Palate
Old vine Santa Maria benchland vineyards in Santa Barbara County add structure and richness to the wine. Monterey County’s hillside fruit delivers citrus and floral notes.
Growing Conditions
Grand Reserve is a winemaker ’s blend of our mountain, ridge, hillside and benchland grapes grown along California’s cool coastal appellations. We hand select grapes from our best estate vineyards and then monitor, taste and hand-hold each individual lot throughout the winemaking process. Inconsistent weather patterns in the spring and summer resulted in a limited crop that was long and late to ripen. Be it frost, wind, extensive fog or September rains, the long hang time and excellent sorting gave us great flavors. The grape clusters were sparse in number and small in size. These conditions resulted in nice bright flavors and crisp acidities int he finished wines. All vintages are unique and 2011 is no exception!
Harvest
Grapes are sourced from lower-yielding estate vineyards that are specially-designated Grand Reserve Blocks. 70% of the wine is from the same vineyard blocks year-to-year, ensuring greater consistency and enhanced complexity with each vintage.
Winemaking
Each lot is kept separate, barrel-aged and handcrafted—boutique winery style. Sur lie aged with lees stirred twice monthly to integrate fruit and oak and promote a creamy mouthfeel.