VINEYARDS
TRAILS END VINEYARD
POTTER Valley ava - MENDOCINO
This is where I get:
SAUVIGNON BLANC for Soothsayer
GRENACHE NOIR for 2021 vintage partial blend in The Prophet and new release The Oracle
Ed ‘Jingles’ Johnson owns this 1.5 acre vineyard which is planted to 4 varietals - Grenache Noir, Grenache Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc, and Pinot Noir. Alluvial soils rich with silex give a gritty minerality with loads of drainage. This allows the vines to exercise persistence in ripening and concentration of the fruit.
Potter Valley is a study in diurnal climates - hot hot hot in the peak of day with temperatures reaching high 90’s into the 100’s on some days. Temperatures plummet to low 40’s on the same day.
THREE OAKS vineyard
SONOMA MOUNTAIN ava - sonoma
This is where I get:
SYRAH for 2021 Vintages of The Hook Rosé, Presage
and for partial blend in The Prophet
Located on the bench that divides Bennett Mountain and Sonoma Mountain this vineyard sits nestled between both mountains at the foothills of the Sonoma Mountain. Almost a confluence of the Bennett Valley and Sonoma Mountain AVA’s, it benefits greatly from the fog corridor that gets trapped between both peaks.
Three Oaks Vineyard is owned by Scott Sporte and farmed not only organically, but also is a certified Fish Friendly Farm vineyard. An alternative agricultural practice that is designed to improve water quality in and around the vineyard and the nearby creeks, watersheds, tributaries, and rivers. This supports habitat restoration and sustainability for threatened salmonid species such as steelhead, chinook, and coho, which their runs act as indicators to the overall health of the surrounding environment.
Parvenah vineyard
paso robles ava - San Luis obispo
This is where I get:
CABERNET FRANC for Auspice
As I was looking to expand my fruit sources I came upon this lovely site which is owned by Homan Hadawi. It appealed to me right away when I learned of the biodynamic agricultural approach, its diverse and nitrogen-rich topsoils - and the romantic in me loved that he named the vineyard after his mother who’s nickname was Butterfly (Parvenah translates to butterfly in Farsi)
Situated roughly 20 miles as the crow flies from Big Rock in Morro Bay, the natural terroir of Parvaneh Vineyards consists of soils derived from solid bedrock, weathered granite, and marine sedimentary rock of the Miocene-age Monterey Formation, featuring calcareous shales, sandstone, diatomaceous, and volcanic earth dating back several millennia.
sundowner ranch vineyard
bennett valley ava - sonoma
This is where I get:
SYRAH for Presage
and for partial blend in The Prophet
A 2 acre organically farmed vineyard co planted to Zinfandel is owned by Skip and Susan Glander which is situated just north of the Matanzas Creek watershed.
Sandwiched by Sonoma Mountain and Bennett Mountain, Bennett Valley benefits greatly from the Petaluma Wind Gap which brings with it the foggy marine layer keeping it cool throughout the year. This allows for longer hang time of the fruit - it’s not uncommon to harvest this vineyard closer to the 3rd or 4th week of October - bestowing lively acidity and ripe concentration.
TRIMBLE VINEYARD
MENDOCINo County ava
This is where I get:
CARIGNANE for The Hook
Rick Trimble owns this roughly 5 acre vineyard planted solely to Carignane. The vines are 75+ year old head trained and certified organic. This site has some gnarly scraggly looking vines that produce opulent and elegant fruit.
Hopland not yet it’s own AVA and as such fits into the larger Mendocino County AVA. Defined by colluvial soils - theres a mixture of sandstone and shale which rest on the downslope bench of Duncan Peak that is part of the Mendocino Mountain Range.
Mora vineyard
san benito county ava
This is where I get:
PINOT GRIS for Foreshadow
A large 38 acre organic certified vineyard owned by the Siletto family that is championing lesser known French and Italian mountainous varietals such as Trousseau, Picpoul, Ruche, and Freisa.
An emerging AVA founded in 1987 thought to be very warm actually has a diversity in climate ranging to very cold nights and mornings which swing to warmer temperatures in the afternoon. The area is better known as the setting for Steinbeck’s famed novel East of Eden.