Small Batch Wines

The Europeans who ‘settled’ Sonoma Mountain in the 1880’s planted winegrapes. A row of these pioneer grapevines still grow at Laurel Glen Vineyard. They are gnarly old vines twisting their way up out of the red volcanic rock soil, right next to two rows of Cabernet Sauvignon vines planted in 1968. Starting with vintage 2012, what little fruit these three rows of old vines produced was pressed into a field blend Rosé. Part of the blend is Cabernet Sauvignon and part is a mix of obscure red varietals, most of which we can’t identify with any certainty! Today we also blend in some Merlot from our neighbor, the Pickberry Vineyard.

“Pretty light pink color in the glass. The grapes were whole cluster pressed just like a white wine, and then the juice was stainless steel fermented without the skins or seeds. Beautiful nose of fresh strawberries and tropical lychee fruit, accompanied with sweet juicy flavors of refreshing watermelon and tangy grapefruit. Both floral and mineral, and incredibly zippy!  Fresh, lively and delicious!”

-Randall Watkins, Winemaker

Vintage: 2023
Appellation: Sonoma Mountain
Varietal Composition: 30% of mixed field blend reds, 30% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot
Case Production: 240 9L Cases
Alcohol: 12.4% by volume

When we started discussing the idea of making a wine that would be a refreshing alternative to Cabernet Sauvignon, Randall was reminded of an old vine vineyard planted entirely to white grapes he had recently noticed in Russian River. It turned out to be a Sauvignon Blanc vineyard planted in 1976 and quite possibly the oldest Sauvignon Blanc grapes in Sonoma County. Intrigued, we bought a very small amount of grapes from Hopkins River Ranch in 2014 and were so impressed by the results, we’ve been making a few hundred cases every year since.

The vines produce very small berries, which we whole cluster press to preserve maximum freshness and then ferment slowly at a low temperature in small stainless steel tanks. The long cool fermentation preserves the freshness but also gives the wine an unexpected richness.

Who knew coming up with an original name for a wine could be so difficult? The label is our homage to the extensive brainstorming it took (over at least one bottle of wine) to develop a name that matched the quality in the bottle.

TASTING NOTES
The 2022 Laurel Glen Blanc Slate Sauvignon Blanc has delicate tropical aromas, hints of Meyer lemon zest and delicious minerality. There is a beautiful richness in the mouth offset by a bright, mouthwatering acidity.