamic preparations needed for the ranch are grown here, and it creates a refugia that brings the wild charac-ter of the valley into the heart of the vineyard.
Future phases of the Master Plan focus on creating a memorable and educational landscape along the pathways that flows between these site elements and further restoring the site’s creeks and ecologi-cal health and productivity.