• Las Brisas,

Mahoney Ranch,

Carneros (sustainable)

Francis Mahoney is one of the sweetest guys I’ve ever met. After trying for years to get some of his prized Las Brisas Vermentino, he finally had some available in 2019 and toured me around his property right off the San Pablo Bay in the cooler lower reaches of Carneros. He showed me a site where he had some new plantings of Tablas Creek selection of Vermentino, and suggested that my new wine project could grow along with his new plantings in a budding symbiotic relationship.

The name, Las Brisas, means “the breezes”, as the vineyard sits in an area where winds are almost constantly blowing, driving the morning fog into the vineyards and cooling the airflow in the late afternoon. Sustainably farmed.

• Provisor Vineyard,

Dry Creek Valley

(organic, no till)

During my search for “the right” Grenache vineyard, a fellow winemaking friend introduced me to Susan Provisor. Her 24 year old Tablas Creek Clone 362 Grenache vines sit on a beautiful hillside site in the Lytton Springs district of Dry Creek Valley, 1/4 mile from Ridge Lytton West. The vines on this 3.5 acre parcel of gravelly red clay loam (Positas Soil Series) are meticulously cared for by Hector Bedolla and farmed organically without tilling.

• Eagle Point Ranch, Mendocino County (organic, no till)

Roland Wentzel, the owner and grower of Eagle Point Ranch, is such a pleasure to work with. Almost always smiling and with a twinkle in his eye, he is a passionate grower with the best intentions in mind for both his ranch and the environment. The ranch, 2000ft above sea level in the northern reaches of the Mayacamas Range in Mendocino County, has sweeping views of Talmage and Ukiah and is sprawling over the mountain top, with small plots (or “vine gardens” as Roland calls them) of about 8 different varietals planted in red clay soils, all farmed organically wihtout tilling. The Grenache vines at this site are 50+ year old, while the Counoise is 25.