[vc_row][vc_column][vc_tta_tabs][vc_tta_section title=”Our Wines” tab_id=”Our-Wines”][vc_column_text]Our wines are organized by vintage. Please select a vintage year above for additional information on each wine. To ask about current availability please email us at [email protected][/vc_column_text][/vc_tta_section][vc_tta_section title=”2016″ tab_id=”2016″][vc_column_text]
Our 2016 Wines
2016 Viognier, San Benito County
Jerry Anderson at Chaine d’Or used to say a good vintage is one you can barely remember the details on. We think 2016 is already fitting that profile. Harvest was later than it had been since 2012, more on par with pre 2010 vintages. Otherwise the severe drought conditions that made 2015 so memorable were eased by a normal amount of winter and spring rain.
Tasting Note: The nose is full of stone fruit notes with peach the most obvious. The wine is well balanced and crisp with pear and honey coming out in the mouth. This wine also displays the vanilla notes you’d expect from new oak, but don’t be fooled, we used all neutral oak here. This will be a great summer wine in 2018!
Availability: : Currently available for purchase. Please email us at [email protected] to place an order.
Release Price: $24
2016 Mourvedre Rose, Santa Clara Valley
This was our first Rose and we had strong opinions about what we wanted in a Rose. We wanted to make a wine in the style of Provance in southern France. Something low alcohol, refreshing, fruity, dry and light for a summer day. We didn’t want to bleed off juice from over ripe grapes or make a sweet light red wine. We chose Mourvedre for the grape and made a 11.1% dry Rose.
Tasting Note: The nose is full strawberry fruit. Light, refreshing and perfectly balanced. A great Rose for a warm day or to pop when you get home for work.
Availability: : Currently available for purchase. Please email us at [email protected] to place an order.: $15
2016 Chardonnay, Santa Clara Valley
Our 2016 Chardonnay comes from the same vineyard up the road that we sourced our 2016 Rose from. We learned very quickly what a cool site this little valley we live in is and it turned out to be a nice site for Rose and Chardonnay. The Dorcich family has been farming this site for decades and the second generation has recently taken over major duties in the vineyard.
Tasting Note: The wine is fuller on the nose and richer in color than our CdO Chards were. It’s a rounder wine with subtle stone fruit notes and a rich mouthfeel. There’s a good balance of acidity and a long finish with notes of spice from the French Oak. If Cdo was like a grand Cru Chablis, this is more Corton. A great wine for roast chicken or fresh Halibut.
Availability: : Currently available for purchase. Please email us at [email protected] to place an order.
Release Price: $25
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Our 2015 Wines
2015 Cabernet Sauvignon, Santa Clara Valley
This is our fifth vintage of this wine and the first to include grapes from the Church Creek vineyard in San Martin which is about 6 miles from our home. The vineyard was recommended to us by a local winemaker and we made an appointment in early 2015 to walk the site and taste wines in barrel from the vineyard (The owners should have their own winery and tasting room open soon). We were blown away with the fruit and complexity from an area on the valley floor that can be mono dimensional. The creek flowing through the vineyard though adds a lot of complexity to the soil and it shows in the grapes.
Tasting Note:The wine is very floral and fruity on the nose. Bright and deep with notes of cherry, plum, wild berry and currants. We used French Oak on this as is normal for us and the wine is showing mocha and spice from the barrel aging. The wine finishes very rich and ripe and we’ve been so happy with it we’ve set up a long term commitment with the vineyard. Throw this one in blind tasting against some $75+ Cabs and smile at the great value you’re getting!
Availability: Future Tasting Room release.
Release Price: $35
2015 Agliorosa, Santa Clara County
We have a love hate relationship with Sangiovese. We love it when it’s from Montalcino or blended into a Super Tuscan and pretty much hate it in all other forms. There’s a lot of Sangio being grown near us by the old Italian families that dominated the region for decades and it mostly falls in the latter category. On that trip to Church Creek though the owner insisted we try his, and we really liked it. We knew it would need a boost though and started planing a Super Tuscan blend. For months our code name for this was Super Gilroyan until we decided to follow the Italian custom of giving their Super blends a fanciful name. Agliorosa, which is Garlic and Rose together was the name we came up with. We love this wine and will make it going forward. The final blend was 60% Sangiovese, 35 % Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Syrah.
Tasting Note: The nose comes across like a Santa Cruz Mountains Cab with floral notes that we usually get in our wines. The wine is very well balanced and very drinkable. Somehow we went through our 6 sample bottles in a week! There is a great mix of cherry, raspberry, plum and wild berry fruit. The wine finishes smooth and bright with spice and tobacco notes. We expect this wine will age well, but we’re having trouble keeping it around more than 3-4 days.
Availability: : Currently available for purchase. Please email us at [email protected] to place an order.
Release Price: $30
2015 Viognier, San Benito County
Of course after the great results in 2014 we locked in this vineyard for the long term. We’re very glad we did because yields were so low around the area in 2015 that everyone was scrambling for grapes. We brought these grapes in early again for Viognier to try and repeat the freshness and expressive pit fruit we had in 2014.
Tasting Note: This wine is another winner! The nose is full of peach and ripe pear notes with a hint of honey. The wine is crisp and well balanced with refreshing acidity to hold all the ripe fruit together. Like the 2014 the mouthfeel and vanilla notes make you think we used new oak, but we did not.
Availability: : Sold Out. No Library wine available.
Release Price: $20
2015 Syrah, Besson Vineyard, Santa Clara County
We know those of you who ordered the 2014 Besson Syrah can’t wait to get another Syrah from this great old vine vineyard. In 2015 we got just 2/3’s of our normal amount of Syrah and everyone on the ‘waiting list’, got shut out. Yields where down over 60% from 2014. The result is a much more concentrated wine with Northern Rhone character.
Tasting Note:This wine is very dark with olive notes to the floral nose. Loads of fresh fruit in the glass with cherry, blackberry and plum. There are spice notes and a verve of black olive that carries through to the finish. This reminds us of a Cote Rotie more than the 2014 which was more Hermitage to us in profile. This will age well.
Availability: : Currently available for purchase. Please email us at [email protected] to place an order.
Release Price: $28
2015 Malbec, San Benito County
We again returned to the Leal Vineyard just 15 miles from us in Hollister. Yes, Hollister is a real place, but there’s no surfing. The real Hollister is famous for its mild summers which makes fruit and vegetable farming the mainstay of the area, and being the basis for the Marlon Brando movie ‘The Wild Ones’. Yields here in 2015 where down just 20%, the least affected of all our sources in 2015.
Tasting Note:The wine is dark with a tinge of purple. The nose has a herb element and touch of spice from French Oak. Lots of dark summer fruit flavors and a note of some berries on the finish. Probably a bit more serious than the 2014, but still a great wine to have with beef.
Availability: : Currently available for purchase. Please email us at [email protected] to place an order.
Release Price: $30
2015 Day Rogue, California
A lot of Cabernet (from a few sources), some Mourvedre, a dash of Syrah, chunk of Malbec and bit of Sangiovesse. The 2015 Day Rogue continues our now 10 year tradition of a wild blend. This one includes grapes from three different AVA’s and a handful of vineyards. Blending was a bit harder than most years because yields where so low (it’s really a tiny amount of Syrah). We’re really happy with the final blend though, and know you’ll love it.
Tasting Note:Bright and deep in the glass with a very floral and fruity nose. The wine delivers lots of fresh fruit with mild tannins and a nice zip of acidity we think comes from the Sangio. You’re going to want to open another bottle every time you open one!
Availability:Future Tasting Room release.
Release Price: $25
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Our 2014 Wines
2014 Chardonnay, Chaine d’Or Vineyard, Santa Cruz Mountains
This will be our last Chardonnay from the Chaine d’Or Vineyard. A shame to leave after all the work in restoration, but we’re so happy in Gilroy that it was more than worth it. Many of you will no doubt hear the story of ‘Prince Valiant’ as we travel around and visit, it was a memorable harvest. We were right in the middle of moving when we picked the grapes, really right in the middle. I’m not sure how we did it but we managed to move our house, a winery and run a harvest all at the same time. This is a wine full of memories!
Tasting Note: The wine is clear and bright. We did fine this wine in 2014 so it also went through a light filtration to remove the clay fining agent. A very Santa Cruz Mountains Chardonnay with notes of citrus and peach on the nose. Crisp, clean and refreshing with stone fruit, ripe apple and a slight vanilla note. In the tasting room we have a hard time getting people to try our Chardonnay. They always say; “I don’t really like California Chardonnay, too oaky and buttery”. Then we hear: “I really love this Chardonnay.” We used all French oak, and just 25% was new.
Availability: : Sold Out. No Library wine available.
Release Price: $25
2014 Viognier, San Benito County
We sourced the grapes from the Leal Vineyard about 24 miles from our new house. We wanted to get more local and secure some white wine sources going forward since we lost our Chardonnay source after 2014. This was not an easy wine to make, it kept wanting to stop fermenting and be a sweet wine, but we used every trick we knew, including dragging the barrels out into the sun to get it through fermentation. We’re so happy with the results we’ve contracted with Leal for this long term.
Tasting Note: The wine is luminescent. The nose has the wonderful peach and honey notes of great Viognier. There’s good body and mouth-feel and Stefania says it feels like it was in new oak even though it only saw neutral barrels. It shows lots of stone fruit and finishes crisp and clean. A real crowd pleaser and it’s knocked the socks off a few of our long time customers who’ve gotten to try it. Alcohol 14.8
Availability: : Sold Out. No Library Wine available.
Release Price: $25
2014 Cabernet Sauvignon, Santa Clara Valley
Paul finally feels like he’s got this wine dialed in after 2013 and 2014. We dropped the Cab Franc in 2013 and this year we added a small bit of Malbec to really round this out. There’s also more fruit from the Harvest Moon Vineyard that in any past offering of this wine. The wine was aged in all French oak, 1/3 of it new.
Tasting Note: Ripe nose with black cherry and ripe plum. There are complex notes berry fruit and hints of dried herbs and mocha. The tannins are ripe and plush. This is a very pleasing Cabernet with a long round finish and great mouthfeel. We think this will age well but will probably be a wine you go through very quickly!
Availability: Currently available for purchase. Please email us at [email protected] to place an order.
Release Price: $35
2014 Cabernet Sauvignon, Santa Cruz Mountains
It’s hard to believe we could possibly have another strong year after such a great 2013, but we did! In 2014 we moved out of Chaine d’Or and gained room for more Cabernet and it let us do some additional blending. This wine contains fruit from the Chaine d’Or vineyard and Harvest Moon Vineyard. There’s a small amount of Merlot, about 4%. It’s a very classic Santa Cruz Mountains cab and reminds us a lot of the 2007 version.
Tasting Note: This wine is dark with a floral nose showing hints of herbs and ripe plums. A nice complex and well balanced wine with plum, bing cherry and blackberry fruit. There’s a great mouth feel with this wine and ripe plush tannins promise excellent aging. The wine has a super long and complex finish.
Availability: Currently available for purchase. Please email us at [email protected] to place an order.
Release Price: $35
2014 Cabernet Sauvignon, Chaine d’Or Vineyard, Santa Cruz Mountains
This is the last of our 2014’s to release. We’ve always released the Chaine d’Or Cab last as it needs the most time in bottle. This is also our very last Chaine d’Or wine. We were sad to leave the vineyard but so happy to move. We heard that the new caretaker at CdO had a rough 2015 and 2016 with no yield at all in 2015. It was a very difficult but very rewarding vineyard for us. This wine is most similar to the 2009 we think. This will age a long time and one we will be happy to cellar ourselves.
Tasting Note: This wine is very dark with a traditional cab nose of currants and plum. A very complex wine with plum, cherry and berry fruit. The wine already shows secondary notes of spices and cigar box. This is a big wine with ripe tannins and balanced acidity. It’s all packed in right now and will age beautifully for 15-20 years easily.
Availability: Future tasting room release.
Release Price: $45
2014 Cabernet Sauvignon, Crimson Clover Vineyard, Santa Clara Valley
In April of 2014 while hiking in Zion we got a call from the owners of Crimson Clover. We didn’t manage to hook up with them live until June, but that was the call that set us off on our move to Gilroy. They offered us the property, and as much as we love this vineyard, the house was a tear down project we could not take on. We kept the vineyard though and had another great harvest from this amazing site in 2014.
Tasting Note:The wine is explosive on the nose with the fruit the vineyard is famous for. Dark and full of cherry, plum, and wild berry flavors. The French oak we use ads notes of spices and balances all the rich fruit. The wine has a tremendous finish and we think this might be the most age worthy Crimson Clover since the 2008. Don’t miss this one.
Availability: Currently available for purchase. Please email us at [email protected] to place an order.
Release Price: $45
2014 Syrah, Besson Vineyard, Santa Clara Valley
It’s pronounced BESS – on. The family is not entirely sure when it was planted. “Teens, definitely by 1925 because that’s when I was born”, is what George Besson says. This old vine treasure is located just two miles from our home in the heart of the Hecker Pass. Early in 2014, even before the call about the Crimson Clover property we were able to swing a deal with another local winery to split the Syrah section of the vineyard. We’ve locked this in long term and now have the ’15 and ’16 aging as well. This is an amazing site and we’re so happy to have it. This first version of this wine is just awesome. The winery association asked all of the local wineries to submit a Santa Clara Valley wine for inclusion in a marketing campaign. This was selected one of the ten best wines in the region, Gold medals, 90+ points, all that stuff in everything they’ve submitted it to on our behalf. This is really great stuff. http://www.winemakerchallenge.com/results_wm.html
Tasting Note: The nose is all Syrah with lots of herb and olive to balance the fruit. Complex layers of fruit with notes of blue and blackberry with ripe cherry and summer fruit. Very long finish with great tannins and balance. An old vine beauty, showing all the great fruit of Syrah with restraint and balance. This one we think will age very well also.
Availability: : Sold Out. No Library wine available.
Release Price: $25
2014 Day Rogue, Santa Clara Valley
The Haut Tubee is gone, retired with our old house on Canton, but the spirit continues with this new wine named in honor of our new home on Day Road in the Day Valley. The grapes from our old house ended up as jam so they are not included, but there’s Syrah, Cabernet, Zinfandel and a kicker of Mourvedre from a small vineyard in the Almaden Valley that you’ll be seeing more from in the future. Unlike the Haut Tubee we won’t make this every year, just when things fall into line.
Tasting Note: This wine has a great nose of berry fruit and a little bit of the wild bear thing Mourvedre brings. A big wine with lots of fun fruit and spicy goodness going on. We’re sure you’ll love it!
Availability: : Tasting Room only – very limited supply.
Release Price: $25
2014 Malbec, San Benito County
This is sourced from the same vineyard as our Viognier. In 2014 we had a chance to secure these grapes and we’ve been very happy with the results. We treated this wine like a fine Cab and gave it all oak aging in French Oak with 25% of it new. This wine was our favorite 2014 each time we tasted it in barrel. I’m sure many of you will get this in the Spring and immediately want more!
Tasting Note: The wine is dark and dense with notes of cherry and ripe berries. There’s an amazing richness and texture to this wine but it never feels heavy. Well balanced it delivers fruit that just doesn’t seem to stop. We were blown away by this wine over Thanksgiving as we opened bottles to put together tasting notes. Stefania was telling anyone who would listen she thinks it’s the best wine we’ve made.
Availability:Sold Out. No Library wine available.
Release Price: $24
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Our 2013 Wines
2013 Chardonnay, Chaine d’Or Vineyard, Santa Cruz Mountains
We continued retraining to the Guyot method in the vineyard based on the experiments we had done in 2012. The lower section of Chardonnay was converted on plants that had good shoot positioning and strong shoots. The entire upper section was converted. This required significant work with a chain saw to accomplish. The results were excellent and on 9/14 we harvested 143 bins or 4290 pounds and pressed the must whole cluster in one pressing. The must was transferred to a chilled tank for settling off the gross lees. Brix was 23 with pH 3.36 and TA .82. On 9/15 the wine was transferred off its gross lees into a chilled tank inside and inoculated with QA-23 yeast and yeast food. We maintained temperatures under 65 degrees during tank fermentation but did not super chill the must before transfer.
On 9/22 the wine was transferred to 7 barrels which were filled 2/3 full to finish fermentation. On 10/5 the wine was showing as completed primary fermentation and was reduced down to 5 full barrels + one keg. Lees were stirred at that time. The wine went through Malo with no issues and for the first time since 2008 we did not have to haul the barrels out into the sun in the Spring to finish fermentation.
Tasting Note: The wine showed excellent chemistry and we decided to bottle with out fining or filtration. The wine will appear slightly cloudy in glass but is full of ripe fruit and wonderful crispness. Stefania loves this Chardonnay and it’s her favorite we’ve made. There is just 20% new oak and the stone fruit flavors really shine in this wine. Alcohol 13.7%
Availability: Sold Out. No Library Wine available.
Release Price: $30
2013 Cabernet Sauvignon, Chaine d’Or Vineyard, Santa Cruz Mountains
Yields in 2013 were strong and the Chaine ‘d Or vineyard performed very well. We completed almost all of the retraining in the red sections and had an excellent harvest. The wine contains 8% Merlot and 2 % Cab Franc. We used all French oak again and 50% was new. This was the best year at the vineyard we’d ever had.
Tasting Note:
This wine is very dark with a rich nose showing hints of tobacco and dried herbs. A super complex wine with plum, cherry and dark berry fruit. Very Bordeaux like in the complex herb and mocha notes along with cigar box and ripe tannins. We think this wine will age well for decades. The last of the great 2013’s.
Availability: : Currently available for purchase. Please email us at [email protected] to place an order.
Release Price: $45
2013 Cabernet Sauvignon, Santa Clara Valley
The blend in 2013 for this wine changed a great deal. We dropped the Cab Franc component and all of the Roxy Cabernet went into the Haut Tubee. The Crimson Clover Vineyard contributed a much higher percentage of the blend than in years past and the wine shows the quality of that vineyard and the special qualities of the vintage.
Tasting Note: Yeah this is really, really, really good. Dark, rich, bold and very well balanced. Very complex with spices and tons of fruit. Stefania said it’s like having a homemade mole sauce there’s so much going on. This is what a great vintage is all about. Try this wine and imagine it’s the ‘bottom’ of the four cabs we will release. This is seriously great stuff that should age for decades . Alcohol 13.7
Availability: :Sold Out – Limited Library Wine available at a future date.
Release Price: $35
2013 Cabernet Sauvignon, Crimson Clover Vineyard, Santa Clara Valley
This was the biggest and the best harvest ever at this fantastic site that sits right below El Toro, the most prominent volcanic hill in the Santa Teresa Foothills of the Santa Cruz Mountains. Harvest actually spread out over two days as we filled all the truck space we had on Saturday morning and had to return Sunday to pick the final ton of grapes. From the very start this wine was spectacular. Paul thinks it’s the best wine we’ve ever made. Stefania always loves our Syrah’s but she’ll concede this is a great Cab.
Tasting Note: Explosive fruit nose with cherry, plum and blackberry. There are complex notes of red and black fruit with layers of flavor and depth. The tannins are perfectly ripe and plush. There’s so much fruit now in the wine that you can miss all the spice and forest notes in the background. An amazing deep and complex wine. We think it will age and improve for decades but it’s going to be very hard to resist young. Not to be missed.
Availability: :Sold Out – Limited Library Wine available at a future date.
Release Price: $45
2013 Cabernet Sauvignon, Santa Cruz Mountains
This blend has a higher percentage of grapes from the Chaine d’Or vineyard than we’ve ever included in the past. Yields in 2013 were strong and the Chaine ‘d Or vineyard performed very well. There’s a small bit of Merlot in the blend (5%) and we used 50% new French Oak. From the very start this wine seemed to combine the fruit and perfume of 2007 with the structure and depth of the 2008. We did blending very late trying to get the perfect combination of barrels into the blend.
Tasting Note: This wine is dark, rich, fragrant and dense. Very complex with lots of black cherry, plum and berry fruit. There are notes that will have you swearing this wine is a Bordeaux, with cigar box, cedar and toasty mocha mixing with the fruit. Finishes long and with lots of ripe tannin that promises 20+ years of aging potential, although it’s going to be hard to resist young. This is a great wine.
Availability: Sold Out. Limited Library Wine available at a future date.
Release Price: $40
2013 Haut Tubee, California
This is it, the very last Haut Tubee. With the sale of our home in San Jose in 2014 we decided to retire the Haut Tubee label. We actually did a very tight selection on this wine in 2013 to make it something special. The main component is from the Roxy Vineyard just about 200 yards from Crimson Clover which contributed Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah and Zinfandel. We didn’t have the usual number of micro-vineyards this time around to include so the bulk of this HT is mostly Cabernet from just three sources.
Tasting Note: Another dark and rich wine with notes of cigar box and spice to go with the fruit nose. It has a lot of depth and density from the Cabernet and Stefania said it’s the most complex Haut Tubee we’ve made. Full bodied with ample fruit and a long rich, bold finish. Should age very well. If any of you have some 2007 left (we don’t) try it side by side and let us know if it’s the best Haut Tubee ever. Alcohol 14.4
Availability: Sold Out. No Library Wine available.
Release Price: $20
2013 Pinot Noir, Santa Cruz Mountains
Yep Paul battled with Pinot Noir Vineyard owners again. Actually we did make a 2011 and 2012 Pinot Noir, but the quantity was so small and the vineyard owners bought back so much it never went out for release. Larger yields in 2013, combined with Paul firing another vineyard owner and refusing to sell them back wine from their vineyard means we’ll have two 2013 Pinot’s available! The first is from a vineyard on the west side of the Santa Cruz Mountains.
Tasting Note:
The wine is dark for a Pinot with a great floral nose. Swirling gives notes of redwood forest and cherry fruit. This wine should age for a long time with the tannic structure. There’s some spice and lots of darker Pinot fruit. It’s a serious Pinot Noir right now, almost brooding with flavors that make me think of Volnay more than the Santa Cruz Mountains, although that redwood forest is always present. Alcohol 14.5
Availability: Sold Out. No Library Wine available.
Release Price: $35
2013 Pinot Noir, Lucky Star Vineyard, Santa Cruz Mountains
Sometimes a vineyard site gets the better of logic and reason. This was that site. At 1200 feet in Los Altos Hills on the south side of a cinder cone, the entire vineyard was on the red volcanic soil that we love so much in the area but is so hard to find. Enthusiasm for the site definitely over-ruled the logic of working with a very difficult property owner but we did it, at least until Paul finally lost patience and ‘fired’ the vineyard owner. The benefit though is we have all the wine from the vineyard from 2013 instead of just a few cases since the owner was buying almost all the wine back in previous years.
Tasting Note: The red soil at this site always produced a dark wine and 2013 is no exception. The color will fool you but the nose is all Santa Cruz Mountains Pinot. There are notes of redwood forest and bright red fruit. This wine should age very well and continue to add complexity and depth for many years. There’s great tannic and acid structure to the wine. We’ve found this vineyard really starts to get showy at the 4 year mark so hold these for a year if you can resist.
Availability: Sold Out. No Library wine available.
Release Price: $45
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Our 2012 Wines
2012 Chardonnay, Chaine d’Or Vineyard, Santa Cruz Mountains
Yields in the Chardonnay section of Chaine d’Or have become tiny. In tough years like 2011 there was not really even enough to pick. In 2012 many of the old plants had only 3-4 clusters on them. We did start a re-pruning and retraining program in 2012 that finally got us enough grapes to make a Chardonnay again. Hurray!
Just when you think nature is on your side though you’ll get a curveball. 2012 was a great year and easy in most ways. After the run of hard vintages it was a breeze and yields and quality were good across the board. Then ‘WHAM’ a fence goes down and the deer get in. Stef and Paul had to perform an emergency repair on perimeter fencing which resulted in severe Poison Oak that would take 6 weeks to recover from completely. Paul’s doctor called it the worst case of Poison Oak she had ever seen. The vineyard was also protected with dryer sheets and a spraying of African Bird Pepper in an effort to break the deer routine and get them out of the vineyard.
That was the curve ball! On 9/30 we harvested just under 2 tons of grapes. Stef’s family was visiting and assisted with harvest. We pressed whole clusters and transferred into a chilled tank for 24 hours settling. Brix at harvest was 23.5 with pH 3.42. On 10/1 the must was racked off of its gross lees an transferred to a chilled tank inside where temperature was monitored carefully and kept below 60 degrees while fermentation started on natural yeast. On 10/5 Brix had dropped to 15 and the wine was transferred to barrel to complete fermentation. Lees were stirred every two weeks during fermentation and MBR VP 31 Malo Starter was added on 10/30. In late January fermentation was still going slowly and yeast food was added and the barrels hauled out on sunny days to warm up a bit. By mid February Malo and Fermentation had finished. The wine was bottled in early July.
Tasting Note: We’re very happy with this Chardonnay. It’s close to the ’08 but with a bit more richness and fruit expression. We’ve opened a number of bottles now and it shows the classic citrus and pit fruit notes of good Burgundy. We went light on the new oak in 2012 and the natural crispness and acidity of the vineyard comes through. It’s a very well balanced and rounded wine. 95 cases produced. 14.2% alchohol.
Availability: Sold Out. No Library Wine available.
Release Price: $25
2012 Cabernet Sauvignon, Chaine d’Or Vineyard, Santa Cruz Mountains
By 2012 we completed 95% of the vineyard retraining to new cordons and we had a healthy yield, with enough grapes to produce a single vineyard wine again. A small amount of Merlot was harvested and processed on 10/18 by Millie and Gerardo, while we were in New Orleans. The Cab Sauvignon and Cab Franc were harvested on 10/28, or a ‘normal’ time for the vineyard. The wine went through our usual fermentation process and was aged in 66% new oak. The final wine was 90% Cab Sauvignon, 7% Merlot, 3% Cab Franc.
Tasting Note:
The wine is typical of the Chaine d Or Vineyard with Bordeaux like notes of cigar and pencil to go with the dark fruit. The wine has ample tannins and should age for 10-20 years easily. Let this wine breathe and suddenly the black fruit and plum notes dominate on the nose. The Chaine d’Or vineyard and this wine is really what the Santa Cruz Mountains is all about for Cab. Alcohol 12.7%
Availability: Sold Out. No Library Wine available.
Release Price: $45
2012 Cabernet Sauvignon, Santa Clara Valley
This is the second year we’ve made a Santa Clara Valley Cabernet blend. Three vineyards would contribute fruit to the blend in 2012; Harvest Moon, Crimson Clover and Peacock. The lots were all fermented and barrel aged separately. Blending too place in March when Stefania and I sampled through all the barrels and pulled together the blends for 2012. The wine is 75% Cabernet Sauvignon and 25% Cabernet Franc and was aged in 50% new oak.
Tasting Note:
The wine is a rich red with a nose of cherry and ripe plum. There’s a lot of spice in the wine with berry, cherry, plum and toasty mocha notes. The Cab Franc contributed a soft roundness in 2012 and frames out the tannin from the Cab Sauvignon nicely. We plan on releasing a number of cabs from 2012 and we think this will be the most enjoyable early. There is a great structure though and we think this wine will be best over the next 2-10 years. 12% Alcohol.
Availability: Sold Out. Limited Library Wine available in the future.
Release Price: $35
2012 Cabernet Sauvignon, Crimson Clover Vineyard, Santa Clara Valley
The Crimson Clover vineyard was affected by a pruning mistake in the winter which removed many spurs and we expected a lower yield. Otherwise the vineyard performed well during the year with some loss to birds but otherwise an excellent year. We harvested on 9/22 and sorted it in the field before transport to the winery. The grapes were 100% destemmed and crushed into 2 bins for fermentation on native yeast. The bins were moved inside the winery and punched down twice per day. We followed our normal pressing and settling routine and the wine aged in 2/3 new oak for 21 months.
Tasting Note:
The wine is typical Crimson Clover Vineyard with expressive black and plum fruit framed with spice and floral notes. There are notes of mocha and blackberry on the finish and round tannins. We expect this wine to age very well. Alcohol 13.7%
Availability: Sold Out. Limited Library wine available in the future.
Release Price: $45
2012 Cabernet Sauvignon, Santa Cruz Mountains
The 2012 version of our Santa Cruz Mountains Cab comes from three vineyards and contains 15% Cab Franc. The lots were blended in two trials in 2013 and the final percentage of new oak was 50%.
Tasting Note:
This wine is darker and richer than the Santa Clara Valley Cab we released earlier and has fuller notes of tobacco and berry fruit. Lots of fruit on the finish with a refreshing balanced acidity. There is a well rounded nice structure which will allow this wine to age gracefully for 10+ years. Alcohol 12%
Availability: Sold Out. Limited Library Wine available in the future.
Release Price: $40
2012 Cabernet Sauvignon, Special Reserve, Harvest Moon Vineyard, Santa Cruz Mountains
This was our 7th year getting fruit from the Harvest Moon Vineyard, and like a lot of wines in this release it’s the second time for this wine. Normally this wine is blended into our Santa Clara Valley and Santa Cruz Mountains blends. As in 2008 though we thought there were some special barrels of this wine and kept two on there own for a Special Reserve. The selection was made in March of 2014 and we selected what we felt were the two best and most complete barrels for the Special Reserve.
Tasting Note:
The wine is dark and deep with notes of spices, blackberries and plum. Ripe plum, wild berries and a hint of blueberry with spicy smokey mocha flavors show in the mouth. The wine is very well rounded with long tannins and an impressive structure. We think will be a very long lived wine that will evolve very well. Drink over the next 5 -15 years. Alcohol 12.5%.
Availability: Sold Out. Limited Library wine available in the future.
Release Price: $40
2012 Haut Tubee, California
The initial base wine for our Haut Tubee in 2012 was a record 3 barrels and 2 carboys. We blended additional lots through the aging process and the wine contains grapes from 10 vineyards. A good portion of the wine was crushed by foot. The final breakdown was:
Syrah 31%
Cabernet Sauvignon 26%
Merlot 15%
Zinfandel 11%
Mourvedre 8%
Cabernet Franc 7%
Grenache 3%
Tasting Note:
The wine is bright red with a very expressive nose of ripe cherry and blackberry. Notes of plum, berries, bing cherry, wild herbs and a bramble we associate with the Redwood forests in the Santa Cruz Mountains. Most of the Syrah in the blend came from a vineyard on the east side of the Santa Cruz Mountains. The Cabernet and Mourvedre give a good structure and the wine has a long fruity finish. Best over the next 2-10 years. Alcohol 13.5%
Availability: Sold Out. Limited Library wine available in the future.
Release Price: $20
Current Price: $25
2012 Mourvedre, ‘Restitutor Orbis’, Spur Ranch, San Benito County
Our second year of Mourvedre fruit from Spur Ranch. Paul had so much fun with the Latin quote on our first Mourvedre that he had to keep the tradition up. This one is about a 3rd century emperor. We had the chance to use whole berries in the fermentation process in 2012 and combined that with 40% new oak for a very round and flavorful Mourvedre.
Tasting Note:
The wine has everything someone who could defeat the Alamanni, Goths, Vandals, Juthungi, Sarmatians, and Carpi could want. There’s plenty of dark wild fruit to power you on to crush the Palmyrene Empire and Gallic Empire as well. Alcohol 14.4%
Availability: Sold Out. No Library Wine available.
Release Price: $32
2012 Nueva Casa de los Padres, California
We were happy to be able to make this blend again for 2012. This time the Mourvedre plays a dominate part in the blend and we added just a touch of Grenache. Syrah from the Coastview vineyard provides the S in our GSM. Blending took place early for this lot and we identified the components we wanted in June of 2013, so the wine aged together until bottling.
Tasting Note:
The nose on this wine is great with dark wild fruit and spicy wood notes. We used Ermitage barrels to age the wine and the complexity those barrels bring is a great complement to the berry and cherry fruit. With the Mourvedre component we also expect this wine to age very well. Alcohol 15%
Availability: Sold Out. Limited Library Wine available in the future.
Release Price: $32
2012 Pinot Noir, Santa Cruz Mountains
Pinot is not the heartbreak grape. It’s the pain in the ass grape. The last lot we were happy with was 2008. In 2012 we found a site we liked and vineyard owners who didn’t drive Paul insane and we finally have a Pinot Noir we’re happy with. We used 20% whole cluster fermentation and destemmed the rest. We followed our standard winemaking routine except we chose to use Assmanhausen yeast rather than the natural yeast of the winery and vineyard. The lots were very small and we felt this would insure that we had no VA issues as Pinot Noir can take 3-5 days to start fermenting on our native yeast population.
The site we have is unusual for Pinot Noir in that it’s located on a belt of red volcanic soil, similar to the soil band that covers about 40% of the Crimson Clover vineyard. The wine is very dark for Pinot Noir and we think the soil is the main factor. We thought about holding this wine back as it did not travel well when we went to Nashville on November 1st, but a bottle tried on December 1st had recovered much better from bottling. We’re confident it will be ready to travel by March.
Tasting Note: The finished wine is very dark and deep in color. The nose is cherry with floral notes. In the mouth there is an edge to the acidity that lets you know the wine is a cool climate Pinot, something hard to guess from the color. There is lots of red fruit with notes of berry and baking spice. The finish is clean and bright. Best over the next 4-10 years. 57 cases produced. 13.4% alchohol.
Availability: Sold Out. No Library Wine available.
Release Price: $45
2012 Syrah, Coastview Vineyard, Monterey County
This was our second year of buying fruit from the North Block of Coastview Vineyard. In 2012 we were able to pick up the fruit ourselves which put our FJ Cruiser to the test. In 2012 we started using a trailer on the FJ to haul fruit and we moved 2700 pounds at a time over 100 miles including 4 miles on a rough dirt road.
We processed the grapes at Chaine d’Or into two bins. We used 25% whole cluster and destemmed and crushed the remaining 75%. The bins were moved inside and punch downs done twice per day. In 2012 we started fermenting inside the winery at Chaine d’Or to better regulate temperature. THe wine was aged in 25% new French oak and we used Ermitage barrels.
Tasting Note:
The wine is dark and dense with notes of ripe wild berries and fresh plum jam. The Syrah is our biggest 2012 with notes of blackberry, bing cherry, boysenberry and wild herbs. Stefania and I hike a lot in the local foothills and this wine has the notes of wild sage, fennel and lavender we smell on our hikes. This is a very round wine with ripe tannin and a long finish. Drink now – next 10 years. 15.5% Alcohol.
Availability: Sold Out, No Library Wine available
Release Price: $33
[/vc_column_text][/vc_tta_section][vc_tta_section title=”2011″ tab_id=”2011″][vc_column_text]
Our 2011 Wines
2011 Syrah, Coastview Vineyard, Monterey County
2011 was difficult but in many ways the exact opposite of 2010. In 2010 it was the late vineyards that did well and the early harvest vineyards struggled with high sugars and unripe flavors compounded by a September heat wave that spiked sugars. The late harvest vineyards just passed through the bad September and took advantage of a great October. In 2011 the late vineyards ended up being just too late and we picked grapes into mid November. It was the early and mid harvest vineyards that did best and our Syrah comes from a site we call a mid harvest Vineyard although it would be late October in 2011 when we harvested the grapes.
Coastview is a new vineyard for us. The vineyard is managed by our friend Ian Brand who we first worked with at Big Basin where he was assistant winemaker. It is located high above the Salinas Valley on granite soils. Our grapes come from the ‘North Block’ of the vineyard. The views of the Monterey coast are spectacular and the combination of soil, altitude and cool nights is just what we want in a Syrah vineyard. We also made this wine in 2012 and hope it will become a regular in our line up.
Grapes were picked on 10/22 and fermentation was done with 20% whole cluster on native yeast. Punchdowns were done twice a day and the wine took 28 days to get through fermentation. We pressed the wine on 11/19 and transferred to 100% French oak with 1/3 of the barrels new. Some of the wine would be used for our Nueva Casa de los Padres and we selected three barrels for this single vineyard bottling. The wine was bottled after 15 months in barrel. Alcohol is 14.04% 72 Cases produced
Tasting Note:The wine is dark and clear with a nose of cherries and black pepper. Stefania loves this wine. It’s round and plush with a sweet nose and she says ‘powerful but pretty’. Flavors of plum and spice come out on the finish and the tannins are ripe and round. It’s a very elegant wine and one we think is serious and will mature very well. Drink over the next 12 years.
Availability:Sold Out. No Library Wine available.
Release Price: $32
2011 Haut Tubee California
Going through all my notes and all the blending trials and doing all the percentages I found it impossible to come up with exactly what went in to the 2011 Hot Tub. A little of this, a little of that…There’s Cab Franc and Cab Sauvignon from the SCV blend and Cab Sauvignon and Merlot from the SCM blend. Some more Merlot from a Vineyard we call Red Hen, Cab from the Church vineyard and Syrah Grenache, Mourvèdre and Zinfandel from the little vineyards around Crimson Clover and our humble estate vineyard.
In the end it’s mostly Cabernet Sauvignon, then Syrah and Cab Franc in third. I think the final count was 15 vineyard sources, more or less…
Tasting Note: The wine is bright red with a floral and cherry nose. Lots of red fruit and a leafy element from the Cab Franc. There’s a good depth to the fruit too that you would not expect given how floral and playful it is on the nose. Finishes with dark fruit and toasty spicy notes. With all the various blending it was hard to say what the new oak percentage is but this probably has the most new oak of any Haut Tubee.
153 Cases. Alcohol 13.5%
Availability: Sold Out. No Library wine available.
Release Price: $20
2011 Cabernet Sauvignon, Santa Clara Valley
This is a new blend for us in 2011. We managed a large Cabernet Sauvignon vineyard in Saratoga that lies in both the Santa Cruz Mountains and Santa Clara Valley AVA. We also tended a Cabernet Franc vineyard in the Santa Clara Valley AVA.
The Cab Franc came out floral and soft but light in color and body. The Cab Sauvignon was big and full of rich fruit, but brutish and angular. When we brought them together they clicked. We added a small amount of Crimson Clover Cabernet as well as some Harvest Moon Cabernet to round out the wine.
Fermentation was completed on native yeast and went slowly in 2011 due to the late picking dates. The Cab Franc was actually harvested on November 5th and did not finish fermentation until November 30th. We aged the wine in all French oak and used about 50% new oak.
Tasting Note:The wine is a rich red with a floral nose full of cherry and red fruit. The nose is very expressive and bright. There’s a lot of spicy character to the wine with notes of bing cherry, cranberry, and wild berry fruit. The spice shows on the finish as well with toasty mocha and leafy Cab Franc notes framing cherry and plum fruit. The Cab Franc component really makes this wine enjoyable now. We’ve priced it as an early drinker and think it will be best over the next 2-8 years. 124 Cases. 13% Alcohol.
Availability: Sold Out. Limited Library Wine available in the future.
Release Price: $30
2011 Nueva Casa de los Padres
This is our second GSM blend. In 2011 we had extra Mourvèdre to work with as well as Syrah from the Coastview vineyard. Six different vineyards would play a part in this blend as 2011 turned out to be a year with a lot of mixing and matching to get it exactly right. Unlike the SCV Cab that was kept separate for some time we started blending this wine right away. The final breakdown was 70% Syrah, 17% Grenache, 13% Mourvèdre and we used 20% new oak.
Tasting Note:The wine is deep red with a typical GSM nose of spice and ripe fruit. As we reviewed barrel and blending notes on the lots, ‘typical’ kept being repeated as it reminded us of a good Chateneuf du Pape even with the high Syrah component. The wine is bright and fruity with a round spicy finish. Like the 2010 Nueva Casa, this wine changes a lot in glass and is very complex. If you loved the 2010 you will love this one also. Will be best over the next 2-10 years. 114 Cases. 14% Alcohol.
Availability: Sold Out. Limited Library Wine available in the future.
Release Price: $28
2011 Mourvedre, ‘Carthago delenda est”, Spur Ranch, San Benito County
We had planned on using this wine in the Nueva Casa and/or Haut Tubee, but as it aged I kept refusing to blend it with anything else. It was too good on its own. None of our plans included bottling a Mourvèdre; we didn’t have a name, a plan, nothing. Ironically 2011 was like that, a lot of plans laid aside or remade on the fly based on what nature gave us (which was mostly a hard time). Not only that, Mourvèdre has a reputation as a hard sell. One thing wine marketers say it has against it is no one can agree on how to pronounce it. Darth Vadre? Dark Vader? That might start a copyright battle with the Lucas Empire.
We’ll keep making Mourvèdre because we like it, and each year I’m going to dig up a quote from a long gone winemaker or grape grower. We’re starting with Cato the Elder who wrote the oldest surviving text on grape growing and winemaking.
Tasting Note:The wine is dark and deep with notes of clove, black pepper and wild blackberries. Wild as in a little dusty and a slight smell of bear, not a supermarket blackberry. From smoky notes to the deep dark fruit with big powerful tannins holding it all together, it’s a wine for mean old Roman generals, or Dark Sith Lords, although I think drunken bears would love it too. Drink over the next 6-70 years, it’s a Mourvèdre after all. If you enjoy Mourvèdre this all makes perfect sense to you and you’re going to love this wine. If you don’t love Mourvèdre you’ve probably figured out that the people who do are a little nuts.
95 Cases. Alcohol 14%.
Availability: Sold Out. Limited Library wine available in the future.
Release Price: $32
2011 Nueva Casa del los Padres Special Reserve
A Special Reserve wine in 2011? Of course there is a story! Early on in the racking process we combined some of the Spur Ranch Mourvedre and Coastview Syrah. It was mostly out of necessity as often happens when you’re trying to keep barrels filled up. We figured that some of that wine would be destined for the Nueva Casa anyway so we’d start early. When we do blending tests they are semi blind. Paul pulls samples from each barrel and puts a number on the glass and then sticks a piece of blue tape on the barrel with that same number. Stef never sees what comes out of which barrel. We taste each barrel on its own and take notes, then start putting together combinations of barrels.
In every combination, and everything we tried barrel #3 kept standing out. On its own it was best. When we combined it with others, they got better. If we put it with barrel #2, #7 and #8, that was great. If we did it with #1, #2 and #6 that was better than without it. Finally Stef said; “Can we do it on its own?” I could not think of a good reason why we couldn’t. We’d eventually divide those other barrels out into the regular Nueva Casa and some into the Haut Tubee, but barrel #3 we decided to keep on its own and bottle it as a Special Reserve.
Tasting Note: The finished wine is 40% Syrah and 60% Mourvedre. No Grenache in the blend. Its dark and very spicy on the nose. Lots of ripe fruit in the mouth with wild berry, cherry and ripe plum framed by notes of Herbs de Provence. The wine was aged in a new barrel and shows the softness and richness of new wood without being ‘oaky’. Lots of deep fruit on the finish. Will keep and improve longer than the regular Nueva Casa, best over the next 5-15 years. 25 Cases. Alcohol 14%
Availability: : Sold Out – No Library Wine available
Release Price: $34
2011 Cabernet Sauvignon Santa Cruz Mountains
This is the 6th time we’ve done a Santa Cruz Mountains Cab and this was the most complex to come together. The main component is fruit from the Harvest Moon Vineyard which was picked on November 3rd. That was combined in bin with less than 400 pounds of fruit from the Chaine d’Or vineyard that was picked at the same time. We had done the same thing with 400 pounds of Merlot from the Chaine d’Or vineyard earlier in the season and combined that with a single bin of Cabernet from a vineyard in Saratoga we managed in 2011.
Rather than keep these lots separate we blended them right away. Some would eventually go into the 2011 Haut Tubee but most would remain as a blend of roughly 90% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Merlot and 2% Cab Franc. The Petit Verdot at Chaine d’Or was a complete loss in 2011 and not included. We went lighter on the new wood in this lot in 2011 hoping to keep the tannin light and compensate for the lower oxidation rate with more racking’s. Final blending and lot selection took place very late in the process and we bottled in August of 2013.
Tasting Note: The finished wine is rich and dark with notes of ripe cherry and plum on the nose. The wine is spicy with a darker fruit profile than the Santa Clara Valley Cab, tending more to berry fruit and plum than cherry. The tannin is less noticeable than most years and the wine is well rounded and bright on the finish. There’s a hint of spice and smoke to tie together the bright fruit. We think this wine will be best over the next 3-7 years. Something to drink now while you wait on the 2008’s and 2009’s. 96 cases produced. 13.1% alcohol.
Availability: Sold Out. Limited Library Wine available in the future.
Release Price: $30
2011 Cabernet Sauvignon, Crimson Clover Vineryard, Santa Clara Valley
As with all our vineyards in 2011 yields at Crimson Clover would be very low. We picked 1700 pounds of fruit on October 9th. The fruit was handled as we normally do with all our vineyards. Our crew removes problem clusters as they pick. We pay them by the hour not the pound so that quality is job number one. Paul then carries each bin to Stef and she performs a second inspection, 30 pounds at a time. This really is handmade wine, we lift and touch every cluster. The grapes are then destemmed and crushed and go into a small one-ton bin. We use a traditional t-bin rather than the larger 2800 pound fermentation bins because Stef and Millie will do most of the punch downs and the larger bins are too tall for them to manage without getting on a ladder.
The wine ferments on natural yeasts and we press as the wine finishes fermentation, in this case after 21 days. We allow the wine to settle in tank for 48 hours before transferring to barrel. Malo starter is added and the wine goes through Malo over the first winter. On occasion we will haul the barrels out into the sunshine at Chaine d’Or to warm them up enough for Malo to complete. The wine is then topped up monthly and racked 2-4 times depending on vintage and lot. Its a labor intensive time consuming way to make wine!
Tasting Note: The 2011 Crimson Clover is bright and expressive on the nose with notes of plum, cherry and cigar box. Much more a traditional Cabernet in the mouth than usual with toast, cigar and spice framing plum and cherry fruit. This is a more tightly wound and tannin driven wine than earlier Crimson Cabs and promises the most development and aging potential of all our 2011 wines. Drink over the next 10-15 years. 56 cases produced. 12.6% alcohol.
Availability: Sold Out. No Library Wine available.
Release Price: $35
[/vc_column_text][/vc_tta_section][vc_tta_section title=”2010″ tab_id=”2010″][vc_column_text]
Our 2010 Wines
2010 Haut Tubee California
The 2010 ‘Hot Tub’ feels like the very first purpose built version of this wine. Each of the previous years had at least some part accidental construction to it. In 2010 we had a firm plan for the Haut Tubee well before harvest started and followed the plan all the way through bottling. We think it’s the best Haut Tubee we’ve made so far.
We were particularly happy with the ‘base’ wine that comes from our three micro vineyards in San Jose. We had a large enough quantity of grapes to finish harvest with two full barrels of base wine. In all a total of 10 vineyards would add grapes to the final blend. The 2010 wine is closest in construction to the original 2006 version of the Haut Tubee with
Cabernet Sauvignon 43 %
Syrah 40%
Grenache 13%
Merlot 2%
Zinfandel 1%
Mourvedre 1%
We used just about 30% new wood. Final Alcohol was 13.5% with a pH of 3.84.
Tasting Note: The wine is bright red with a funky sweet cherry nose. Juicy fruit with taffy and strawberry that turns to darker fruit in the glass. Round with a long finish; Stefania noted pepper in the finish from the Syrah and a hint of the redwood forest around some of our vineyard sources.
Availability: Sold Out. No Library Wine available
Release Price: $20
2010 Nueva Casa de los Padres Red Blend California
Naming the new wine took some time but we finally came up with a way to reference the original GSM blends of Chateauneuf du Pape (New Home of the Pope) that we love so much, with our California grapes and history. New Home of the Fathers honors the Franciscan Fathers who brought grape growing and winemaking to their new home in California.
The biggest challenge for this new wine turned out to be getting the wine through fermentation. Harvest dates were in early November and by Thanksgiving temperatures on the crush pad were in the 40’s at night and low 50’s in the day. The wine was still going, but the cold had slowed it to a crawl. We decided to press the wine, rack it into barrel and finish fermentation in barrel inside the winery where it was warmer at 60 degrees.
When it all finished up we had the wine in 25% new wood and had 65% Syrah, 33% Grenache and 2% Mourvedre in the blend. We really liked the way this wine turned out and we will make this wine going forward. The 2011 is already in barrel with a higher percentage of Mourvedre and the sources for 2012 are on line. Final alcohol was 14.5% with a pH of 3.79. 128 cases were produced.
Tasting Note: The wine is dark but clear with magnolia seed, dusty cherry blossom and plum on the nose (all those things grow in our yard so we’re not making it up). The wine is rich and fruity with a velvety spicy finish. Stefania had notes of cigar and ‘really good raw chocolate’. The nose changed on the wine every 10 minutes as we sampled it. Very complex.
Availability: Sold Out. No Library Wine available.
Release Price: $28
2010 Cabernet Sauvignon Crimson Clover Vineyard, Santa Clara Valley
The Crimson Clover vineyard weathered the difficult 2010 growing season better than any other vineyard we manage. The warm location usually has us irrigating late in the season to keep sugars down, but in 2010 the additional warmth helped the vineyard reach full maturity.
The cold and heat spells of the season had far less effect on this site than any other site we worked in 2010. The flavors and sugars developed well through the late summer and early Fall.
On the morning of 10/10, 12 days later than normal for the site, we harvest two full tons of grapes with a mixed paid and volunteer group. Bins were sorted in the field and perfectly clean fruit was delivered to the winery for crushing into two 1-ton bins for fermentation. Numbers at harvest were Bin #1 Brix 25, pH 3.63, TA .71 and Bin #2 Brix 25, pH 3.49 and TA .79
Superfood was added and the must was allowed to ferment on the wild yeast of the area. Fermentation started and proceeded quickly. On 10/11 5 gallons were transferred from each bin to the Haut Tubee fermentation. Punchdowns were done twice daily.
On 10/27 the wine was pressed gently and transferred to a stainless steel tank to settle before transfer to barrel. Malo starter was added to the tank to start the secondary fermentation. The wine was transferred to 3 new and one used barrel. 50ppm of sulfur were added on the second racking in March of 2011 and the wine was transferred to 3 new barrels and one used ½ barrel. Racked again in September 2011 and February 2012, adding sulfur each time.
Alcohol was 13.90 at finish and a pH of 3.84. 122 cases were bottled after 22 months in barrel
Tasting Note: The wine is deep red and bright. Nose is more classic Cabernet than the 08 or 09 with notes of cigar box, lead pencil and spices to match the plum and black cherry fruit. Very round and lively in the mouth, shows the lower alcohol of the vintage with it’s freshness. Stefania also called this wine elegant. This wine will actually age longer than the SCM Cab we think which is a reversal of most years.
Availability: Sold Out. Limited Library Wine available in the future.
Release Price: $40
2010 Cabernet Sauvignon Santa Cruz Mountains
The 2010 version of our Santa Cruz Mountain Cab is again a blend of the Harvest Moon and Chaine d’Or vineyards with just a dash of Crimson Clover Vineyard added in. The wine is 95% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Merlot. 2010 was a difficult growing year but our vineyards that get ripe late in the season passed through the difficult September ( we were not so lucky with Pinot Noir and sold all our 2010 Pinot in bulk) with no ill effects and we harvested both main lots on October 21st.
Fermentation went well on native yeast and we added a small amount of tartaric acid during fermentation to bring the pH to 3.70. Punchdowns were done by Stefania and Millie twice per day and the wine was pressed after 21 days. We aged the wine in all French oak and used 60% new oak. We eventually selected 5 barrels for the final blend and bottled the wine after 22 months in barrel. Alcohol is 13.55% 124 cases were produced after 22 months in barrel.
Tasting Note: The wine is deep red with a floral nose full of cherry fruit. There’s a great spicyness to the wine with clove and tobacco notes around deep plummy fruit. Stefania called the wine elegant and round. This version of the SCM cab will drink well younger than vintages with bigger tannins like 07 or 08. The wine finishes with fresh fruit and mocha notes.
Availability: Sold Out. Limited Library Wine available at a future date.
Release Price: $40
[/vc_column_text][/vc_tta_section][vc_tta_section title=”2009″ tab_id=”2009″][vc_column_text]
Our 2009 Wines
2009 Chardonnay Chaine d’Or Vineyard
Santa Cruz Mountains
Chardonnay harvest at Chaine d’Or was small for the estate, but we think this will be typical for us with our strict pruning and thinning routine. We picked on the morning of September 27th. It took just 5 hours to bring in a total of 149 bins or 4470 pounds for an average yield of 2.2 tons / acre. The fruit was healthy, and showed excellent golden maturity. The grapes were destemmed and pressed at once in our stainless steel bladder press. Final numbers were Brix 26, TA .93 and pH 3.62. The juice was transferred to a stainless steel tank where it was chilled to 54 degrees for 24 hours to encourage the gross lees to fall out.
On 10/5 the Chardonnay was transferred to 4 new barrels and 4 used barrels to continue fermentation. On 10/23 the Brix had reached -1% in each barrel and it was condensed down to a final 5 barrels (3 new, one 2008, one old) and a Keg and Carboy. Lees were stirred every two weeks to enrich the wine.
On May 1st the wine was filtered and transferred to a second tank for bottling. Bottling was in early May and we decided to hold the wine into 2011 before release to allow it ample time to recover from the bottling process.
Tasting Note: The wine has a pronounced nose of pear, peach and ripe Fuji apple. There is a hint of spice and vanilla from the new oak. We delayed picking on 2009 to bring out more of these mature stone fruit flavors. In the mouth the wine is rich, deep and broad with mouth coating density. The fruit flavors are sweet and long. The wine finishes with sweet pear and apple fruit. The 60% new oak is well blended and lifted by the wines racy acidity. This is a big racy wine that remains fresh and lifted by it’s acidity.
Availability: Sold Out. No Library wine available.
Release Price: $25
2009 Syrah Split Rail Vineyard, Santa Cruz Mountains
In 2009 Split Rail was farmed by Ian Brand. Having worked with Ian in the past we were happy to try out this Syrah from a 17 year old vineyard in Eureka Canyon on the western side of the Santa Cruz Mountains. The vineyard sits on a hill top at about 1400 feet.
The grapes were harvested from the ½ acre block on the morning of October 24th. The grapes were transported to Chaine d’ Or in two pickup trucks and then 100% destemmed and crushed into a single T-bin for fermentation. Superfood was added and Brix was 25.5% in bin, with a pH of 3.74 and a TA of .86.
The juice was a unique pink/red color after crushing, the first time I’ve seen this hue in bin. Fermentation went smoothly in a single T-bin and the wine was pressed on 11/10 after 17 days. We used wild/native yeast fermentation on this wine as is our general practice. The must was allowed to settle in tank for several days and inoculated with a Malolactic culture. On 11/14 it was transferred to two one year old Burgundy style barrels, which will have the effect of giving the wine about 10% new wood character.
In early March the wine was racked of its fine lees and 40 ppm of sulfur were added to protect the wine. No other additions were needed and the Final pH was 3.76 with an alcohol of 14.4%
Tasting Note: Garnet with purple hues and very bright. Nose of black olive, spices, cherry and ripe berries. A distinct spicy wood smoke aroma that we thought at first was from one of the barrels we used in 2008, but when it also appeared in the 2009 we thought this must be a flavor unique to the site. Cherry and raspberry with wild berry and olive in the mouth. Great balance and long finish. A serious wine that we think will age and improve for many years. Everyone who tasted this wine in barrel raved about it and has anxiously waited for this first release.
Availability: Sold Out – No Library Wine available.
Release Price: $36
2009 Haut Tubee California
The Haut Tubee blend began on September 15th with the harvest of the Home vineyard The grapes were picked in the early morning and transferred to Chaine d’Or for processing. With the replanting done in the winter the home yield was down about 70%. The grapes were whole cluster fermented and foot treaded to start fermentation. Total pick was just 60 pounds with 25 pounds of Grenache, 20 pounds of Syrah, 10 pounds of Zinfandel, and 5 pounds of Mourvedre
On September 26th 250 pounds of Zinfandel and 100 pounds of Cabernet Sauvignon from the ‘Roxie’ vineyard, a neighbor of the Crimson Clover Vineyard were crushed and started in an additional tub. Our friend Eric lost the coin toss and foot treaded the must.
On September 17th, 25 pounds of Pinot Gris from the Chaine d’ Or vineyard were added whole cluster.
We used grapes from the Ottigurr vineyard and the ‘Church Vineyard for our annual grape stomp on 10/3. The grapes were foot treaded and then left over night in bin before being transferred to two fermentation barrels for transport to Chaine d’Or where they finished fermentation and were pressed in our small basket press. Total breakdown was 240 lbs of Church Cabernet Sauvignon, 100 lbs of Ottigurr Syrah, 60 lbs of Ottigurr Zinfandel
On 10/11 240 pounds of Merlot/Pinot Noir was added from Vista Verde vineyard. The vineyard was a mix of the two grapes and they were handled together.
On 10/24 20 gallons or about 250 pounds of Split Rail Syrah was added to the Vista Verde Must and completed fermentation on 11/10 when it was pressed and added to tank. On 11/14 the wine was transferred to a two year old Burgundy barrel.
In March of 2011 a single barrel of our Santa Cruz Mountains Cabernet Sauvignon was added to the blend as well as two barrels of Santa Cruz Mountains Zinfandel. Final break down:
Zinfandel 46%
Cabernet Sauvignon 31%
Syrah 10%
Merlot 5%
Pinot Noir 3%
Grenache 2%
Pinot Gris 1%
Mourvedre 1%
Cab Franc 1%
Petite Verdot 1%
Tasting Note: Ripe nose of red and black fruit. Juicy and full of berry and cherry flavors. Good structure and tannin from the Cabernet component with lots of fresh fruit from the Zinfandel and Syrah. Finishes long and fruity. Probably most like the 2007 version of any of the other Haut Tubee’s. This wine will also age a fair bit but we think most will enjoy it young.
Availability: Sold Out – No Library Wine available.
Release Price: $20
2009 Cabernet Sauvignon Crimson Clover Vineyard, Santa Clara Valley
The vineyard was under our third year of management and is becoming a favorite of ours. We continued our strict pruning and thinning routine in the vineyard and added just a small amount of organic fertilizer in the spring. The vineyard again had shatter in the spring around the edges due to the high winds that occur in the narrow valley.
Maturity of the fruit was much more even this year though and there was no fruit dropped after the initial thinning of the late spring and early summer. We did not irrigate the vineyard until the late summer, when the irrigation system was turned on 3 times in late August and early September for 6-8 hours at a time. We feel this gives a closer match of a summer rain storm than running the system for shorter times over longer periods. Rain on the evening of September 13th also assisted in allowing the grapes to mature at a steady pace.
Harvest was on Saturday September 26th with a mixed pro and volunteer crew. The grapes were small and cluster size from this site is also very small and intensely flavored. We transported the grapes to Chaine d’ Or and 100% destemmed the clusters and transferred the must to 2 one-ton fermentation bins. Fermentation started within 24 hours on all native yeasts. Punch downs were done 2-3 times per day by hand. Final numbers came in very ripe but with good balanced acidity. Brix: was 27, pH: 3.64 TA: .81 Yield was just under 1 ½ tons per acre.
The must was allowed to complete fermentation outside and Malolactic starter was added on 10/11. At the completion of fermentation the must was soaked for 3 days, and then pressed to a maximum of 1.75 bars on 10/23. It was then transferred to tank to settle. The wine was transferred to 60% new Seguin Moreau oak. We used the extended aging SVT barrels for this wine in 2009.
In early March the wine was racked from its fine lees and 40 ppm of sulfur were added to protect the wine. Post Malolactic Acidity had risen to pH 3.92 so 250 grams of tartaric acid were added to bring pH down to 3.67. The wine was bottled in August of 2011 after 21 months in barrel. Final alcohol was 14.9% 116 cases produced.
Tasting Note: Bright deep color. Fruit forward nose of blossoms, violets and flowers. Stefania says she felt like a bee smelling this wine and “The nose Rocks”. Rich mouthfeel, lots going on and plenty of structure with lots of dark fruit, berries and super ripe cherries. The finish is full of rich fruit and clean bright flavors. We think this wine will age and improve for 10-15 years but it is going to be hard to resist young.
Availability: Sold Out – No Library Wine Available
Release Price: $44
2009 Cabernet Sauvignon Santa Cruz Mountains
Our 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon includes grapes from the Harvest Moon and Chaine d’Or vineyards. The spring and summer were uneventful if a bit cool, and we worried that we might harvest into mid November until heat in August caught the vineyards up. A few small storms on 9/13, 10/12 and 10/19 helped keep sugars in check and let us extend hang time until flavors, acids, and sugars were all in balance.
We harvested the Chaine d’Or vineyard on the morning of October 25th and the Harvest Moon vineyard on November 4th. The lots were kept separate through out fermentation and eventual blending took place while the wine was in barrel. Both lots were 100% destemmed. The Chaine d’Or fermented in one ton T-bins. The Harvest Moon was fermented in our 3 ton stainless steel tank. We used the tank due to the late harvest date as we can heat it if needed. Fermentation was slow to start with the temperature in tank staying around 56 degrees for several days, resulting in an extended cold soak. We used a heat lamp array to get the temperature up to 74 degrees and fermentation went smoothly from that point on. As with all our fermentations only the wild native yeast of the grapes and winery were used.
The lots were pressed in Mid November and transferred to 75% new Sequin Moreau French Oak barrels. Malolactic fermentation was started by inoculation in bin before pressing and completed in barrel. 1000 grams of tartaric acid were added to bring the wines pH into a healthy range.
In early March the wine was racked from its fine lees and 40ppm of sulfur were added as a protection from bacteria. The blending process began in March when one barrel was selected from the Chaine d’Or lot for transfer. Over the next 12 months we would add an additional barrel from the Chaine d’Or lot and declassify one barrel into the 2009 Haut Tubee. The wine was bottled in August of 2011 after 21 months in barrel. Final alcohol was 13.0% 176 cases produced.
Tasting Note: Dark and saturated with color. Brooding nose of flowers, berry, and chocolate. Lush, fat and chewy with black fruit, berries, plum, and mocha. Stefania gets classic notes of pencil shavings and coffee. Powerful and ripe tannins lifted by fresh acidity. Promises an extreme long life in bottle. Best from 2016-2029. Really built and packed with flavor to age.
Availability: : Currently available for purchase. Please email us at [email protected] to place an order.
Release Price: $40
Current Price: $55
2009 Cabernet Sauvignon Chaine d’Or Vineyard Santa Cruz Mountains
Notes: We really should start calling this release a ‘Special Reserve’ and we likely will in the future. As you know there was no 2008 bottling and there will not be a 2010 or 2011.
The vineyard is at the extreme limits of Cabernet production and in 1 out of 5 years there just will not be a harvest. We have also put our yield lowering vineyard practices in place which means that even in years like 2008 or 2010 when we do get a harvest it is too low to bottle as an individual wine.
In 2009 though everything came together and we were able to produce this wine as a single vineyard bottling. We harvested just over 1 1/2 tons per acre and harvested on the early side for this vineyard on October 25th. The wine includes 10% Merlot which is also harvested from the vineyard and co-fermented. Fermentation lasted 16 days and then we did an extra gentle pressing to manage tannin extract.
The wine started aging on 60% new oak but we increased that to 75% in March of 2010 after tasting evaluations. The fruit in the wine was so powerful that we felt the wine could support more oak influence and would benefit from the additional spice and tannin refinement that comes with new oak. Final alcohol was 14.2% with a pH of 3.67. 123 cases were produced.
Tasting Note: The wine is dark red with plum, black cherry and spice on the nose. The wine is loaded with ripe plum, cigar box and has very ripe tannins. The finish is long and Stefania said “wow, sexy”. We think this wine will be very long lived.
Availability: Sold out. No Library wine available.
Release Price: $35
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Our 2008 Wines
2008 Pinot Noir Santa Cruz Mountains
In 2008 the 30 year old Pinot Noir vineyard we sourced these grapes from was under our management. The vineyard is a mix of ‘heritage clones’ including Swan and Mount Eden. The vineyard produced a total of just over 5 tons of grapes on 4 ½ acres or about 1 ¼ ton per acre.
The grapes were transferred to Chaine d’ Or and 100% destemmed and crushed for fermentation in two t-bins. We used no whole clusters this year due to the very small cluster size and a desire to limit stem tannin.
Final numbers on the Pinot Noir were Brix 24.5 and pH of 3.39. We gently punched down the must 1-2 times daily and fermented on native yeasts. The fermentation was slow to start allowing some pre fermentation soak time. We added Malolactic starter on 10/13 while the wine was still in bin and pressed the wine on 10/21 after eighteen day fermentation. The wine was allowed to settle in tank for 3 days then transferred to 1 new Sequin Moreau barrel and one used French oak barrel.
No further rackings were done on the wine and it was allowed to age on its fine lees until racked for bottling after 17 months in barrel. We extend the barrel aging routine on all our 2008’s in an effort to manage the large tannins that resulted from small berries and clusters.
Final Alcohol 13.5% pH 3.59
Tasting Note: Ruby red color, darker than the 2007. Raspberry, strawberry, rose and spice on the nose. The nose is very exciting on this wine. Soft velvety tannins carry red fruit, ripe berries and a hint of forest to a long finish with blackberry showing as the wine opened in the glass. The wine has ripe and ample tannins promising long life in bottle. Enjoyable now with decanting the wine will peak between 2015-2020
Availability: Sold Out – No Library Wine Available
Release Price: $45
2008 Haut Tubee, California
The Haut Tubee blend began on September 13th with the harvest of the Home vineyard and the Ottigurr vineyard in San Jose. The initial picking included about 450 pounds of grapes with 70% Syrah, 14% Grenache, 13% Zinfandel and 3 % Mourvedre. About 10 pounds of mystery pink grapes (likely Pinot Gris) from the Chaine d’Or Estate were added whole cluster on 9/20.
On September 27th 250 pounds of Zinfandel and 50 pounds of Cabernet Sauvignon from the ‘Roxie’ vineyard, a neighbor of the Crimson Clover Vineyard were crushed and started in their own tub. The initial blend was pressed in a wooded basket press on 9/30 and transferred to tank to wait for the other lots to complete. The Roxie completed on 10/15 and was blended into tank with the first lot.
On October 24th, 22 gallons of Elandrich vineyard was added to the tank and the entire blend transferred to a single new Sequin Moreau barrel. In May of 2009 the wine was racked into a used barrel as we felt it had achieved the level of new oak influence we were after.
On May 3rd 2010, the final blend was assembled. One barrel of 2008 Santa Cruz Mountains Cabernet Sauvignon was selected and blended in tank. In addition ½ barrel of new oak Eaglepoint Ranch Syrah was added as well.
Final breakdown at bottling:
o Merlot 15%
o Zinfandel 10%
o Syrah 36%
o Cabernet Sauvignon 37%
o Grenache 2%
o Mourvedre (trace)
o Cabernet Franc (trace)
o Petite Verdot (trace)
o Pinot Gris (trace)
• Alcohol 13.8% pH 3.72
Tasting Note: Dark red the color of a ripe Bing cherry. Wow nose of cherries, plum, licorice and herbs. Very southern Rhone in the mouth with soft and ripe tannins. The wine seems to show Grenache even though that’s a small part this year. Very ripe fruit and spice in the mouth with a long, fresh, juicy finish. Kind of a cross of the 06’s juicy fruit and the 07’s excellent structure. This wine will be enjoyable for 7+ years
Availability:Sold Out – No Library Wine Available
Release Price: $20
2008 Harvest Moon Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon Special Reserve, Santa Cruz Mountains
The Harvest Moon Vineyard has been part of our Cabernet program since 2006. Each year we process the grapes on their own and keep them separate until blending begins, usually the following spring. In 2008 the wine continued to impress us throughout the aging process and we separated three barrels to keep on their own. We eventually decided to bottle this as a ‘Special Reserve’. To date, this is our first and only Special Reserve bottling. Our goal is to release Special Reserve wine only when a vineyard we normally do not bottle on its own shows special character and quality.
Harvest took place on October 26th and the grapes were transferred to Chaine d’Or for processing. Final numbers were Brix, 23.5 and pH 3.62. The grapes were destemmed and crushed into our 3 ½ ton stainless steel tank for fermentation on native yeast. Fermentation was very slow and gentle and we used a combination of pump over’s and punch downs averaging one per day. The must completed fermentation on 11/17 after 22 days and was pressed into tank for 72 hours to settle. Due to the large solid to juice ratio, we had to climb into the tank and bucket out the large amount of must into the press. The wine was transferred to 3 new Sequin Moreau barrels. The finished wine was bottled in August of 2010 after 22 months in barrel.
Tasting Note:The wine is deep ruby red and saturated with color. Wild berry, black cherry, ripe mint and spice on the nose. Very ripe tannins frame the ripe plum, and dark berry fruit with very rich cherry notes. Finishes with spice and more berry and cherry fruit. This wine will be exceptionally long lived and reward extended cellaring. I suspect it will be best in 2018-2028. Enjoy now with decanting of at least 30 minutes to get the most out of this wine.
Availability: Sold Out – No Library Wine available
Release Price: $44
2008 Chaine d’Or Vineyard Chardonnay, Santa Cruz Mountains
In 2008 we severely pruned back the old vines in an effort to lower the spurs on each plant which had gotten very high in the past 20 years. This contributed to one of the lowest yields the vineyard has ever seen with just less than one ton per acre harvested on September 20th 2008.
The wine was immediately pressed and allowed to settle for 24 hours before being pumped into a chilled tank to start fermentation. Fermentation was on all native yeast and when the wine reached 16 BRIX it was inoculated with Malolactic starter and transferred to a combination of Sequin Moreau and Claude Gillet French oak barrels to complete fermentation. The lees were stirred every week and the wine completed both fermentations before Christmas. Stirring of the lees was then done every 3 weeks. The wine was bottled early, in May of 2009, as has been the tradition at Chaine d’Or to preserve its fresh fruit flavors.
Tasting Note: The wine is bright and crystal clear with a light golden hue. The nose is rich with peach and stone fruit notes. There are hints of the citrus fruit notes of lemon and lime that are typical of the Santa Cruz Mountains. The oak notes are moderate and reflect the care we take in selecting our coopers. I suspect you will think we used a much lower percentage of new oak than we did as the effect is so well integrated. Serve this wine just below cellar temperature at 48-50 degrees.
Availability: Sold Out – No Library Wine Available
Release Price: $24
2008 Syrah, Eaglepoint Ranch, Mendocino County
In 2008 severe weather would limit the yields at the Ranch and we pulled grapes from 19 rows to harvest just less than 1 ton total. The grapes were picked early in the morning of October 1st and transported to Big Basin Vineyards for processing. We sorted the grapes and 100% destemmed but did not crush the berries.
Final Brix was low for the site at 25.5 and pH was 3.84. We added a small amount of tartaric acid to preserve the pH through Malolactic fermentation. Only native yeast was used in the fermentation and we again started Malolactic Fermentation in bin. The wine finished primary fermentation on 10/13 and was pressed and transferred to one new Sequin Moreau barrel and one old French Oak barrel. We did two additional rackings of this wine in 2008 to manage the tannins from the smaller than normal berries this year produced.
In early April the wine was transferred to Chaine d’Or for bottling. On May 3rd 50% of the new barrel was transferred to the Haut Tubee Blend. The remaining wine will have 33% new oak influence.
Alcohol 14.5% pH 3.71
Tasting Note: Very dark and dense crimson color. Sweet floral nose with plums, berries and spice on the nose. More ripe plum, spice and pepper on the palate. With air the wine showed berry pie and pronounced black cherry flavors. The finish is lifted with a pepper note that carries the black cherry. This wine is as floral on the nose as past vintages with more cherry fruit. We’ve had no metallic notes in this wine and think the choice to wait until after the heavy rains around the 1st of October was key in removing smoke residue from the vineyard. Enjoyable over the next 10-12 years.
Availability: Sold Out – No Library Wine Available
Release Price: $33
2008 Crimson Clover Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon Santa Clara Valley
Our first harvest from these vines was on Sunday September 28th. The vineyard was under our second year of management. 3.53. Harvest was with a mix of paid and volunteer crews and we picked just under 3200 pounds. The grapes were small, and intensely flavored.
We transported them to Big Basin Vineyards for processing, then sorted and 100% destemmed the grapes, but did not crush the berries, opting for whole berry fermentation. The must was foot treaded several times until fermentation started. We again used native yeast fermentation. Brix was 27.2 and pH came in at 3.53. Fermentation took 18 days to complete and the wine was gently pressed and transferred to 2 new Sequin Moreau barrels and one old French oak barrel for 67% new wood treatment. Malolactic fermentation was begun in bin and completed in barrel. .
We racked the wine on a regular schedule over 22 months and it was transferred to Chaine d’Or for bottling in the summer of 2010. We bottled the wine in August 2010. .
Tasting Note: Bright and expressive on the nose with red fruit and spicy oak notes. A very complex wine with tons of red fruit flavors; berry, ripe cherry, raspberry with a coating of chocolaty mocha and spice. Darker fruit flavors come out as the wine opens up with blackberry, boysenberry, currant, and plum notes. The wine is dense and well structured but the fruit flavors remain lifted and lively. I encourage people to try this wine young with a 60 minute decant. It will age well for 10+ years
Availability: Sold Out – No Library Wine Available
Release Price: $40
2008 Santa Cruz Mountains Cabernet Sauvignon
Our 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon is again a blend of the Harvest Moon, Elandrich and Chaine d’Or vineyards all on the Eastern side of the Santa Cruz Mountains. Yields were greatly limited by natural conditions of the unusual season in 2008 . The clusters and berries were very small and of intense flavor this season with complete ripeness coming in late October.
All three vineyards were fermented separately as they were harvested in late October and allowed to ferment on native yeast. Punchdowns were limited to prevent over extraction. Fermentations took up to 23 days and the wines were pressed individually and transferred to oak barrels.
In May of 2009, we blended all three vineyards together to produce a total of just five barrels of wine. The final blend includes 17% Merlot and 1% Cabernet Franc and was aged in three new Sequin Moreau barrels and two neutral barrels. The wine was bottled after 22 months in barrel.
Tasting Note:The wine is dark hued tending to purple. The nose is classic Cabernet with plum, dark berry fruit and currants with a top note of spicy oak. In the mouth the wine shows more dark berry fruit, mocha, ripe currant and a touch of toast. The wine is very well structured and comes across as fresh even with the huge tannins. The structure, acidity and density reminds me a great deal of a Super Tuscan, being very well rounded. The finish is long with complex black fruit showing. Promises a very long life in bottle. Decant now for 45-60 minutes. Best from 2015-2025.
Availability: Sold Out. No Library Wine Available
Release Price:$40
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Our 2007 Wines
2007 Eaglepoint Ranch Syrah Mendocino County
We picked just over 3 tons on 10/24/07 with Brix at 26.2 and at pH 3.72 The fruit was 100% destemmed and not crushed, allowing for whole berry fermentation. The must went into three bins. Brix in one bin was high, we added some water and acid to bring it back in balance. Fermentation was done on 100% wild yeast this year and finished without problems after twice daily punch downs. The wine spent a total of 15 months in barrel before bottling with 1/3 of the oak used being new.
Tasting Note: The finished wine is a deep rich red color. The nose is floral with hints of cherry and berry fruit. On the palate rich berry fruit is topped with notes of spice, pepper and smoke. The tannins are smooth and supple and carry the fruit through the long finish. This wine will pair well with grilled and smoked meats as well as pasta dishes. Best from 2010-2017
Availability: Sold Out, No Library Wine Available
Release Price: $32
2007 Uvas Creek Vineyard Santa Clara Valley
We crushed 2 tons on 10/29/07 with brix at 26.3 and pH at 3.49 The fruit was 100% destemmed and not crushed, allowing for whole berry fermentation. The must required some treading to encourage the wild yeast to start. Fermentation went smoothly after treading and the must was flashy from the start. The wine was pressed and transferred to 5 barrels. All French Oak was used with two new Seguin Moreau and three older barrels. The wine was allowed to age for 18 months and racked regularly to smooth tannins.
Tasting Note: The wine is deep red with a pronounced nose of summer cherries and dark berry fruit. On the palate, there are powerful notes of ripe berries, spices and cherry fruit. The fruit is layered and complex with a classic Cabernet Sauvignon profile. This is a more serious and masculine Uvas Creek than the 05 and 06, but still retains the balance and red fruit profile of previous versions. Best after 2011
Availability: Sold Out – No Library Wine Available
Release Price: $40
2007 Cabernet Sauvignon Santa Cruz Mountains
This is our second offering of a Santa Cruz Mountains Cabernet Sauvignon. The wine was assembled from three vineyards: the Harvest Moon Vineyard, Elandrich Vineyard and Chaine d’Or Vineyard. We feel this combination offered a complete wine. The Harvest Moon contributing black fruit, mint and spice, Elandrich red fruit and richness, and Chaine d’Or a classic structure and Cabernet profile. The final blend is 58% Harvest Moon, 25% Chaine d’Or and 17 % Elandrich. The wine also contains 13% Merlot and 1% Cabernet Franc from the Chaine d’Or and Elandrich Vineyards.
Each vineyard was harvested and fermented separately in late October and allowed to ferment on native yeast. The lots were kept separate until the spring of 2008 when we selected the final blend and combined the lots for the final wine. We used 67% new French Oak and 33% neutral French Oak on this wine. The wine was bottled after 22 months in barrel. The final numbers are pH 3.62 and alcohol 13.5%.
Tasting Note: The Wine has deep red rich colors with hues of blue and purple. The nose is complex with plum, smoked meat, currants, super ripe blackberries and a hint of mint. The wine is plush and ripe on the palate with cigar notes, berry pie fruit, and complex notes of tobacco, black fruit and a long, long finish. Stefania noted this is one of the most complex wines we’ve made and she picks up hints of the redwood forests that surround Chaine d’Or and Harvest Moon. Best after 2015 or with a 30-45 minute decant.
Availability: Sold Out – No Library Wine Available
Release Price: $40
2007 Chaine d’Or Vineyard Santa Cruz Mountains
We harvested early in the morning of October 27th and brought in a large harvest for the estate of just under 3 tons. 2007 was a near perfect growing year and Anne Anderson thought the fruit was the best she had seen since installing the vineyard in 1987. The grapes were harvested and transported to the crusher in 30 pound bins and 100% destemmed.
Fermentation was on the native wild yeasts of the vineyard and winery. We pressed the wine gently after 22 days and separated the press wine from the free run juice. The press wine was not used in the final wine. The wine was aged for 22 months in 60% new French Oak and 40% neutral French Oak. The final numbers are pH 3.39 and alcohol of 14.1%
Tasting Note: The wine is dark with a gem-like quality to the color. The nose takes significant aeration at this point to reveal a classic ‘Pauillac Nose’ of pencil, currant, berries and tobacco. There are huge ripe tannins framing the wine now with notes of spice, campfire smoke, and pure ripe berry fruit. Notes of cigar box and plums linger on the finish. Stefania calls this a serious steak wine. Best after 2017
Availability: Sold Out – No Library Wine Available
Release Price: $30
2007 Pinot Noir Santa Cruz Mountains
Our 2007 Pinot Noir came from a 30 year old vineyard in the western Santa Cruz Mountains. We processed just one ton of fruit in early October. The fruit was destemmed and 15% was added as whole clusters. Fermentation went very slowly lasting just over 25 days. We used only native yeast as is standard for us. At completion the wine was gently pressed and transferred to a stainless steel tank to settle for 48 hours. The wine was then transferred to one new and one old French oak barrel. No further settling or racking was done and the wine was bottled after 15 months in barrel.
Tasting Note: The wine is classic for the Corralitos area of the Santa Cruz Mountains. Light in color with a strong nose of raspberry, strawberry and spice. The flavors are deep and complex with hints of redwood forest and spice in the deep red fruit. We suspect many people will want to age this wine for 10+ years and it will continue to show increased complexity. We generally prefer wines from this area though at 4-6 years old to capture the wonderful complex nose.
Availability: Sold Out – No Library Wine Available
Release Price: $45
2007 Haut Tubee California
Each individual vineyard was processed on its own and the components blended in barrel. All lots were destemmed, crushed and allowed to ferment on native yeasts. Hand punch downs were done on all lots and fermentations lasted 14 to 22 days. The finished wine transferred to tank before being assembled and aged in one new Hermitage barrel and three neutral oak barrels.
The Haut Tubee program allows us to process grapes from the many micro vineyards we manage and produce a finished wine that expresses the dedication we show to these small vineyards. The final blend was just over 50% Syrah in 2007, with Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Zinfandel, Grenache and Mourvedre also in the blend.
Tasting Note: The wine is deep red with a nose of spice, smoke, and ripe blackberry fruit. It is lush and soft with rich berry and summer fruit notes. The 2007 version of this wine is just over 50% Syrah and the wine shows the richness of the Syrah grape. The 25% new oak added notes of toast, smoke and rich spice. Best from 2010-2015
Availability: Sold Out – No Library Wine Available
Release Price: $20
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Our 2006 Wines
2006 Eaglepoint Ranch Syrah Mendocino County
We crushed just over two tons crushed on 10/11/06 with brix 25.0 and pH 3.60. The fruit was 100% destemmed and not crushed. The fruit was again excellent and we sorted in the field. No additions were made this year and no water was required. We fermented with two different yeast strains in 3 one ton bins. Fermentation completed on 10/24/06 and the must was lightly pressed with 80% of the wine being free run. The wine was transferred to a total of 20% new French Oak and a mix of 1 year old, two year old, and neutral French and American Oak. It completed Malolactic Fermentation in the Spring of 2007 and was bottled after aging for 16 months in barrel.
Tasting Note: The finished wine is a deep rich red color. The nose is floral with hints of cherry and berry fruit. On the palate rich berry fruit is topped with notes of spice, pepper and smoke. The tannins are smooth and supple and carry the fruit through the long finish. Lamb is always a good pairing for this wine, and Paul really likes this wine with a good pizza. Best from 2010-2014
Availability: Sold Out – No Library wine available.
Release Price: $35
2006 Uvas Creek Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon Santa Clara Valley
We crushed 2 tons on10/21/06 with Brix 24.5 and the pH 3.65. The grapes were100% destemmed and not crushed. The fruit was sorted in the field. We fermented in 3 one ton bins. This was a mix of clone 337 and clone 4. Fermentation completed on 11/7/06 and the must was lightly pressed with 80% of the wine being free run. The wine was transferred to a total of 40% new French Oak and a mix of 1 year old, two year old, and neutral French and American Oak. It completed Malolactic Fermentation in the Spring of 2007. The wine was racked regularly and bottled after 21 months in barrel.
Tasting Note: The finished wine is deep red and ruby color. The nose shows red Bing cherries, summer berries and ripe plums with a hint of mocha and spice. The wine is layered on the palate, with multiple layers of fruit and spice and an underlay of vanilla and toast. Flavors are well balanced and the tannins are ripe and long, promising a good 8+ years of aging potential. The wine should pair very well with grilled foods as well as smoked meats, deep dish pizza , hearty stews and lamb shanks with fresh veggies. Best from 2011-2018
Recent Notes Dec 2011:
From Vino Me on W.S. Forum:
“First time I have had this. Paired with a steak au poivre. Thought this was a good match as this wine had the tannins, fruit and backbone to stand up to the black peppercorns. Notes of plum and black cherries. Medium to full bodied. 92 points.”
From Stefania and Jaye:
Dense rich fruit on the nose with saturated color. Notes of mocha, chocolate, tobacco and leather. Flowery nose but muscular weight and body that finishes clean, smooth and light with bright berry and blackberry flavors .
Availability: Sold Out – No Library Wine available.
Release Price: $38
2006 Santa Cruz Mountains Cabernet Sauvignon
Just under two tons crushed on 10/20/06 with Brix 25.1 and pH 4.00 The fruit was 100% destemmed and not crushed. The fruit was sorted in the field and includes 1 1/2 tons of Cabernet Sauvignon from Martin Ranch and 1/4 ton Merlot from Elandrich Vineyard. Due to the small amount of Merlot, it was co-fermented with the Cabernet Sauvignon. We added Acid to adjust the pH and a small dose of French barrel dust to stabilize color and extraction due to the high pH. We fermented in two one ton bins.
Fermentation went quickly and completed on 11/2/06 and the must was lightly pressed with 80% of the wine being free run. The winewas transferred to one new French Oak and a mix of 1 year old, two year old, and neutral French and American Oak. It completed Malolactic Fermentation in the Spring of 2007 and was bottled after 21 months in barrel.
Tasting Note: The wine is dark ruby in color with a distinct nose of mint, eucalyptus, and crushed berries. Plush and long on the palate with currant, berry and dark ripe fruit. The wine shows a long and full finish with fully ripe tannins and spicy notes that compliment the deep, dark fruit. Promise a long life in bottle. Will pair well with hearty dishes, grilled meats and savory stews and vegetables. Best from 2012-2020
Availability: Sold Out, No Library Wine Available
Release Price: $40
2006 Haut Tubee California
A total of 3/4 tons crushed between 10/6 and 10/29. Average Brix 24.6 andpH 3.60 The wine contains a little bit of everything from our small vineyard holdings including: 55 % Uvas Creek Cabernet Sauvignon, foot stomped at our harvest party and fermented in a 1/2 ton bin. 20% Syrah, Grenache and 5 clusters of Mourvedre from our yard. 20% Zinfandel from the Elandrich Vineyard. 4% Cabernet Sauvignon from Chaine D ‘Or. 2% Syrah and Mourvedre from the OttiGurr Vineyard in San Jose. The lots were mostly fermented separately unless there wasn’t enough of something, then it got thrown in together, and everything was pressed in our old basket press as it finished, then was transferred to stainless steel until everything was complete and could be moved in to barrel.
The wine was transferred to one old French Barrel and one old 1/2 barrel. It completed Malolactic Fermentation in January of 2007. To quote Stefania as we transferred it into barrel, “This isn’t bad hooch”. Up until that point we were not sure we’d bottle it, but as the wine continued to show well in barrel we bottled it after 16 months and created the ‘Haut Tubee’ program for future years to handle the small vineyards we manage.
Tasting Note: The finished wine is bright red, with a nose of herbs and summer red fruit. Juicy and full on the palate, the Grenache fruit shines even though it’s just 20% of the blend. No new wood was used and the wine drinks like a warm red from the south of France or Spain. It’s all juicy goodness! We think this will be best enjoyed in the late Summer afternoon as food comes off the grill, or in the hot tub with someone you love of course.
Availability: Sold Out – No Library Wine Available
Release Price: $20
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Our 2005 Wines
2005 Eaglepoint Ranch Syrah Mendocino County
We crushed one ton on 10/21/05. Brix was 27.5, and the pH was 3.67 We 100% destemmed and crushed lightly by foot leaving a large percentage of whole berries. A light sulfuring of 25ppm and 545 grams of tartaric acid where added. The must was cold soaked for 3 days. Fermentation completed on 11/6/05 and the must was lightly pressed to 1.0 atmospheres, with 70% of the wine being free run. The must was transferred to a total of 25% new French Oak and 75% neutral 2+ year old French Oak where it completed Malolactic Fermentation in January of 2006. The wine aged for 15 months in barrel before bottling.
Tasting Note: Dark and rich with dark fruit flavors of blackberry and black cherry, smoke, sweet spice and pepper. Finished very long with spicy pepper notes. Big but never feels out of balance or heavy, just dense and full. Will improve for 5-7 years. Should pair well with any smoked or grilled meats, stews and any dish prepared with Herbs de Provance. Best from 2009-2014
Availability: Sold Out – No Library Wine Available
Release Price: $35
2005 Uvas Creek Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon Santa Clara Valley
One ton was crushed on 10/21/05. Brix at harvest was 25.1 We 100% de-stemmed and crushed lightly by foot. Hand punch downs were done three times daily. Fermentation completed on 11/6/05 and the must was lightly pressed to 1.4 atmosphere’s, with 80% of the wine being free run. The wine was transferred to a total of 50% new French Oak and 50% neutral 2+ year old French Oak where it aged for 18 months before bottling
Tasting Note: Ruby red with sweet vanilla and black cherry on the nose. Smooth and balanced with notes of currant, spice, cherry and olives giving classic Cabernet flavors. Finish is long and savory. Pairs well with grilled meats, lamb, and pizza or pasta. Best from 2010-2015.
Availability: Sold Out – No Library Wine Available
Release Price: $35
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