Entertainment
Fire Country Star Max Thieriot Transforms Sonoma County Ranch Into Family Vineyard Retreat
Actor Max Thieriot and his wife Lexi purchased a nearly 90-acre ranch in west Sonoma County, California, in 2013, and over the following decade the property has developed into a working vineyard and family retreat. Situated between Bodega and Occidental, the land lies close to where Thieriot spent his childhood.
According to Home Archives, the couple began planting a vineyard on the property in 2016, three years after acquiring it, working with winemaker Thomas Rivers Brown. Roughly nine acres are now planted with Pinot noir grapes under the label Bodega Thieriot, while the remainder of the land consists of hillsides, woodland and pasture. The ranch features mature oak and redwood trees, ocean views, and shares a fence line with the Occidental winery belonging to winemaker Steve Kistler. Details about the residence on the property, including its size and layout, have not been made public, and the purchase price was not disclosed.
Thieriot, now known for co-creating and starring in the CBS drama Fire Country, has deep ties to Sonoma County's wine country. He grew up on a different vineyard property in Occidental, which his parents, Cameron and Bridgit, bought in the 1980s. That roughly 12-acre property is planted with Pinot noir and Chardonnay, with grapes used for Senses Wines, a label Thieriot co-founded with childhood friends Christopher Strieter and Myles Lawrence-Briggs, whom he met in preschool.
Reflecting on his upbringing, Thieriot recalled spending his entire childhood on his parents' vineyard, including riding tractors alongside his father during farming work. His mother and sister continue to live in the area.
Sonoma County's history with wildfires, including major fires in 2017, 2019 and 2020, influenced Thieriot's creation of Fire Country. During the 2017 Tubbs and Nuns fires, he traveled from Los Angeles to help his mother evacuate horses and livestock from the family property.
Although Fire Country is set in Northern California, it is filmed in and around Vancouver, British Columbia. Thieriot noted that filming takes up about nine months annually, and that living nearer to the Vancouver set has shortened travel time compared to commuting from Washington state, where his family now spends much of the year.
Despite relocating, Thieriot maintains his connection to the Sonoma ranch, returning during breaks in production. "We're filming nine months of the year, but in the off-season I head back here," he said. He has also expressed a desire for his sons to grow up with the same connection to the land that shaped his own youth, hoping they experience "what it's like to have a vineyard outside their door."