In 1880, a California pioneer by the name of Pierre Cornwall and his wife Sada hiked from Glenwood, a small Santa Cruz Mountain retreat, over the southern slope of Mt Roberta and looked out over a vast, rugged mountainside that stretched out under a redwood blanket until it vanished into the Monterey Bay. The acreage on and around Mt Roberta's southern slope had it all: a view of the bay, cooling fog, seclusion, and unmatched natural beauty. In 1881 they purchased the property and named it Heart O' The Mountain. According to county records, they paid $500 for the 85 acre parcel. By 1887, Mr. Cornwall had established the vineyard and Santa Sada winery on the property, where the family produced wine until prohibition.
In 1940 Heart O' The Mountain was purchased by renowned director Alfred Hitchcock. The Hitchcock family used the property as their second home, and entertained Hollywood's elite at the mountain estate.
In 1978, the Robert Brassfield family acquired the estate. The Brassfields have taken great care to preserve the historic estate much as it was during Hitchcock's era and before, so much so that it feels like a trip back in time. The Brassfields produced their own label on the estate for many years until Brandon Armitage and Armitage Wines took over winery and vineyard operations in 2014.