As part owner of the legendary Durell Vineyard in Sonoma Valley, Ellie Phipps Price launched Dunstan Wines in 2008 with her husband Chris Towt. Dunstan is the patron saint of blacksmiths who tricked the devil into making a promise to stay away, rendering the horseshoe a lucky charm. When Ellie and Chris were walking the vineyard and found a horseshoe etched with Dunstan, they knew they’d also found a winery name that would bring good fortune. Today, with the addition of Star Mooring Farm in the Willamette Valley, the Dunstan project is an expression of two distinct vineyards.

Ellie Phipps Price

With a demonstrated love of the land and its inhabitants, Ellie Phipps Price is a devoted equestrian who also founded Montgomery Creek Ranch and Preserve, a 2,000-acre ranch near Stonyford, California where more than 200 wild horses roam free. She is also the board president of the American Wild Horse Campaign.

Ellie purchased the Durell Vineyard in 1998 and has worked to make Durell’s farming practices sustainable with the land, water, and wildlife around the vineyard. She has made it her mission to preserve the flourishing quality of life nurtured by natural landscapes, whether for a galloping herd or a deeply rooted vineyard.