Vineyard: Our estate vineyard in Dry Creek Valley, known as the "Vinegrove," is a few hundred feet up from the valley floor, providing respite from the hottest days of summer. The nearly 30-year old vines are planted in fine Laughlin loam soils and are organically farmed. The center swale rolls through several exposures, allowing for balance and elegance in our Grenache. The steep south-southwest facing corner block has the most porous earth and soaks up afternoon sun, creating richly-flavored and densely-structured Cabernet. Petite Sirah receives the first rays of morning sun, but otherwise stays cool in the lowest spot in the vineyard, bolstering acidity and color.

Winemaking: This wine is essentially a field blend, crafted by harvesting Grenache, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Petite Sirah from separate blocks on the same day and fermenting them together in one open top tank. After a three-day cold soak, fermentation began spontaneously with wild yeast, and the must was punched down manually once or twice per day during the “low and slow” cool temperature fermentation. After pressing, the wine two years in French oak puncheons, one-third of which were new, before it was racked and bottled unfined and unfiltered.

Vintage: The 2019 growing season began with heavy rains in March and April, which allowed soils to store up plenty of water to weather the dramatic heat spikes we witnessed in June and mid-August. Other than those brief events, the growing season was relatively mild and harvest occurred on October 2nd, the latest we've picked our estate since working here. The grapes offered bright, expressive fruit flavors and balanced acidity at moderate sugar levels. The long hang times and even ripening yielded wines that show concentrated flavor and structure without being over-ripe - an ideal California vintage.