Our Wines

After 20 years my winemaking has become intuitive. It can change dramatically depending on harvest variables. The wines reflect this. My intent is not to confuse my customers because of vintage differences in style or blends, but often it seems that way. I am always mindful that a wine’s first job is to complement a meal. Because of this I prefer wines that have good acidity and structure, and to be of moderate alcohol. My inspiration comes from Europe. The vineyards are my focus. Soil, site and microclimate are more important than grape variety. We are winegrowers and our best wines carry the vineyard designation on the label. Our wines age quite well. We encourage our customers to age our Reds, Chardonnays and Late Harvest wines. We also have a program here at the winery of aging certain vintages. Many of our wines are unfined or unfiltered. We work hard in the vineyard to get as much concentration from the grape as possible. We are non-interventionists in the cellar. The result is wine with more flavor and texture. This can be at the expense of sediment or haze in the bottle. This is a risk that we feel is worth the benefit.

Whites:

White wines are meant to refresh. Most of our whites focus on crisp mineral flavors with moderate to high acidity. Although fruit aromas and flavors contribute to wine character, we are most interested in a wine that reflects the place where it was grown. In good vintages many of our wines are bottled as single vineyard selections.

We do use oak barrels, but use mainly older barrels that do not infuse much flavor to the wine. Barrels give us the advantage to make many small lots and to age sur lie (on the yeast) which gives character and texture. Oak barrels also seem to integrate the wine better than tanks.

Rather than having a wine defined by oak and alcohol, I prefer a wine that is defined by its “sap“. Sap refers to the intensity, weight and structure in a wine that comes from the vine. There is a concentration and verve of great intensity, but the wine is in harmony and balance. This is my ultimate goal with our white wines. As I learn more from each vintage, my wines will gain more sap and verve.

Reds:

We grow the Bordeaux varieties of red grapes (Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Petit Verdot, and Carmenere). These are grapes that produce wines with great structure and longevity. As I learn the characteristics of each variety and each vineyard site, my goal is to produce wines that are firmly structured, but harmonious when young and become supple and more complex with time. Aging is very important, especially with our vineyard designated wines.

Our reds are usually unfined and unfiltered, so they will eventually form sediment and may be best decanted, especially older vintages. As in Europe, we have significant vintage variations and our wine pricing does reflect this. To be honest, the weather during August, September, and October has the greatest impact on wine quality and style. It is my job to react to and adapt to the changing conditions. This is why European winemakers have become my mentors. They have the advantage of history and learning from their ancestors. I use the declassification system to attempt to make red wines with power, place, finesse and longevity. Vintage variation has the strongest influence on blends and the level of designation.