(MSNBC) - Drawing a line in California's redwood forests, environmental groups on Thursday sued to block a winery from building on 173 acres, and sent a message to developers of an even larger, nearby 1,600-acre proposed project. The smaller battle is over Artesa Winery's plan to grow pinot noir grapes near Annapolis in Sonoma County. The lawsuit targets California's Department of Forestry -- not Artesa -- and argues that in approving the project it failed to consider the environmental impacts of converting forested areas to an open vineyard. Artesa did not immediately respond to a request for comment, but notes on its website that only a few old-growth redwoods are still on the property, which had been a sheep and apple farm.