IN ITS OWN WAY, ONE OF THE MOST EXCITING VINEYARDS IN CALIFORNIA
In 2017 we seized an exciting opportunity to resurrect our long-gone estate vineyard. This wasn’t just planting any vineyard, though; this was an opportunity to change the future of viticulture in California. Thanks to new grape varietals bred by Dr. Andy Walker at UC Davis, we have a new vineyard that can be organically farmed and remain bulletproof against Pierce's Disease. We were graciously offered cuttings of these vines to trial at the Tolmach’s ranch, and we planted them in August of 2017. There are four varietals—two white and two red—filling out 1.2 acres. That might not sound like much to work with, but the vines are densely planted at 5.5’x5’ and they’re super vigorous, so we have zero complaints about yield (and we thin the yields considerably).
Estate “Home Ranch”
IN ITS OWN WAY, ONE OF THE MOST EXCITING VINEYARDS IN CALIFORNIA
Estate “Home Ranch” Vineyard
APPELATION: Ventura County SOILS: Ojai very fine sandy loam ASPECT: South-Southeast facing VINE AGE: Planted in 2017 FARMING: Organic (non-certified)
In 2017 we seized an exciting opportunity to resurrect our long-gone estate vineyard. This wasn’t just planting any vineyard, though; this was an opportunity to change the future of viticulture in California.
Just down the hill from where we make wine at the Tolmach’s ranch in Oak View, there used to be five acres of Syrah and Sauvignon Blanc that Adam planted in 1981. That vineyard looked beautiful until 1985, when the first signs of Pierce’s Disease began to show. It progressed steadily throughout the vineyard, scorching the leaves and blackening the canes, until all the vines were removed in 1995.
Pierce’s Disease is primarily spread by a flying insect called a sharpshooter, which spreads a bacterium that kills vines within a few years. Back when our vineyard succumbed, we were only dealing with sharpshooters native to California—the blue-green and the green—which are problematic enough. By 1994 (just before our first crop at Roll Ranch), a new and most unwelcome type of sharpshooter from the Southeast was identified and spreading in California—the glassy-winged sharpshooter—and all the ag experts sounded alarms that Pierce’s Disease was about to become a lot more challenging. It did.
For years it didn’t make any sense for us to replant. Now, thanks to new grape varietals bred by Dr. Andy Walker at UC Davis, we have a new vineyard that can be organically farmed and remain bulletproof against PD. We were graciously offered cuttings of these vines to trial at the Tolmach’s ranch, and we planted them in August of 2017. There are four varietals—two white and two red—filling out 1.2 acres. That might not sound like much to work with, but the vines are densely planted at 5.5’x5’ and they’re super vigorous, so we have zero complaints about yield (and we thin the yields considerably).
There is a lot more information about this vineyard and the grapes that we planted in this blog post, check it out!
Camp 4 is a great home for Mediterranean grape varietals. This vineyard has provided the Carignane component of our rosé since 2015. We just started making the Vermentino in 2020, and we're completely enamoured with our first two releaeses. It's just west of the Happy Canyon area, within the sunny interior of the Santa Ynez Valley.
Camp 4
SUNNY CLIMES FOR SOUTHERN GRAPES
CAMP 4 VINEYARD
APPELATION: Santa Ynez Valley SOILS: Positas fine sandy loam ASPECT: West facing VINE AGE: Planted in 1999 FARMING: Sustainable
Camp 4 is a great home for Mediterranean grape varietals. This vineyard has provided the Carignane component of our rosé since 2015. We just started making the Vermentino in 2020, and we’re completely enamoured with our first two releaeses. Camp 4 is just west of the Happy Canyon area, within the sunny interior of the Santa Ynez Valley. The vineyard was planted by the late Fess Parker in 1999. It consists of 256 acres of vines spread across gently rolling terrain, with beautiful valley oaks dotted throughout. Today the vineyard is owned by the Santa Ynez Chumash tribe, which purchased the property back in 2010. Though it can be quite warm in this locale, the mushrooming hot air further inland pulls the cooler ocean air over this area during the evening. The vines express the sunshine of the area while maintaining freshness and mineral cut.
SHAPELY AND SCULPTED CHARDONNAY FROM THE SANTA MARIA VALLEY
Rancho Ontiveros is another cool, windswept site in the Santa Maria Valley. It’s roughly two miles inland from Presqu’ile, nestled amongst gently rolling hills in the southern pocket of the valley. The higher elevation (over 700’) makes this vineyard especially raked by coastal wind. The vines are challenged by the soil, too—the Garey series is a deep, well-drained sandy loam (Garey series) that provides little in the way of nutrients.
Rancho Ontiveros
SHAPELY AND SCULPTED CHARDONNAY FROM THE SANTA MARIA VALLEY
RANCHO ONTIVEROS
APPELATION: Santa Maria Valley SOILS: Garey sandy loam ASPECT: South facing VINE AGE: planted in 2000 FARMING: Sustainable
Rancho Ontiveros is another cool, windswept site in the Santa Maria Valley. It’s roughly two miles inland from Presqu’ile, nestled amongst gently rolling hills in the southern pocket of the valley. At over 700′, the higher elevation makes this vineyard especially raked by coastal wind. The vines are challenged by the soil, too—the Garey series is a deep, well-drained sandy loam that provides little in the way of nutrients.
In 2021, we were looking to add another Chardonnay to our repertoire, but something that would be different. The Rancho Ontiveros fruit came up as a possibility, but it was the Wente clone of Chardonnay. Adam sort of avoided that clone over the years—it’s a richer clone that’s responsible for a lot of thick, tropical California Chardonnay. But grown on poor soils in the cool Santa Maria Valley and harvested relatively early—that could be a different thing, Adam thought.
To keep the wine well within the Ojai style, we approached the fruit a bit differently. We stuck to our regime of fermenting the wine in French oak barrels, but in this case, once the wine was dry we transferred it to stainless steel tanks to age on its lees until bottling. The idea was that aging in tank would preserve freshness and prevent the wine from teetering too far into richness. We were so happy with the results of the first bottling that we’ll carry forward with that approach in the coming years. The wine drinks like excellent Macon with its corseted sense of curvature and mineral buoyance—very Chardonnay, and very delicious.
Roll Ranch is located under the dramatic striated bluffs of Topa Topa mountain in Upper Ojai, and the roots of our vines there plunge deep into poor rocky soil that was once part of those bluffs. It’s a warm generous climate and the wines from this site are gutsy. So, over the years we’ve tinkered in the vineyard and the cellar to temper some of that opulence. And these days we’re finding no shortage of flavor when harvesting a bit earlier. The wines are better for it actually. They are fresher with more cut and intricacy than ever.
Roll Ranch
EXUBERANCE & RICHNESS FROM THE OJAI VALLEY
ROLL RANCH
APPELATION: Ventura County SOILS: Ojai clay loam ASPECT: mixed VINE AGE: planted in 1992 FARMING: Conventional
Our history with Roll Ranch goes back to 1992, when Suzanne and Richard Roll’s ranch manager Larry Finkle approached me for advice about planting a vineyard at their place in Upper Ojai. Suzanne was just launching her eponymous restaurant in downtown Ojai, and they had the momentum to get several acres under vine too. They wanted to plant some Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon because, well, that’s what most people wanted to plant. I told them Syrah and Viognier would be better choices for our climate, and so Richard bought a bottle of Guigal’s famous Coté Rotie called La Moline, which is made from Syrah and a dollop of Viognier in the northern Rhone. He tried the wine and thought if I could make something like that it would be okay, so we planted five acres of Syrah and two of Viognier (all own-rooted) and harvested the first crop in 1995.
What’s unusual and consistent over the years with Roll Ranch is that the fruit there retains acidity remarkably well for a warm climate vineyard. Warm sites tend to give grapes with lots of sugar and too little acidity, which often means overstuffed and sweet flavored wines. I’m not sure if there’s some soil voodoo to thank, or the magical abilities of vineyard manager Martin Ramirez (who planted Roll Ranch with Larry and has farmed it since), but some combination of factors has contributed to what seems to be an inherent balance to this site.
No doubt though, there used to be a real Californian exuberance to Roll Ranch wines. In the early years, many Roll Ranch Syrahs were big bruisers with over 15% alcohol, and the Viognier was often so unctuously ripe that I would only make dessert wine with it. After a while I felt the over-ripeness presented a problem: our wines from the Ojai Valley were so saturating you would only want to drink them on cold rainy winter nights, and we rarely have them in our warm climate.
So, over the years we’ve tinkered in the vineyard and the cellar to temper some of that opulence. We’re fermenting the Syrah fundamentally differently than our cool climate sites now. And these days we’re finding no shortage of flavor when harvesting a bit earlier. The wines are better for it actually (when a wine has so much to say it does not need to yell). They are fresher with more cut and intricacy than ever. Making wine from Roll Ranch has been a 20-year evolution; learning to listen to what a vineyard has to say and trying to capture its spirit is a slow process.
Planted out in the Northwest corner of the Sta Rita Hills, Kessler-Haak is right next door to Clos Pepe vineyard, which we worked with from 1999-2008. This patch of the appellation, which is cool and dominated by sandy loam soils, produces pinot noir that is vibrantly fruity and high acid. Assuming a similar profile to Clos Pepe, I imagined that Kessler Haak could be a great site to toy with some hefty stem inclusion.
It wasn’t until recently, when some of my younger staff at the winery starting talking a lot about stem inclusion, that I decided to reexamine the idea. The trick with stems is that they impart a lot of potassium into the wine, which can raise the pH and cause an unwanted flabbiness. The other issue is that some wines are improved by stem inclusion, while others are ruined—and this all depends on the vineyard site and the maturity of the stems. I’ve begun using subtle amounts of stem inclusion in many wines lately, but I first toyed with using a lot of whole-clusters in our 2013 carbonic pinot noir from Bien Nacido’s iconic clone 22 fruit in T Block. It was a brash success, but I had ideas about how to better employ the technique. I needed a site that gave an especially tart pinot noir that needed a bit of greenery to balance out the fruit.
By coincidence, it came up that my son’s drum teacher’s father-in-law owns Kessler-Haak Vineyard in the Sta Rita Hills. Planted out in the Northwest corner of the Sta Rita Hills, Kessler-Haak is right next door to Clos Pepe vineyard, which we worked with from 1999-2008. This patch of the appellation, which is cool and dominated by sandy loam soils, produces pinot noir that is vibrantly fruity and high acid.
Assuming a similar profile to Clos Pepe, I imagined that Kessler Haak could be a great site to toy with some hefty stem inclusion. So in 2014 we did an experiment, fermenting half the Kessler Haak fruit carbonically (whole cluster and not punched down) and the other half destemmed. The results were startling. The whole cluster wine was softer in acidity, pleasantly pucker-y with tannins and generally quite herbal. The destemmed lot was zippy, fresh, fruity, but a little too straightforward and simple. Blended together the wine was sublime, and people loved it and it sold out quickly!
I’m super excited about working with Kessler Haak, the wines are proving to be dramatic and delicious, plus it’s been a pleasure to work with Dan Kessler, he’s so willing to adapt to my ideas in vineyard care.
Fe Ciega has been dear to Adam’s heart for years, so he leapt at the opportunity to purchase the property at the beginning of 2021. He’d been producing Fe Ciega Pinot Noir since 2003, when his fellow winemaker friend, Rick Longoria (of Longoria Wines), offered Adam some of the fruit. Fe Ciega provides a wild and distinct personality; it’s so well situated for growing profound Pinot Noir.
Fe Ciega
NOW OJAI’S ESTATE-OWNED SITE FOR PINOT NOIR
FE CIEGA VINEYARD
APPELATION: Sta. Rita Hills SOILS: Tierra loam ASPECT: South facing VINE AGE: Planted in 1998 FARMING: Organic (non-certified)
Fe Ciega has been dear to Adam’s heart for years, so he leapt at the opportunity to purchase the property at the beginning of 2021. He’d been producing Fe Ciega Pinot Noir since 2003, when his fellow winemaker friend, Rick Longoria (of Longoria Wines), offered Adam some of the fruit. Rick had planted the vineyard back in 1998, initially calling it Blind Faith (from rock music came). But because the name was already copyrighted, Rick chose the Spanish translation: Fe Ciega.
Fe Ciega provides a wild and distinct personality; it’s so well situated for growing profound Pinot Noir. Located out on the western end of Sta. Rita Hills, it’s just west and across that Santa Ynez River from the seminal vineyard of the appellation, Sanford & Benedict. The vines are planted on a south-sloped mesa that elevates the vineyard just above and next to the western bends of the Santa Ynez River. That riverbed ferries cool Pacific breezes and fog over the area, buffering the southerly exposure and latitude of the vineyard. The soils are a clay loam called the Tierra series, which lays over a fractured shale and sandstone base.
Coupled with the mild climate, those soils lend a savory complexity to Pinot Noir—though it’s packed with fruit, it’s too deeply earthy to call the wine a “fruity” Pinot. There’s an appealing sense of spice, musk, and iron—some sauvage, if you will—balanced with silky fruit, framboise, and flowers. The abundance of character comes in tandem with an abundance of caution toward not picking the grapes too ripe, or extracting them too intensely. Adam learned early on that Fe Ciega can be a beast of Pinot. Done right though, there’s a fine balance of power and elegance.
Currently there are eight acres of Pinot Noir, comprised of four different clones. There are the heritage clones, Pommard and Mt. Eden, along with two Dijon selections, 115 and 667. In 2022, we’re planting some small blocks of Chardonnay and Syrah, and there’s a tiny section down by the river bottom where we’re trialing some Paseante Noir, the UC Davis varietal bred for Pierce’s Disease resistance. We’ve converted the vineyard to strictly organic farming, and are building the soil to enhance the vineyard’s resilience to drought. It’s all painfully expensive work, but Adam is excited as can be about everything the future holds for Fe Ciega.
Looking Southwest over the Fe Ciega mesa, with Sanford’s vineyards in the distance.
Bien Nacido Vineyard was planted by the Miller family in 1973, amidst the first wave of Santa Barbara County vineyard plantings, out in the eastern part of Santa Maria Valley where the foothills rise out of the coastal flood plain.
Bien Nacido
Our oldest vines. Iconic american vineyard.
BIEN NACIDO VINEYARD
APPELATION: Santa Maria Valley SOILS: Los Osos clay loam (Syrah), Elder loam (Chardonnay) ASPECT: Southwest VINE AGE: Syrah planted 1992 (Z-block), Chardonnay planted 1973 and 2005 (I-block, interplanted) FARMING: Organic (non-certified) for Syrah, Sustainable for Chardonnay
Bien Nacido Vineyard was planted by the Miller family in 1973, amidst the first wave of Santa Barbara County vineyard plantings, out in the eastern part of Santa Maria Valley where the foothills rise out of the coastal flood plain. It’s a site with an impeccable climate for gently ripening both Rhone and Burgundian varietals, graced both by warm sun and cool, fog laced ocean breezes. And there’s an array of great soil types for winemaking.
I’ve been working with this site since 1988, sourcing chardonnay, pinot noir, syrah, and most recently, roussanne. Our grapes are purchased not through tonnage contracts, where you get what has been grown for you, but instead through more hands-on long-term acreage contracts, which allow us to farm the fruit to our liking and maintain the same rows from year to year (or decade to decade, as is the case at Bien Nacido). Because of this we’ve become intimately acquainted with our blocks and have figured out how to get intensely flavored fruit at relatively moderate levels of sugar ripeness. While talented vineyard manager Chris Hammell probably needs no advice, he has been very patient and diligent with accommodating my exacting requests.
Profound Syrah from the most coastal pocket of Santa Maria Valley
Solomon Hills Vineyard is the most coastal vineyard up in cool foggy Santa Maria Valley. It’s also the sister vineyard to Bien Nacido, so it too is farmed with same doting attention to detail. The site consists of a series of gently rolling hills of sand next to Highway 101, at the western edge of the appellation.
Solomon Hills
Profound Syrah from the most coastal pocket of Santa Maria Valley
SOLOMON HILLS
APPELATION: Santa Maria Valley SOILS: Marina sand ASPECT: flat VINE AGE: planted in 2005 FARMING: Sustainable
Solomon Hills Vineyard is the most coastal vineyard up in cool foggy Santa Maria Valley. It’s also the sister vineyard to Bien Nacido, so it too is farmed with same doting attention to detail. The site consists of a series of gently rolling hills of sand next to Highway 101, at the western edge of the appellation. Being so close to the ocean, Solomon Hills is exceptionally cool and foggy in a region where that is the norm (the Miller family also grows blueberries here, which might give you an idea of the climate).
The marginal weather and the extremely poor sandy soils make low yields and intense fruit the name of the game. When the vines are flowering in spring the weather is often moist and cool, which makes it difficult to get good fruit set. And being planted on nutrient-poor sand means the berries and clusters stay quite small, which is great for making wines with vibrancy and character.
We made many Chardonnays and Pinot Noirs here over many years. These days we just have Syrah at Solomon Hills, from a teensy half-acre block that was planted as an experiment to see if Syrah would even ripen in this super-coastal enviornment. It does, with a haunting earthy complexity and profound savoriness. We usually can only make two barrels of this wine, four in a great year, and it’s consistently outstanding. It has been in featured in multiple editions of Karen MacNeil’s The Wine Bible.
SEABREEZE SCOURED RIESLING GROWN ON ANCIENT SEABED SOILS
Kick On Ranch is a few miles West of Los Alamos, getting close to the ocean and Vandenberg Air Force Base. This vineyard is home to our Riesling. It’s located in a narrow East-West corridor that funnels the Pacific Westerlies inland, so the wind is near constant and you get goosebumps even when visiting the vineyard in summertime. The wind and fog challenge the vines, and the poor sandy soils temper vine vigor. Our Riesling is always our last white fruit to ripen (generally in October). So much abuse and deprivation seems like a bad thing, but it’s exactly what provides the intense character and fine balance that you’ll find in our dry Riesling.
Kick On
SEABREEZE SCOURED RIESLING GROWN ON ANCIENT SEABED SOILS
KICK ON RANCH
APPELATION: Santa Barbara County SOILS: Arnold sand and Betteravia sandy loam ASPECT: flat and mixed gentle slopes FARMING: Organic (non-certified)
Kick On Ranch is a few miles West of Los Alamos, getting close to the ocean and Vandenberg Air Force Base. This vineyard is home to our Riesling. It’s located in a narrow East-West corridor that funnels the Pacific Westerlies inland, so the wind is near constant and you get goosebumps even when visiting the vineyard in summertime.
The wind and fog challenge the vines, and the poor sandy soils temper vine vigor. Our Riesling is always our last white fruit to ripen (generally in October). So much abuse and deprivation seems like a bad thing, but it’s exactly what provides the intense character and fine balance that you’ll find in our dry Riesling.
The ranch was used once used only for cattle grazing before being planted to vines. This vineyard was planted in 1991 by Bob Stevens to Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Some are on rootstock, some on their own roots. Steve Lyons bought the vineyard in 2007 and expanded the acreage by one third to 108 acres. Now it has Chardonnay, Riesling, Pinot Noir and a new planting of Gruner Veltliner.
The soils here are marine-based, generally very sandy loams resting above deep beds of gravelly alluvial deposits. Along with the wine and fog, these poor soils stress the vines, resulting in grapes of greater flavor and concentration.
Puerta del Mar is our coldest vineyard. It’s a small and relatively new planting that’s way out by Lompoc—a stone’s throw east of Highway 1—actually West of the already chilly Sta. Rita Hills. There are six level acres, evenly split between Dijon clones of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.
Puerta del Mar
COASTAL CHARDONNAY & PINOT NOIR
PUERTA DEL MAR
APPELATION: Santa Barbara County SOILS: Mocho loam ASPECT: flat VINE AGE: planted in 2007 FARMING: Organic (non-certified)
Puerta del Mar is our coldest vineyard. It’s a small and relatively new planting that’s way out by Lompoc—a stone’s throw east of Highway 1—actually West of the already chilly Sta. Rita Hills. There are six level acres, evenly split between Dijon clones of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. And If I were to win the lottery and plant a vineyard myself again, this is exactly how it would be: densely planted (3 by 5.5 feet) vines trained to a narrow vertical trellis, in a site scoured by cool ocean air.
It was planted in 2007 as an investment property by CalPERS, the state employee retirement system. I’m not sure I’d have made the investment, seeing as when the boundaries of SRH were agreed on it was thought that land this far west would be too cold to ripen grapes. But call it ignorance or a changing climate—the nay-sayers were wrong, because the wine has proved it was a fabulous good gamble! Today the site is owned by the folks at Jonata, but we’re still the only winery that gets this fruit. And it’s well farmed thanks to Ruben Solorzano, who farms our John Sebastiano Vineyard fruit and many other top Santa Barbara County sites, and consistently produces exceptional results.
One might look at a map and guess this spot to be freakishly coastal, the kind of place from which only a quirky and sinewy wine might be possible. But the vineyard also sits within a bowl-shaped depression, a little dimple of the earth that opens toward the final meandering S-bends of the Santa Ynez River. This protects the vines from what would be a relentless attack of cold westerly winds, and allows for some exuberance to develop in the fruit. Still, it’s our coolest vineyard. On a day that’s warm in almost every other vineyard in Santa Barbara County, Puerta del Mar is temperate and breezy. The soils reflect the site’s placement between the Santa Ynez River and Salsipuedes Creek: some clay with lots of rocky alluvial river wash and chunky bits of white shale.
We’ve released more than ten bottlings from Puerta del Mar now, and each has strikingly different profile. Part of why I love cool-climate sites is the vivid expression of vintage that comes with them. What’s consistent year to year is an enticing and exotic spiciness lurking in both the Pinot and Chardonnay—discrete puffs of crushed cardamom pop up among other layers. There’s also a consistent fineness and subtlety to these wines, which I attribute to the ocean’s ever-present influence.
There’s much about Duvarita Vineyard that is unconventional. Probably foremost is the farming, where biodynamic practices are employed. This method—basically a mystic’s mash-up of organic farming, astrology, homeopathy, and Wiccan principles—produces fruit that is often compelling and highly expressive of terroir.
Duravita
BIODYNAMIC & SUPER COOL-CLIMATE SYRAH
DUVARITA VINEYARD
APPELATION: Santa Barbara County SOILS: Marina sand ASPECT: South facing VINE AGE: planted in 2000 FARMING: Certified Biodynamic
There’s much about Duvarita Vineyard that is unconventional. Probably foremost is the farming, where biodynamic practices are employed. This method—basically a mystic’s mash-up of organic farming, astrology, homeopathy, and Wiccan principles—produces fruit that is often compelling and highly expressive of terroir. We’ve found this true every year with our Presidio syrahs (the vineyard’s former name), which come from grapes doted upon to the exacting standards of certified biodynamics. We’re not sure whether to attribute credit to the unseen “elemental beings” that coax the grapes toward ripeness, or simply the fact that so much more time is spent paying attention in the vineyard when farming this way.
In any case, we have always been fascinated by the wines we’ve made from this vineyard, which—biodynamics aside—is odd in that it’s a decidedly marginal location for syrah vines. Duvarita is way out near Lompoc, even further west than the already windy and chilly Sta. Rita Hills! It was planted in 2000, just as the boundaries of that venerable AVA were being established. At that time, it was considered a gamble whether grapes would ripen any closer to the coast, so neither Duvarita’s nor Puerta Del Mar Vineyard’s locations were included in the Sta. Rita Hills appellation.
Granted, it is a struggle to ripen syrah here. The gentle southerly slope provides some reprieve, but the fruiting zone of the trellising has to be low—partly to protect the vines from the relentless wind, and partly to capture some radiant heat and light from the poor sandy soil. We admire the throw-caution-to-the-wind spirit of plantings like Duvarita. We also find these marginal locations provide a more vivid and unique expression of vintage (when compared to warm-climate sites). That said, what’s consistent with this wine is its voluminous intensity, which was not expected from such a cool climate spot. It showcases elegant power and savory depth coupled with high-toned acidity, and has all the bones to age well over a decade.
Martin Ramirez planted Barbera clone 6 for me in this relatively new vineyard in Upper Ojai. 2014 was the first crop for the Barbera and it was obvious from the start that this varietal was a great match for this warm climate spot.
Rich
Barbera lovingly grown in the Ojai Valley
RICH VINEYARD
APPELATION: Ventura County SOILS: Mocho loam ASPECT: flat VINE AGE: planted in 2012 FARMING: Conventional
Martin Ramirez planted Barbera clone 6 for me in this relatively new vineyard in Upper Ojai. 2014 was the first crop for the Barbera and it was obvious from the start that this varietal was a great match for this warm climate spot. The vines are planted on a flat acre of alluvial loam and are bathed in warm sunshine. It’s a different world entirely from the alpine foothills of Piedmonte, Italy, where the Barbera grape originates. But that’s a-okay as far as growing Barbera here, because this durable grape has a special radiance of its own in California.
Barbera is actually uniquely terrific for warm growing regions. Whereas most grapes have winemakers nervous about losing too much acidity near harvest, with Barbera you wait and wait for the pH to rise into a realm where the wine won’t tear the enamel off your teeth. Some people let the vine ripen into that realm (picking at 28 brix) and water the must back, others mix chalk into the wine to raise its pH, whereas we lean on the utility of whole-clusters to help temper the acidity.
Stems decrease acidity, so with a majority whole-cluster fermentation the peaks and valleys in this high-acid red aren’t so severe. There’s lots of carbonic effect, too, with that candied aromatic lift augmenting this varietal’s fruity character, while botanical aromatics from the stems complicate the fruit. Expect effusive dark cherry, pomegranate and blood orange flavors, with a fine gauze of herby stem tannins. There’s still plenty of twang, but in a smoother, more rolling way.
I’ve been making sauvignon blanc from McGinley Vineyard since 1998 (back when it was called Westerly) and we’ve farmed the same two little blocks since. The site provides an exceptionally gorgeous example of the varietal, thanks largely to soils that would be abysmal for just about any other crop. In some sections the topsoil is as shallow as a foot and a half, with serpentine rock and fractured shale hardpan underneath.
McGinley
The Original Sauvignon Blanc since 1998
McGINLEY VINEYARD
APPELATION: Santa Ynez Valley SOILS: Santa Ynez clay loam over serpentine bedrock ASPECT: South and West facing FARMING: Organic (non-certified)
Sauvignon blanc has been dear to my heart since my start as a winemaker. When I was studying at UC Davis in the mid 70s I’d often make a jaunt to Berkeley to browse the shelves at Kermit Lynch Wine Merchant, and I’d often bring home northern Rhone syrahs and Loire sauvignon blancs to reflect on. Those bottles made indelible impressions during those formative years. So, a few years later when I planted my first vineyard in Ojai, I chose to plant syrah and sauvignon blanc.
I’ve been making sauvignon blanc from McGinley Vineyard since 1998 (back when it was called Westerly) and we’ve farmed the same two little blocks since. The site provides an exceptionally gorgeous example of the varietal, thanks largely to soils that would be abysmal for just about any other crop. In some sections the topsoil is as shallow as a foot and a half, with serpentine rock and fractured shale underneath. The wines from these poor soils are amazingly flavorful because the vines sense the scarcity of resources and, fearing death, direct all their energy toward maturing fruit rather than growing leaves.
I’ve been lucky to have connected with so many people who love our sauvignon blanc’s unique style. It’s a dazzling drink to pair with fresh cuisine—the folks at Chez Panisse have offered it on their wine list for years—I love it with oysters, or some good bread and goat cheese. As for aging, I begin to like our sauvignon blanc after a couple of years in bottle, though they hit a decade of age in fine form.
White Hawk vineyard produced its first crop in 2000 and the wine we made from those grapes was so bizarre that I chose to blend it into our Santa Barbara County bottling. The unusualness of its expression of syrah scared me that year, but I began to understand it a bit better by 2001 when we begun bottling it as a single vineyard wine.
White Hawk
Syrah & the brilliant newcomer: Sangiovese
White Hawk vineyard produced its first crop in 2000 and the wine we made from those grapes was so bizarre that I chose to blend it into our Santa Barbara County bottling. The unusualness of its expression of syrah scared me that year, but I began to understand it a bit better by 2001 when we begun bottling it as a single vineyard wine. What I didn’t understand at the time was that great vineyards have large personalities and nobody has ever made a great wine from a vineyard that is pleasant and innocuous. This was an important lesson to learn, and it has been great fun to see White Hawk’s fascinating iodine and seaweed aromatics express themselves through the vintages.
The vineyard is planted on hillsides of pure sand in Cat Canyon near Los Alamos, California. The Syrah vines struggle to survive, since sand can hold neither nutrients nor water well. The production is absurdly low, making them some our most expensive grapes. The wine that’s made from this spot is as unique as the vineyard looks. There is an intense but lovely red berry fruit character followed by an intriguing seaweed-iodine spiciness–this aromatic association perhaps because the soil here is an ancient seabed. In any case, it’s quite unique. The tannins are copious, but super fine textured. The climate is just cool enough that we never have to worry about the acidity level of the grapes, there is always a zesty tang that keeps this wine lively.
John Sebastiano Vineyard was planted in 2007 and produced its first crop in 2010. It is located on the northeastern edge of the Sta. Rita Hills appellation way up in the hills so it catches the ferocious winds that come in from the ocean at Vandenberg Air Force Base. The vines were planted on steep southern slopes and the soil has quite a bit of clay with some shale-y bits that pop through here and there. The vines struggle to develop a full canopy of leaves and the fruit ripens late in October or early November.
John Sebastiano
SYRAH & GRENACHE FROM COOL WIND SCOURED SLOPES
JOHN SEBASTIANO VINEYARD
APPELATION: Sta. Rita Hills SOILS: Linne clay loam for Syrah, Ballard gravelly fine sandy loam for Grenache ASPECT: South and West facing VINE AGE: Planted in 2007 FARMING: Sustainable
John Sebastiano is a wild vineyard for Rhone varietals. We’ve leased Syrah and Grenache acreage there since 2010, and the Syrah has become a luminous example of cool-climate Syrah in California. The vineyard is planted on a multifaceted hillside on the eastern edge of Sta. Rita Hills, vertically presented to the fierce and cool westerly winds coming off the Pacific Ocean.
This vineyard has produced wines with dramatic personalities. The vines struggle to develop a full canopy of leaves and the fruit ripens late in October or early November, but each year the wines possess a knockout exotic aroma with a solid structure of tannin and acidity. Planted on the climatic edge where the vines barely ripen their fruit, the structure of the Grenache is different from what I have seen elsewhere in California, or for that matter from the southern Rhone or Spain. It is simply fresher and more alive. Each year the Syrah is lively and approachable at an early age, boasting haunting incense-y aromas and powdery fine tannins.
