Small Production 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 for a white wine, and then the juice was fermented in stainless steel without the skins or seeds. Beautiful nose of fresh strawberries and tropical lychee fruit, accompanied by sweet juicy flavors of refreshing watermelon and tangy grapefruit. Both floral and mineral, and incredibly zippy!  Fresh, lively and delicious!”

-Randall Watkins, Winemaker

Vintage: 2024
Appellation: Sonoma Mountain
Varietal Composition: A blend of obscure red varietals, old vine Merlot, and old vine Cabernet Franc.
Case Production: 180 9L Cases
Alcohol: 13.0% 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 the 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 purchased a small quantity of grapes from Hopkins River Ranch in 2014 and were so impressed by the results that we’ve been producing a few hundred cases every year since.

The vines produce very small berries, which we whole-cluster press to preserve maximum freshness. We then ferment these berries slowly at a low temperature in small stainless steel tanks. The long, cool fermentation preserves the wine’s freshness while also imparting an unexpected richness.

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

Vintage: 2023
Appellation: Russian River Valley
Varietal Composition: 100% Sauvignon Blanc
Case Production: 450 9L Cases
Alcohol: 12.9% by volume

In many ways, this wine is an homage to Bettina’s father Peter Sichel. He is the reason she has devoted her entire career to wine, a career which started by helping to sell her family’s Blue Nun Liebfraumilch in the US. The grapes for this wine come from Wirz Vineyard, located on the northeastern side of the Gabilan Mountains in the Cienega Valley. The old head-trained vines, planted in sandy loam soils in 1964, are dry farmed. For the 2nd year in a row, our Riesling grapes were the last to be picked (i.e. after Cabernet Sauvignon!)

With this vintage, Randall started giving the wine about 12 hours of skin contact before pressing. He does this by foot treading the corners of the picking bin the grapes arrive in and then leaving the bin under a blanket of dry ice until he’s ready to press. Since so much of the character of a wine comes from the skins, this technique improves varietal character in the wine.

TASTING NOTES

Classic peach, petrol, and orange blossom aromas. A brilliantly crisp acidity perfectly balances the juicy fruit and generous mid-palate, leaving a dry impression on the palate. By German standards, this wine is Trocken.

Vintage: 2023
Appellation: San Benito County
Varietal Composition: 100% Riesling
Case Production: 62 9L Cases
Alcohol: 12.2% by volume