Birkmyer Vineyard

While still located within Napa County, the Wild Horse Valley appellation is located directly east of, and above the town of Napa, at an elevation of 1,400 feet. This higher elevation and the ability to funnel cool Carneros fog all summer long makes for an ideal situation for growing Pinot Noir grapes. Thin, well-drained mountain soils, 25 year-old vines and unusually long hang times contribute to the development of bright, complex flavors.

Brosseau Vineyards

The 2004 Brosseau is sourced from a well-known vineyard in the Chalone appellation in Monterey County. Located within a mile of the Pinnacles State Park, the soil is notable for it's high level of limestone which is a major component in the greatest vineyards of Burgundy. A single barrel of this wine was produced in 2004.

Galante And Schleth Vineyards

The 2004 Russian River is sourced from two vineyards in the Green Valley appellation, both of which are situated on the area's famed Goldridge sandy loam soils. The Green Valley is cooler than the more northerly areas of the Russian River and for this reason, is preferable to many winemakers,. This is an extremely small lot of wine, as only four barrels were produced. Three quarters of the wine comes from a small one acre vineyard from which only 1.3 tons of fruit was harvested, hence the concentration. The other quarter comes from the Maurice Galante Vineyard which is quickly gaining recognition for producing rich and fruity wines.

Gap's Crown Vineyard, Sonoma County

The 2004 Sonoma County is sourced from a hillside vineyard in the cool, southeastern edge of the Petaluma Gap, very close to the town of Penngrove. The wind and fog which funnels in from the Pacific keep the grapes high in acidity and allow slow, even development of complex and dark fruit flavors. The ground at this site is extremely rocky, naturally devigorizing the vines and providing the wine with additional minerality. Indeed, this vineyard is so rocky that certain blocks of the site were descibed by the initial consulting geologists as a 'rock quarry'.

Hirsch Vineyard, Sonoma Coast

The Sonoma Coast is a lonely and wild place and a farmer's dream to grow grapes there could easily turn into a nightmare. A thin layer of sandy soil stretches over a bedrock of compressed sandstone-shale laced with sea fossils and interspersed with igneous rock from the fault zone's tumultuous volcanic past. Within the vastness of this western ledge, the Hirsch vineyard is an idealic place, situated atop a ridgetop with a view to the ocean to the west and a seemingly endless march of pristine ridgetops to the east. Easily within the influence of summertime marine influence, the higher altitude of these ridgetops allows for a rollback of the fog every afternoon, producing a temperature spectrum from very warm afternoons to quite cool evenings which in turn helps to enhance the color and flavor development of Pinot Noir. The first vineyard were planted in 1980. Clonal selections include Pommard, Mount Eden, Swan, 114, and 777 planted on almost 47 acres. Enlightened pruning and crop-thinning produces an average per acre yield rarely exceeding 2 tons per acre.

Iund Vineyard, Carneros, Napa

Carneros is good for Pinot Noir. Funneling the cooling breezes off the San Francisco Bay, the chilly summers give Pinot Noir grapes a chance to mature slowly, hanging long on the vine as the sugar and acid levels of each grape achieve the ideal points for producing balanced wine. While the Carneros region shares a Region l classification with Burgundy, the abundant California sunshine gives the Carneros Pinot Noir a degree of ripeness seldom tasted in French pinots. The soil of the Iund Vineyard is typical of the Carneros, a heavy, clay loam which allows for deep root penetration and delivers a complex mineral cocktail to the berries. Dave Iund has been growing Pinot Noir and Chardonnay on his Cutting's Wharf Road vineyard for more than twenty years and has been an outstanding source for some of the appellations best vintners. Two clones of Pinot Noir are currently farmed, a Pommard and a Martini, both on a VSP trellis with an east to west orientation. Production is governed by a rigorous crop-thinning program along with a judicious canopy management technique. The per acre yields never exceed 2.5 tons thereby insuring the highest quality grape crops.

Morelli Lane Vineyard, Russian River Valley, Sonoma

The Morelli Lane vineyard is located on Stoetz Ridge, a few miles west of the town of Sebastapol and about six miles from the Sonoma coast. The vineyard is situated in the southwestern corner of the Russian River Valley AVA and is currently being managed and farmed by Dutton Ranch. Proximity to ocean influences produce foggy, cool mornings, easing into warmer sun-filled afternoons. The 1100 foot ridgetop location accentuates these temperature extremes. Five different Pinot Noir clones (113, 115, Pommard, Swan, and Beringer) are planted in the fine, sandy loam of the Gold Ridge series soil. Grape production averages about 2.5 tons per acre on cordon pruned, VSP trellis trained vines.

Templeton Gap vineyards, Paso Robles

Located on Paso Robles' west side, Luna Matta and AJB are both south-facing hillside vineyards planted in calcareous soil and sand, much like the hillside slopes of Italy's Barolo and Barbaresco wines. The AJB vineyard provides the Lampia Nebbiolo clone, which adds deep red color, dark fruit flavors and a rich base. Luna Matta, situated farther west at a higher altitude, provides the 143 and 230 clones, adding bright floral aromatics, red fruits and powdery tannins to the final blend.

Wiley Vineyard, Anderson Valley, Mendocino

A mere ten miles from the Pacific Ocean, the Wiley Vineyard is one of the westernmost Anderson Valley vineyards. This chilly area, known locally as the "Deep End", is often the last Pinot Noir vineyard harvested in the Anderson Valley. Surrounded by coastal redwood groves, and on a southwestern facing slope, these vines have had ample time to sink their roots deep into a soil of fractured sandstone and dense loam. Integral to this wine is the 25-year-old Pommard block, which separates this vineyard from many of those more recently planted, both in aromatic complexity and depth.