Vineyards
Camino Alto Vineyard, El Dorado County
When it comes to El Dorado County vines, there is no better place to be than in the capable hands of Goldbud Farms. Chuck Mansfield farms impeccable fruit across various elevations, aspects, soil types, and varieties across the region. When we decided to venture into El Dorado, we knew Chuck was the right partner for us. Camino Alto sits at 2,800 feet elevation and has only 4 rows of Vermentino. This intense exposure provides an incredible diurnal shift from day to night, helping to provide Vermentino’s classic ‘pigato’ or spotted skin, while maintaining amazing natural acidity. The soils here are Aiken Volcanic Clay Loam, a red clay soil of volcanic origins intermixed with granite and schists. This red, mineral dense earth, combined with the high elevation is reminiscent of the terroir found in Liguria, Italy - our northern star for Vermentino.
Palmero Family Vineyards, Sacramento County
The Palmero Family Vineyard was planted in 1983 by Gerald Cresci in the bucolic town of Herald. The vineyard straddles a rocky knoll that is the result of erosion from the Sierra Nevada Foothills to the west. The geology here is very diverse and very rocky. Small stones of pink quartz and granite are abundant and are one of the main contributors to the minerality present in the wines from this unique place. Our block of French Colombard is one acre and the vines are naturally very low yielding. Today, the vineyard is farmed by Gary Palmero with as little intervention as possible. There is no tilling or plowing of the earth, and spraying is only done when absolutely necessary. The result is a living ecosystem full of plant life, beneficial insects, and pleasantly nostalgic moo-ing of neighboring cattle.
Frei Vineyard, Solano County
This tiny nook of Solano county is a very special place to us. Childhood stomping grounds turned profession and passion provides a deep and meaningful connection to this small piece of Fairfield. The Green Valley AVA is a narrow sliver of Northern California, just one mile wide and four miles long, set at the southern tip of the Vaca Mountains, nine miles from the Suisun Bay. It takes in a constant breeze and markedly cooler temperatures than Suisun Valley to the East, and Napa Valley to the West. The Frei Vineyard lies directly adjacent to Green Valley Road at the northern end of the Valley. It is comprised of Valdiguié, Carignane, and Petit Sirah, planted in the early 1960’s and trained on stakes without irrigation - the old fashioned way.
‘The Hill’, Murrill Family Vineyards, Amador County
This is an extremely special piece of rugged mountain California. Sitting at approximately 2,000 feet elevation, six rows of dry-farmed, head-trained Carignane are left from the original planting in 1916. Affectionately known as ‘The Hill’, this old vineyard was purchased in 1985 by Frank and Ruth Murrill and is now tended and managed by the second and third generation of the Murrill family, John and his son Andrew. The soil here is textbook Amador County Aiken Clay Loam. It is deep red, iron rich clay that is littered with medium to small stones of granite, quartz and schist. This is the oldest vineyard we have the pleasure of working with and the expression it provides is undoubtedly that of Amador County.
Escolle Vineyard, Monterey County
Escolle Vineyard sits in the town of Gonzalez in the cool climate of northern Santa Lucia Highlands. This cold, foggy place is a haven for grape growing. Planted in 2008 by the Caraccioli family, it is comprised almost entirely of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. A few years ago, Scott Caraccioli decided to graft a few acres of Gamay Noir. We were very fortunate to have been able to taste one of the first wines bottled from this vineyard, made by the one and only Ian Brand. Immediately we knew this was the home for the Gamay we had always dreamt about in California. The soil type is mostly Granite and Sand, a magic combination for wines of sensual texture and a tense backbone. This is one of the most promising sites for Gamay in the state.