October 15, 2026
Two of Kenwood's best-known addresses tested the same question this year. Kenwood Vineyards on Sonoma Highway and Sugarloaf Ridge State Park up Adobe Canyon Road both belong, at least on paper, to much larger organizations. One belonged to a global drinks company. The other is part of the California state park system. In 2026 it became clear that both stay open because people close to the valley keep them open.
The winery closed in March and reopened in May after a Sonoma County family bought it back. The park was voted a statewide favorite in May. Its operator funds the park through donations and volunteer hours, with no state money for operations. Up the road, the observatory rebuilt its own ramps and railings. All three show up on Kenwood's calendar this fall.
Kenwood Vineyards started in 1970. John Sheela and his brothers-in-law, Mike and Marty Lee, turned the former Pagani Brothers winery, built in 1906, into a modern winery, according to reporting in The Press Democrat. The Heck family's own announcement goes back further. It says the first harvest on the property took place more than 120 years ago.
Kenwood has been in the Heck family's hands once before. The same Press Democrat report says Korbel first invested in Kenwood about 30 years ago as a half-owner and took full ownership in 1999. Gary Heck then grew production from under 300,000 cases to more than half a million. F. Korbel & Bros. sold Kenwood to Pernod Ricard in May 2014. By this spring, Kenwood was Pernod Ricard's last wine holding, as the company moved toward spirits.
The change was fast. On March 23, Pernod Ricard filed a California WARN notice, which warns state officials of a closure. It described a "total closure" of the winery effective March 31 and said its 14 employees would be laid off by the end of April. Three days later, on March 26, the sale of the nearly 33-acre property at 9592 Sonoma Highway closed for $4 million. The buyer was Kenwood Winery Land LLC, a company led by Gary Heck, owner and president of F. Korbel & Bros. The 2014 deal had valued the real estate portion at $7.2 million in county records. One number is a 2026 sale price and the other is a 2014 valuation, so the comparison has limits. Still, it shows the land changing hands for less than its earlier valuation.
Heck spoke about the purchase in an email to the North Bay Business Journal, as The Press Democrat reported:
"We're thrilled to welcome Kenwood back into our fold. This property has always been an important part of Sonoma Valley's history, and we see meaningful potential in its future."
In that same statement, Heck said the family was "still in the early stages of evaluating next steps." Within two months the tasting room was ready. A winery release dated May 13 and published by Wine Industry Advisor set the reopening for Friday, May 15. It described Kenwood as "back in local family ownership under The Heck Family." A later release on PR Newswire said only that the tasting room would reopen in mid-May. The release says the new chapter "isn't about changing what Kenwood is."
Sugarloaf Ridge State Park is off Highway 12, a few miles east of downtown Kenwood. It covers 4,900 acres just south of Hood Mountain Regional Park.
Sonoma Ecology Center is now the park's only operator. Team Sugarloaf began in 2012 as a partnership of five nonprofits, and that year it reopened the park. The park's own pages say the Ecology Center gets no state money to run Sugarloaf. Community support, volunteers and donations pay for operations.
The Ecology Center's 2025 year-end review shows the scale. In 2025 the park had 191,000 visitors, 25 miles of trail, 47 campsites and hundreds of events. Volunteers logged 17,217 hours, which the Ecology Center values at more than $800,000. Those volunteers kept the visitor center open seven days a week and staffed the entrance kiosk on weekends and holidays. The Ecology Center's milestones page says the park has welcomed more than one million visitors since it reopened in 2012.
In May, the California State Parks Foundation's second annual Best of California's State Parks poll named Sugarloaf Ridge the "Best California State Park for a Hidden Gem Experience." Thousands of people voted across 12 categories. Sugarloaf also earned an honorable mention for wildflowers, Sonoma Magazine reported. The foundation listed what voters cited, including "an onsite observatory and community-led programs," and wrote:
"Quiet, scenic, and full of discovery, it's a place that feels both remote and welcoming, perfect for those looking to explore beyond the well-known parks."
That phrase, "community-led programs," came from the voters' reasons. It also describes how the park is funded.
The Robert Ferguson Observatory sits inside the park at 2605 Adobe Canyon Road. A separate nonprofit, the Valley of the Moon Observatory Association, runs it. According to its 2025 impact report, the observatory served 9,627 visitors and held 143 events in 2025. That included 3,916 young people and 254 lower-income families who got in free.
Volunteers also did the building work. They rebuilt the deck, ramps and railings, refurbished telescopes, and upgraded the color and guide cameras on the observatory's large RC20 telescope. The accessibility project's first two phases were nearly finished at the time of the report. They added a concrete accessible parking pad and path, a realigned stairway, a rebuilt entry landing, and new six-foot-wide east and west ramps. A 2025 capital campaign had nearly reached its $150,000 goal. A third phase, a larger dome wing around the 8-inch telescope, still needs funding.
The same report announced new programs for 2026: Sips and Stars, Spooky Skies, a Summer Solstice Soirée, and a build-your-own-telescope class. One of them, Spooky Skies, is on this month's calendar.
These are the dates now posted on the park's and the observatory's calendars, as of October 12, 2026:
The two October 24 and 25 events lead into each other. Stars & Cider is a members' party, and Family Day the next afternoon is open to the public. The October 21 orientation is how new volunteers join the observatory's crew.
At public star parties, docents give talks on astronomy in the classroom. From dusk on, the observatory's three main telescopes are open for viewing, and docents set up more telescopes outside. November 27 is the day after Thanksgiving, which may suit anyone with guests in town.
Star party tickets. The park's listing for its October star party says tickets are sold through rfo.simpletix.com. Prices are $15 for adults, $10 for seniors 62 and older and students, and $5 for ages 6 to 12. Children 5 and under get in free. The state park parking fee of $10 per vehicle is extra. Those prices come from the October 10 listing, so check the November events for their own prices.
Day use and the annual pass. The park's visitor information page lists day-use fees of $10 per vehicle, or $8 for seniors 62 and older, students, and current or retired military. An annual day-use pass costs $59. For a household planning both star parties plus a few hikes, the pass may cost less than paying each visit. The posted rates have no update date, so confirm them before you go.
Visitor center hours. The park's own pages disagree on visitor center hours. Check with staff before planning a stop around them.
The tasting room. We found no current tasting room hours for Kenwood Vineyards in the reopening announcements. Contact the winery at 9592 Sonoma Highway before you visit.
These two stories also connect to the land and agricultural work the Joel Toller Team handles every day. When a winery property changes hands, the new owner decides whether the doors stay open. If you own a Sonoma Valley winery or estate property and are weighing what comes next, The Joel Toller Team can talk it through with you privately. Schedule a Confidential Consultation.
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