The Vineyards
The vineyards we work with are carefully selected based on elevation, farming practices and soils. They are dramatic sites, remote, unique and immersed in the beauty of their surroundings. Mountain sites are special, they have their own life and evoke emotion, and these vineyards pulse with that energy.
Bald Mountain Vineyard
Planted in 1972, Bald Mountain vineyard is remarkable. In a cool bowl at the bottom of the site we found exactly what we were looking for in Chardonnay plantings. The vineyard is planted to heritage California clones that we believe thrive in poor soils, and develop a true depth of texture and flavor. Vines are dry farmed, and grow on pure fractured basalt rock, which is truly a dramatic sight. The combination of dry farmed, old vines, high elevation and interaction with the parental material of the mountain vines express their wild and unique character.
Rising to over 1,800 feet, Bald Mountain sits on the highest point in the mountain between Napa and Sonoma.
The mountain factor is very present in the wines from Bald Mountain, with a chalkiness, salinity and minerality translating in a bright and genuine way. It's as mineral as it gets.
- Rodrigo Soto
Dry farming creates vines that are self sufficient, independent and resilient.
We come up every chance we get to spend time among these beautiful old vines; there is a wine history that goes back to before Prohibition, and we think the vines know and carry this wisdom.
We respect how vines like to grow and find ways of adapting them to the site.
Elevation is important as a growing condition, as it provides a diurnal shift, with cool mountain breezes lowering the average temperature and allowing vines to thrive in the growing season.
Alta Vista Vineyard
Above the town of Sonoma facing the San Francsico Bay, these more than 50 year old, dry farmed vines on terraces are fully adapted to their growing conditions. The vines at Alta Vista are truly part of the site following the contours of the hill producing exceptional fruit for Cabernet Sauvignon.
The rolling terraces of vines are mesmerizing and the different expositions and altitudes bring complexity
Like soldiers standing guard, these vines hold their ground and survey the landscape
Alta Vista's challenge is in taking the time to understand all its facets: the range in altitude, expositions, old plant material. If you treat the vineyard with care and respect, and really pay attention, it rewards you.
- Mai Errazuriz
It's been a wandering journey to find these places and turn a dream into reality
Perspective is something gained not from elevation, but from time and experience