What Desire Lines Wine does

Desire Lines Wine Co. is a privately held, founder-owned artisan winery based in Sonoma, California, producing limited volumes of vineyard-designate wines from historic and exceptional sites across more than 400 miles of Northern California. The company was founded by Cody and Emily Rasmussen after they relocated from Iowa to California in 2011; Cody began his wine career as a harvest intern at Balletto Vineyards in 2011 and became Assistant Winemaker at Bedrock Wine Co. in 2013 under Morgan Twain-Peterson. The first Desire Lines wine was made in 2014 from a one-ton gift of Syrah from Eaglepoint Ranch, and the brand officially launched to the public via mailing list allocation in April 2018.

The portfolio centers on small-lot, terroir-driven bottlings, including Rieslings from Cole Ranch, Wiley Vineyard, Massa Vineyard, and La Jolla del Norte; Sauvignon Blanc from Kick Ranch; Syrahs from Griffin's Lair and Shake Ridge Ranch; Cabernet Sauvignon from Lichau Hill and Massa Vineyard; and an Evangelho red blend of Carignan and Mourvèdre from 1890s own-rooted vines. Production also includes blended and rosé wines (the Winds of Change Syrah, and 2025 Grenache and Mourvèdre rosés), plus the Experimental Series sub-brand of individually numbered, small-format releases. Winemaking is intentionally non-interventionist: native yeast fermentations, whole-cluster fermentation for reds, barrel fermentation for whites, and aging primarily in neutral oak and large-format barrels.

The entire commercial operation runs through a direct-to-consumer allocation model: wines are released 2–3 times per year exclusively to mailing list subscribers, with purchases processed through the company's website on Offset Commerce's wine ecommerce platform, shipped via FedEx, UPS, and GSO. There are no retail, restaurant, or distributor channels. Customers are individual wine enthusiasts and collectors seeking access to rare, terroir-expressive California wines, and the company has no external funding, no parent company, and no institutional ownership — the Rasmussens maintain full operational and equity control.

Name

Desire Lines Wine

Legal name

Desire Lines Wine Co.

Website

https://desirelineswines.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Desire Lines Wine Co. is a privately held, founder-owned artisan winery in Sonoma, California, producing small-lot, vineyard-designate wines from exceptional Northern California sites and selling them exclusively through a mailing-list allocation direct-to-consumer model to wine enthusiasts and collectors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Small-Lot Artisan Winemaking

NAICS

Wineries (312130), Beer, Wine, and Liquor Retailers (445320)

akta.pro primary industry

Wine Production & Winemaking (AFAFAAAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Wineries & Vineyards (Tasting Rooms) (THAFALAE), Alcohol Subscription & Wine Clubs (Retail) (CRANABAF)

Keywords

• Small-lot winemaking
• Vineyard-designate wines
• California artisan wines
• Natural wine production
• Allocation wine sales

Headquarters

HQ city

Sonoma

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Direct Wine Sales: The company generates revenue through direct-to-consumer wine sales via allocation releases. Wines are sold in limited quantities directly to mailing list subscribers through their website. The business model is entirely direct-to-consumer with no retail or distributor relationships.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Desire Lines Wine Co. is a small-production artisan winery that produces limited quantities of vineyard-designate wines from exceptional Northern California vineyards spanning over 400 miles. The portfolio includes Riesling, Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Sauvignon Blanc, rosés, and red blends made with traditional and natural winemaking techniques (native yeast, whole-cluster fermentation, neutral oak aging). Wines are released 2-3 times per year exclusively to mailing list subscribers via direct-to-consumer allocation.

Product overview

Desire Lines Wine Co. is a small-lot winery producing wines from exceptional vineyards across Northern California. The portfolio centers on vineyard-designate wines including Riesling from Cole Ranch, Wiley Vineyard, Massa Vineyard, and La Jolla del Norte; Sauvignon Blanc from Kick Ranch; and red wines including Syrah from Shake Ridge Ranch and Griffin's Lair, Cabernet Sauvignon from Lichau Hill and Massa Vineyards, and Evangelho Red Wine (Carignan/Mourvèdre blend). Additional offerings include the blended Winds of Change Syrah, Grenache and Mourvèdre rosés from Sky Vineyards and Shake Ridge, and an Experimental Series of limited small-production wines. Wines are sold exclusively through a mailing list allocation system, released 2-3 times per year.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Experimental Series: Limited production wines bottled in small quantities, individually numbered, featuring unique vineyard sources and experimental winemaking techniques.

Products and services

• Cole Ranch Riesling Riesling sourced from one of the oldest Riesling vineyards in the country, planted in 1973 in Mendocino County. Head-trained, dry-farmed vines in a narrow mountain valley benefit from maritime cooling influence.
• Wiley Vineyard Riesling Riesling from one of the first vineyards planted in Anderson Valley following Prohibition, with own-rooted vines planted in 1976 on a south-facing ridgeline surrounded by redwoods and Douglas firs.
• Massa Vineyard Riesling Riesling from a remote vineyard on the northern edge of Big Sur's Ventana Wilderness, planted in granitic soils with views of the Pacific Ocean.
• La Jolla del Norte Riesling Riesling from seven rows of vines planted in 1961 on the Silverado Trail in St. Helena, the third-oldest Riesling vines in the country, farmed organically since 1979.
• Kick Ranch Sauvignon Blanc Sauvignon Blanc from the cool Fountaingrove District AVA, planted on the rockiest soils at the top of the vineyard ridge, with clones including ENTAV Clone 317 and Musqué clone.
• Evangelho Red Wine Red blend (Carignan and Mourvèdre) from own-rooted 1890s-planted vines in pure sand, subjected to daily coastal winds through the Carquinez Strait, producing fine-grained tannins and fresh flavors.
• Shake Ridge Syrah Syrah from Shake Ridge Ranch in the Sierra Foothills, owned and farmed by Ann Kraemer, planted in schist, Mariposa slate, greenstone, and marble soils in Gold Rush country.
• Griffin's Lair Syrah Syrah from a windswept vineyard in the southern Petaluma River valley, cooled daily by marine influence through the Petaluma Gap, producing naturally dense and firm wines with blue and black fruits.
• Lichau Hill Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon Cabernet Sauvignon from a rocky coastal mountainside in the Petaluma Gap at 1200 feet elevation, the only Cabernet Sauvignon planted in the Petaluma Gap AVA.
• Massa Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon Cabernet Sauvignon from Block 13 of one of the remaining blocks of the original own-rooted 1971 planting with Mirassou budwood, from granitic soils in Carmel Valley.
• Winds of Change Syrah Blended Syrah from multiple California vineyards (Sky Vineyard, Shake Ridge Ranch, and Graves Vineyard) designed as an accessible, mission-driven wine to introduce wine lovers to Syrah.
• Sky Vineyards Grenache Rosé Grenache Rosé from Sky Vineyards on Mt. Veeder, made from young vines known as 'Caleb's Block,' producing a distinctive wine with hillside Veeder character.
• Shake Ridge Mourvèdre Rosé Mourvèdre Rosé from the uppermost portion of I-Block at Shake Ridge Ranch, from steep rocky soils with sunset views, producing a wine of passion and beauty with delicate ornamentation.
• Experimental Series Limited-production wines from unique vineyard sources bottled in small, individually numbered quantities, exploring varieties like Mourvèdre, Chenin Blanc, Viognier, and Spätlese Riesling.

Quantifiable outcome

• Wines consistently rated 92-96 points by Antonio Galloni of Vinous

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Birichino: Santa Cruz-based small-production winery practicing minimal-intervention winemaking with a strong mailing list. Comparable in scale, ethos, and California coastal vineyard sourcing.
• Bedrock Wine Co. Sonoma-based producer of vineyard-designate old-vine wines from historic California sites. Highly relevant because Desire Lines' founder is Assistant Winemaker here, the winemaking philosophy is closely aligned, and grain supply, vineyard access, and techniques overlap.
• Peay Vineyards: Small Sonoma Coast producer of vineyard-designate Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Syrah. Comparable in scale, DTC allocation model, and focus on cool-climate coastal sites with minimal-intervention winemaking.
• Scholium Project: Ultra-small California producer of experimental, vineyard-driven wines sold via allocation. Closely comparable to Desire Lines' Experimental Series sub-brand in philosophy and limited-quantity approach.
• Turley Wine Cellars: California specialist in old-vine, vineyard-designate Zinfandel and other Rhône varieties from heritage sites. Shares the same playbook of sourcing from historic vineyards and reselling through an allocation/mailing list structure.
• Hirsch Vineyards: Boutique Sonoma Coast grower-producer of vineyard-designate Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Matches Desire Lines on small production, single-vineyard focus, and reliance on a loyal mailing list.
• Broc Cellars: Berkeley-based small-production winery working with California vineyards under low-intervention, native-yeast practices. Comparable in craft scale, varietal focus, and DTC sales orientation.
• Arnot-Roberts: Sonoma-based small-production winery focused on vineyard-designate wines from cool, coastal California sites. Nearly identical go-to-market: tiny production, mailing list allocation, neo-classical/natural winemaking, and emphasis on terroir over branding.
• Matthiasson Wines: Napa/Sonoma small-production winery known for restrained, food-friendly wines and minimal-intervention techniques. Comparable in size, philosophy, and DTC-direct structure.
• Sandlands Wines: California producer of vineyard-designate wines from heritage sites, with a model built on minimal intervention and DTC relationships. Comparable in winemaking philosophy and reliance on old-vine and unusual-vineyard sources.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/desire-lines-wine-co.

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Desire Lines Wine