Three Sticks Wines

Bill Price III grew up in Hawaii, where his surfer friends called him Billy Three Sticks, a reference to the Roman numeral that follows his name; the nickname inspired the winery's name. In 1992 Price co-founded the private equity firm Texas Pacific Group (TPG), and TPG's 1995 purchase of Beringer Vineyards was his introduction to the wine business. Price bought the Durell Vineyard property and in 2002 made the first Three Sticks wine, a pinot noir, from it. In 2007 he sold his share of TPG back to his partners. Prema Kerollis, who began working with Price at TPG in 2000, is co-founder and president. Price is proprietor of Price Family Vineyards & Estates, which includes the ownership and management of the six estate vineyards behind Three Sticks.

• Name from Bill Price III's surfing nickname, Billy Three Sticks, referencing the Roman numeral that follows his name
• Price co-founded Texas Pacific Group in 1992 and sold his share back to his partners in 2007
• First Three Sticks wine, a pinot noir, made from the Durell Vineyard in 2002
• Prema Kerollis, co-founder and president, began working with Price at Texas Pacific Group in 2000

Bill Price III is proprietor, Prema Kerollis is co-founder and president, Ryan Prichard is director of winemaking, Rob Harris is vice president of vineyards, Colette Fay Simpson is vice president of Three Sticks, and Jeremy Sedaka is associate winemaker. Bob Cabral joined Three Sticks as director of winemaking in January 2015 after 17 years at Williams Selyem, and Ryan Prichard arrived in the cellar the same week. On February 13, 2023, Three Sticks announced that Prichard was formally succeeding Cabral as director of winemaking; Cabral had moved into an advisory role over the preceding few years. Before Three Sticks, Prichard worked at Williams Selyem, Copain Custom Crush, and Medlock Ames. Rob Harris was brought on in 2009 to direct farming at Durell and help create the portfolio of vineyards that now make up Price Family Vineyards and Estates.

• Ryan Prichard: director of winemaking, formally succeeding Bob Cabral in February 2023; with Three Sticks since 2015
• Bob Cabral: director of winemaking from January 2015, after 17 years at Williams Selyem
• Rob Harris: vice president of vineyards, brought on in 2009 to direct farming at Durell
• Jeremy Sedaka: associate winemaker

Three Sticks is 100 percent estate: it owns, farms, and produces every grape that becomes its wines. Its six vineyards are grouped in two tiers: the Heritage vineyards Durell, Gap's Crown, and Walala, and the Monopole vineyards Alana, One Sky, and William James, smaller sites organically farmed exclusively for Three Sticks. Durell, on the western edge of the town of Sonoma, spans the Sonoma Valley, Sonoma Coast, and Carneros AVAs and is the birthplace of Three Sticks Wines; it has 134.5 planted acres, including 68.96 acres of pinot noir and 60.69 acres of chardonnay. Price acquired the 406-acre Gap's Crown Vineyard, on the western slope of Sonoma Mountain in the Petaluma Gap, in late 2012; originally developed by Premier Pacific Vineyards, it was first planted between 2002 and 2005 and now has 132.71 planted acres. Walala, the most northern site, lies six miles from the Pacific Ocean with 17.2 acres of pinot noir on Laughlin loam; originally developed by the Conservation Fund, it found new stewards in Bill Price and Rob Harris in 2015. Alana, in the Green Valley of Russian River Valley, was purchased in 2008, planted in 2010, and named after Price's youngest daughter; it was the first vineyard designed and built from the ground up exclusively for Three Sticks. One Sky, on Sonoma Mountain, is the largest Monopole vineyard and was designed to house only pinot noir and chardonnay. William James, three miles west of Sebastopol, was purchased by Price in 2011, named after his son James, and planted with 7 acres in 2013. As of December 2023, all Price Family Vineyards and Estates properties held long-time certifications with the California Sustainable Winegrowing Alliance and Fish Friendly Farming.

• Heritage: Durell (Sonoma Coast, Sonoma Valley, Carneros), Gap's Crown (Petaluma Gap, Sonoma Coast), Walala (West Sonoma Coast)
• Monopole: Alana and William James (Green Valley of Russian River Valley) and One Sky (Sonoma Mountain), organically farmed exclusively for Three Sticks
• Planted acres: Durell 134.5, Gap's Crown 132.71, Walala 17.2, One Sky 10.88, William James 6.52, Alana 5.53
• Elevations: One Sky 1,150 to 1,470 feet, Walala 1,160 to 1,190 feet, Gap's Crown 310 to 840 feet

The Heritage wines include Durell Vineyard Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Pinot Blanc, the Origin Chardonnay from Durell, Gap's Crown Vineyard Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, Gap's Pinnacle Pinot Noir, and Walala Vineyard Pinot Noir. The Monopole wines are Alana Vineyard Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, One Sky Vineyard Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, and William James Vineyard Pinot Noir. Cuvée Eva Marie, the Icon Collection pinot noir, is made from the most extraordinary barrels of each vintage across the six estate vineyards and named in homage to Price's wife, Eva. The Price Family Estates Pinot Noir is a blend of the estate vineyards; the 2023 bottling, a blend from all six, won Pinot Noir of the Year and Best Wine by Quality at the 2025 USA Wine Ratings with 96 points and a Double Gold. The Casteñada wines are field-blended Rhône varietals, including a Casteñada Red from the Durell Vineyard.

• Heritage: single-vineyard wines from Durell, Gap's Crown, and Walala, plus Origin Chardonnay and Gap's Pinnacle Pinot Noir
• Monopole: Alana, One Sky, and William James single-vineyard wines
• Icon Collection: Cuvée Eva Marie pinot noir, from barrels across all six estate vineyards
• 2023 Price Family Estates Pinot Noir: Pinot Noir of the Year and Best Wine by Quality at the 2025 USA Wine Ratings

Director of winemaking Ryan Prichard views winemaking as balancing contrasts: "You must be precise yet flexible, spontaneous yet by-design," he says, and "I strive to create wines for immediate gratification that will also stand the test of time." Bob Cabral instilled a philosophy of sourcing and farming the best fruit possible with minimal intervention in the cellar. The winery calls its Gap's Crown chardonnays "More Chablis-like in texture and flavor profile" and its Gap's Crown pinot noirs some of the most dense and intense wines in the Three Sticks lineup. The Press Democrat summarized the Three Sticks approach as estate farming and restrained polish in the cellar.

• Prichard: "I strive to create wines for immediate gratification that will also stand the test of time."
• Cabral instilled a philosophy of minimal intervention in the cellar
• The Press Democrat: estate farming and restrained polish in the cellar

Three Sticks hosts tastings by reservation at the Vallejo-Casteñada Adobe at 143 West Spain in Sonoma, built in 1842 by Captain Salvador Vallejo, brother of General Mariano Vallejo. Bill and Eva Price purchased the Adobe from Robert and Leslie Demler for Three Sticks in November 2012, and after two years of archaeological digs and preservation it opened to guests in 2014. Designer Ken Fulk reinvented the interior. Experiences are limited to 6 guests per party.

• Built in 1842 by Captain Salvador Vallejo; purchased by Bill and Eva Price for Three Sticks in November 2012
• Opened to guests in 2014 after two years of archaeological digs and preservation
• Interiors by designer Ken Fulk; tastings by reservation, up to 6 guests per party

Primary sources (producer's own site): https://threestickswines.com/, https://threestickswines.com/team/, https://threestickswines.com/vineyards/, https://threestickswines.com/vineyard/durell/, https://threestickswines.com/vineyard/gaps-crown/, https://threestickswines.com/vineyard/walala/, https://threestickswines.com/vineyard/alana/, https://threestickswines.com/vineyard/one-sky/, https://threestickswines.com/vineyard/william-james/, https://threestickswines.com/credo/, https://threestickswines.com/the-adobe/, https://threestickswines.com/heritage-wines/, https://threestickswines.com/monopole-wines/, https://threestickswines.com/icon-wines/, https://threestickswines.com/castenada-wines/, https://threestickswines.com/price-family-estates-pinot-noir/, https://threestickswines.com/people/bill-price/, https://threestickswines.com/people/ryan-prichard/, https://threestickswines.com/farming2023/, https://threestickswines.com/the-icon-collection-cuvee-eva-marie/, https://threestickswines.com/the-vallejo-castenada-adobe-home/, https://threestickswines.com/ryan-prichard-director-of-winemaking/, https://threestickswines.com/bob-cabral-three-sticks-director-of-winemaking/, https://threestickswines.com/people/prema-kerollis/. Secondary sources: The Press Democrat (August 26, 2025; February 2, 2023). Where the producer's site and a secondary source disagree, the producer's site governs. Last verified 2026-10-12