          |
Thompson Vineyard
(Los Alamos, California): The Thompson vineyard consists of 37 planted acres from which we source our Cabernet Franc, Grenache, Mourvedre, Estrella clone Syrah, and Petite Sirah. Located in Los Alamos the vineyard consists of steep hillsides and south facing exposures. In our opinion, the fruit from this vineyard is the perfect balance of quality and quantity. Naturally cropped at 2-3 tons per acre and expertly managed by Ben Merz and Jeff Newton. Warm, but not too warm during the days, and cool at night, the grapes get enough hang time to express qualities that are very unique to this vineyard.
Grassini Family Vineyard (Santa Ynez, California): The Grassini Family Vineyard is located in the Happy Canyon area of the Santa Ynez Valley. The first big project for Ben Merz of Coastal Vineyard Care, the vineyard is planted at high density primarily to Bordeaux varietals. This vineyard is beautifully maintained and is the picture of Santa Barbara wine country. The warm daytime temperatures at this site allow for more complete ripening of the Merlot that we started incorporating into our lineup in the 2006 vintage. Tierra Alta Vineyard (Santa Ynez, California): The Tierra Alta Vineyard is located in the Ballard Canyon part of the Santa Ynez Valley. Managed by John Belphy, the large size of this vineyard belies the amazing fruit that comes from this site. Calcareous soils add a bit of nuance to the Estrella clone Syrah that we started obtaining in the '07 vintage. Our small plot is located on a lower part of the vineyard which is cooler than the grapes planted on the hills. This allows the grapes to ripen more slowly, thus enhancing the development of the flavors that we try to achieve in all of our wines. |
