Russian River Valley

Our Pinot Noir originated in the Russian River Valley, an appellation legendary for its extraordinary Pinot Noir. The nine-acre West Pin vineyard on the west side of the river with eastern-facing blocks is an excellent site for this temperamental grape with a climate that’s cool enough to preserve its delicate character but warm enough to ripen the fruit consistently each year. The vineyard is planted with a mix of Dijon (115,667,777) and Pommard clones with each contributing different characteristics to the final blend. In 2006 we also began sourcing Pinot Noir from Crinella Vineyard in Forestville, where cooler temperatures and fine, sandy loam soils produce wines of extraordinary delicacy. This vineyard, also planted with a mixture of clones (115, Pommard, Calera and Swan selections), heightens the complexity of our Russian River Pinot Noir and provides a wonderful counterpoint to the fruit from our West Pin Vineyard. We also sourced a small portion of fruit from the Rayhill Vineyard in the Freestone area which gives great texture and darker fruit.

Sonoma Coast

The Sonoma Coast is a large AVA in western Sonoma County defined by the Russian River’s final run to the Pacific. Our Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir is sourced from four vineyards across the appellation: McDougall Ranch, Putnam Vineyards, Gaps Crown and Rodgers Creek. All are sustainably farmed. McDougall Ranch is situated two mountain ridges east of the Pacific Ocean near Cazadero. These ridges protect the site from fog, as does its 1200 foot elevation. The gently sloping south-facing hillside site features low vigor gravel-loam soils planted to clone 114. Putnam Vineyard is located near Annapolis. This 550 foot elevation site has fine clay-loam soils and is located approximately 8 miles from the ocean. Gaps Crown, situated in the foothills east of Cotati, has dark black clays with glacial granitic rocks. Our final site, Rodgers Creek, features white calcareous soils.

Anderson Valley

Anderson Valley is the northern-most of the Pacific coastal valleys warm enough to ripen wine grapes. This narrow valley which rises steeply to 2000 feet on either side of the Navarro River funnels in fog and cool air from the Pacific Ocean. The sources for our 2008 Anderson Valley Pinot Noir which cover the complex meso climates of this appellation are Ferrington Vineyard in the warmer southwest area near Boonville, Savoy Vineyard in the cooler mid valley just north of Philo and Monument Tree located only 12 miles from the coast in the western end of the valley near the enclave of Floodgate. The sustainably farmed Ferrington Vineyard was planted to five clones of which we source 2A, 667 and 777. The clay-loam soil is laced with river gravels which provide excellent drainage. Savoy Vineyard is organically farmed and located on the rolling hills to the northeast. It is planted to an intricate selection of clones on a south-facing site with well drained clay loam soils. The organically farmed Monument Tree Vineyard is planted to clones 114, 115, 667 and 777 on deeper red clay loam soil with decomposed shale and sedimentary rocks.

Santa Barbara County

Santa Barbara County has long been recognized as an excellent region for growing Pinot Noir. The ocean fog that blankets the region daily encourages slow and even ripening. The Tepusquet Bench, in the smaller Santa Maria Valley AVA, is home to some of the county’s most notable vineyard sites. One of the best known, Bien Nacido Vineyard, is the predominant source of our 2008 Santa Barbara County Pinot Noir. This family owned and managed vineyard is farmed by the acre for very low yields. In 2008, we sourced fruit from three more blocks with distinctly different meso-climates. In addition to the steep Block 1, there are two other Pommard plantings (Blocks 7 and 9A) plus a block of clone 2A (Block 9B). Blocks1 and 7 have light sandy clay loam soils with decomposed shale and are positioned in cooler windier areas. Block 9 is slightly warmer and sits at a 900ft elevation on deeper clay loam soil with shale.